Be prepared with prevention!

As Benjamin Franklin said, “An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure.” He was talking about fire safety and preparedness but the theory applies to a lot of things.

So how does prevention work?  Well, if you get a flu vaccine, you probably will not get the flu.  So you’ve prevented yourself from being miserable and missing out on your life for a week.  If you get a cancer screening, you may be able to find cancer at an early stage.  You could prevent more rigorous treatments and surgeries.  If you plan for a emergency fund, you could prevent excess worry and getting into debt when you have an emergency. 

You may be saying, “I got a flu shot and then got the flu! No more flu shots for me!”  But flu vaccines take up to 2 weeks to be effective.  If you were exposed to the flu before your body was ready to fight it off, you could get the flu. 

Vaccines (flu, Tdap, etc.) can also prevent other people around you from getting the flu.  Infants, older adults, and people with weakened immune systems are especially vulnerable to infectious disease.   If you’re not sure what vaccines an adult may need, check out the CDC's website. 

If you have children, the CDC has a great site to learn more about vaccines and schedules here

Don’t forget those screenings – they are called preventative for a reason!  Mammograms, colonoscopies, diabetes tests, etc. can help you to fight disease in the early stages.  Not sure what you might need?  Go here for more information on preventative screenings.. 

While reading a blog and seeing social media posts are great (keep it up!), they may not be enough for you to take those small steps and incorporate healthy habits into your life.  When I pull up a map on my phone, I always see a cute little dot that shows me where I am at the moment.  That’s really helpful when I’m trying to find a new place or need directions.  If I don’t know where I am, I can’t really figure out where I’m going.  That works with changes too.  I have a survey to help you see where you are right now.  It might be a little long but it will give you a good overview of where you are on your map.  Then, you’ll set up a trip of small steps to take you where you want to go. I’ll help you along your journey with emails, social media, this blog, and some monthly Fun Fridays where you’ll meet others on the journey and have fun learning! Start your journey HERE.