As a working mum, your day probably starts at 4 am. You get yourself set & ready for work, prepare the kids for school and step out early enough to beat the early morning traffic. Whew!
Dad doesn’t have it easier either, he probably gets home just before 11 pm due to no fault of his- just work and traffic. Then he dozes off at 2 am on the couch, while working on a presentation he has at 8 am. That’s life on the go, no time to rest. 24 hours is no longer enough to fit in all the other bits like exercise, socials, or quality time with the kids. The kids themselves are not exempted. Apart from school, they are bent over phones or tablet screens all day doing schoolwork then homework. This cycle is repeated day after day.
Adding to this is the recent sedentary style of working, due to a variety of evolving technologies and the social media which has turned many people to ‘constant checkers’. A constant checker is a person who constantly, almost obsessively, checks their emails, texts, and social media accounts.
If you are worried by all the scenarios above, especially regarding your health, there is a way to quickly check and ascertain your health status. Know your numbers!
Knowing your numbers is one of the best ways to evaluate your health by identifying your risks and providing motivation for managing your health. Even if you feel great and look healthy, you may not know what’s going on inside. Many diseases are “silent” and affect your health long before you see anything wrong on the outside. Knowing your numbers includes knowing what your blood pressure is, your cholesterol and blood sugar levels, and your weight or body mass index. These four measurements are crucial indicators of your overall health and they are key indicators of your risk for serious health issues. If you can keep them in a healthy range, you can drastically reduce your risk of a heart attack, stroke and other health conditions. Unlike your family history, ethnicity and gender which cannot be changed these factors can be altered by the choices you make every day.
If your numbers are not within the ideal range, you should urgently reach out to your health care provider and create a plan to help you reach your desired goals.
There are important measures you can take, which include:
- Maintain a healthy weight.
- Exercise and ensure physical activity (aim for 30 minutes of moderate activity—such as walking, jogging, dancing, etc).
- Reduce the salt in your diet and eat a lot of fruits and vegetables.
- Manage stress and emotions.
- Reduce alcohol intake.
- Stop smoking.
- Drink water to stay hydrated, and limit intake of sweetened beverages.
- Reduce sitting and screen time.
- Get enough sleep.
When you know your numbers and start making changes to get them in a healthy range, you take control and this improves your outcomes and state of health. You can also know your other numbers by keeping your bank account healthy. Open a FirstBank account today, so we can help you keep track of your other numbers with ease.
Visit www.firstbanknigeria.com to choose an account suitable to your needs.
Image Source: SHUTTERSTOCK.
