What is the most important piece in creating optimal health, physical, mental, emotional, and spiritual? Many, likely most, would think of how important it is to get regular checkups and follow the advice of a healthcare practitioner, or perhaps, go online and get health advice from an online doctor or other source who shares “health knowledge.”  And all of this is indeed worthwhile and part of the whole. But underlying all great health, at the very core level of necessity to achieve optimal health, is a resolute commitment to proactive SELF CARE. Without commitment to self-care, all of the doctors’ visits and online reading are meaningless, and do little or nothing.

Dedication to one’s personal health yields three key benefits:

1 – Advice that is provided by practitioners will be implemented consistently, reliably, accurately.  If it is not ideal advice, consistent implementation will soon make this fairly clear. And the health path can be modified, or an entirely new health path can be sought.

2 – Daily self-care sends one a message: “I care about you and value you.  It is empowering, even if the protocol being followed is not successful Because the self caring individual knows that they can count on himself to do the right thing for himself going forward, no matter what issues or challenges come along.

3 – A self-caring person is in a position to help others, especially those he loves.  This can be analogized to the famous airplane announcement, where you are told to secure your oxygen mask in the event of an emergency before you attempt to assist those next to you.  If you are not caring for yourself, you are in a very poor position to help those around you.  You are not well, and your effectiveness is at best diminished.

This is the mindset, but what exactly constitutes self-care?  Some pieces are done on one’s own, some with guidance, but you will recognize the pieces:

Regular exercise of some sort, almost any sort: A regimen suggested by a trainer or PT person may be in order so the exercise is a match to your health status, and your physician can help you with specific exercises or a PT prescription

The RIGHT diet:  There is no one “healthy diet.”  One person’s healthy diet is not right for another person.  In this area, medical guidelines can be most helpful, and it is worth seeking a professional for an overall plan.  The plan may need to be monitored and tweaked over time.

A proper regimen of dietary supplements: Some supplements make sense for acute treatment, others to support proactive long-term goals, such as anti-aging. Tests are useful in helping determine which nutrients are needed short or long term.

7-8 hours of sleep nightly, on a regular schedule, This and weight are the only two health factors that are known to extend the lifespan reliably.  There are many ways to address sleep disorders. Figuring out how to improve sleep is imperative if good health is to be achieved.

Maintaining a “healthy” body weight:  What is healthy is based on numerous factors, and again, a doctor’s objective assessment is the ideal approach. Often people’s own idea is based on what they think is “possible”, but a physician will help you to discern, what is really the best weight for you, and help you to achieve it.

Regular proactive checkups. Of every variety, medical, gyn/urological, dental, vision, dermatological, colonoscopy, bone density, etc. Early detection of issues, and early treatment as indicated preserves optimal function, and can save lives.

Peace of mind and solid connection with family and community: If these connections are frayed, not only may mental health suffer and even become debilitating, but physical health will take a secondary hit.  Various healthcare providers can help you improve in these key areas or direct you to useful resources.

All of these elements are pieces of excellent, vibrant health but without an underlying commitment to self-care as a priority, they are simply good thoughts, or random ideas. But with an affirmative, powerful commitment to self-care, all these are entirely do-able, possible and achievable. And life can be long, good, and healthy.

Since mentoring with Dr. Robert Atkins (“the Atkins Diet”) Robin Ellen Leder, M.D. has worked as a functional/holistic medicine physician, guiding thousands of patients on their unique paths to optimal physical, mental,, emotional and spiritual health.