Book (body appearance)
Sometimes the whole story isn’t told by looking at the mirror
Everyday we wake up and look at ourselves in the mirror. Whether its to wash our face, shave, brush our teeth, or putting on make-up. Our day usually starts with checking ourselves out. Didn’t think you were narcissistic, huh? Well, you are. Hah, kidding. Being in the fitness industry, physique is a important aspect of how people define themselves as healthy. Now don’t get me wrong, physical appearance is important, but the real importance lies in the internals. Would it make any sense to you if you had washboard abs and chiseled arms, but you feel like crap because your arteries are clogged due to having high cholesterol or blood pressure? That’s the scary part about not paying attention to your internals. Again, don’t judge a book by its cover.
What we DON’T see through the naked eye is what you need to pay attention to. That’s why they call hypertension the silent killer, right? Sure, being fit helps in avoiding diabetes or heart issues, but at times may not completely resolve everything. That is why it is important to visit your doctor once a year to check on your blood work (which reminds me, I need to make that appointment) to really see what is going on with your body. If all is well, then keep up the good work. If there’s any red flag, then you have to be proactive in making the necessary changes. Also, it’s measurable and should give you a incentive to either keep up the good work or work towards improving. Just because you see a fit person (cover of a book), don’t assume all is well with that particular individual. There are many cases where high school athletes have sudden heart attacks. Who knows if a regular check-up could have avoided the situation, but it surely would have helped. Take me for example. For those of you who have met me, I am relatively lean and may assume I have nothing wrong physically. However, I have a history with high blood pressure and must continue to check on it to see if my current eating habits are working or not. When I am stressed, I can feel that my blood pressure is off. Here’s a example of what mine looked like during opening up our gym:
this is what my BP was during opening up the gym, not normal
So make sure you know what’s really going with your body and make the necessary changes. You don’t want to take any chances. Physical appearance (book cover) doesn’t tell the whole story. If your body is telling you something, then BE PROACTIVE. Hope you liked this week’s blog, stay tuned for more next week………………..Kei