Last week I asked everyone to consider a walking program. Especially if you’ve been sedentary and are looking for a way to start moving for better health.
I hope that I was able to inspire you to take action!
In that post, I attempted to use my own experiences and setbacks to help you get creative about finding alternative ways to exercise. So just in case you’re still not moving, I’m going to take another shot.
This week I’m going to get really personal. This message is straight from the heart. Literally…
It started with chest and arm pain on my left side last Saturday.
I thought it was odd, yet knew these 2 symptoms were something to pay attention to. But I wanted to give it some time to see if the pain would subside, which I don’t recommend.
I thought, “I’m a healthy 53-year old. This can’t be the early signs of a heart attack, can it?”.
After about 2 hours, I became a bit more concerned. So I mentioned it to my wife. And unlike mine, her good judgement took over. No more waiting to see if it would pass. Next thing, we were in the car driving to the Emergency Room.
They immediately brought me in and took my vitals, which were a little higher than normal. And the pain was becoming a bit more uncomfortable. Not excruciating, but concerning.
I couldn’t understand what was happening. I take great care of myself, and I’m in very good shape as a result. I do everything I write about in this blog, and then some. Including focusing on The Health Triad. A concept that evolved from the success of my daily activities. And the disciplines I maintain with my nutrition, exercise, and sleep.
So why was I experiencing symptoms of an impending heart attack?
It just didn’t make sense. But far better to get checked out and be safe than ignore warning signs and have something tragic happen.
Take Away # 1: If you experience chest pain, or any of the common heart attack-related symptoms, heed the warning and call 911 immediately.
Here’s a list of symptoms you should never ignore.
Fortunately, “chest pain” symptoms are treated as a priority with medical professionals.
The emergency room and hospital staff conducted a number of tests to identify the source of the pain. And to make sure that a heart attack hadn’t already occurred.
Thank God my heart was fine!
I had an overnight hospital stay so they could monitor my symptoms and conduct more tests.
It’s difficult to sleep in the hospital with all of the noise and poking. But more on that next week.
The next day, the pain was gone. Very strange…
But this is not a self-serving, sympathy-seeking account of my weekend. There’s a point, and here it is.
Heart disease is the leading cause of death in the US.
And there are 2 reasons I am sharing my story:
- To raise awareness, and
- To promote prevention
Awareness is important. But I believe that prevention is equally as, or even more important.
Although we can’t prevent death, we can live longer by preventing an early death. And many of these Top 10 causes are preventable.
This is where the quality of your health & wellness compounds in a good way and becomes so beneficial.
It starts with making the right choices. These choices enable us to build better habits. And finally, our good habits are the foundation for developing the long-term disciplines that lead to a healthy lifestyle. We’ll talk more about this in 2 weeks.
Take Away # 2: If you are sedentary and overweight, you need to start helping yourself by getting into shape and back to good health.
I can’t imagine how concerned I would’ve been about the symptoms during and after my hospital stay if I were sedentary and overweight. Instead, I was calm and had confidence that I would be okay. And I am.
I realize there are no guarantees. And none of us are invincible. But the odds are our favor if we are at a healthy weight and in great shape. So it’s essential that we take better care of ourselves.
And if you find it difficult to do it for yourself, perhaps there are others in your life who depend on you. This may be the leverage you need to get motivated to take action.
It’s very simple. We are defined by our choices. So find your “WHY” and choose wisely.
And if you smoke, do whatever you can to quit as soon as possible.
In closing, I am so grateful that everything turned out well. I am also thankful for the unwavering efforts of the nurses, doctors, and hospital staff. They all go above and beyond to care for complete strangers. They save lives and are all heroes in my book!
I hope you found value in this week’s post.
Thank you for sharing your time with me. I’d love for you to let me know what you think by leaving a comment. Is the content valuable and helpful? Did anything resonate? Will you take action? What else would you like to see in future posts? I welcome your feedback.
What’s your Win to be Thin?
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