At well visits for children and adolescents, I often review several topics. I find myself repeating a mantra of three main themes to improve one’s health. These repeating themes are often similar for improving one’s performance in any area of interest: sports, school, band, life….

First topic would be what we eat. There are numerous diets that one can follow. We have had the food pyramid for numerous years, but I don’t know if it has made us any healthier. I tend to focus on foods that are not processed. A patient told me about foods that are picked or pulled from trees and the ground (not the grocery shelves 😀). We are what we eat. We need good fuel for our bodies and they will “perform” better if fed properly.

Two, we need rest. We need good sleep. Bodies do not perform well if tired or sluggish. Our bedroom should be just for sleeping. No need to have screens in there. Many teens tell me they need their phone as an alarm clock, which may be true, but I think they may be using it for other purposes as well. We spend about ⅓ of our lives sleeping. Seems pretty important to me that we get enough rest. 

Third, we need to be active. Our goal is 60 minutes a day. Exercise has so many benefits to our physical and mental health. It does not have to be all at one time. The “exercise” may take the form of practice for sports, studying for school, practicing one’s instrument for band. Whatever we want to improve, needs to be practiced. Vince Lombardi once said, “Perfection is not attainable, but if we chase perfection we can catch excellence.”

I have found a fourth theme that is equally important and that is being thankful to our Heavenly Father who provides all of our gifts and talents. This completes the spiritual aspect of our health. Be rest assured that these four pillars will lead to increased production, happiness and health. 

God reward you!