The choices we make

Today I thought I would go off the topic of dentistry and share some observations on our overall health.

My father-in-law passed away over the weekend in his home near Ormond Beach, Florida.  He was quite a guy. He grew up in a very difficult family situation. His mother died while he was a child and his father was a belligerent alcoholic.  He was mostly raised by relatives and worked his way through college and then law school at the University of Wisconsin as a lumberjack.  My kids thought it was pretty cool that Grandpa Paul had done that!

He was a very active man, playing racquetball, tennis and golf over the years and really kept himself in pretty good shape.  He however did make some choices that in the end caused his life to end way too soon.

And this is the point of today. The choices we make along the way.  As was common in his generation he was a regular smoker and a very social drinker.  He was a member of the generation of the "few cocktails each night after a hard day at work".   Nothing in extreme, but consistent.  Eventually this lead to high blood pressure and a stroke a few years ago that began the decline in his health.

I'm not preaching at all here, but rather suggesting we all look at our lifestyle now and assess the good and the bad.  How are our eating habits, exercise routine, vitamins, sleep, and other healthy choices that we can make? What can we do better?

It may not seem like much now, but the choices we make consciously or unconsciously along the way incrementally and cumulatively have a profound effect on our health down the road.

So take a minute….how are you doing?