Health is Wealth: Healthy Habits Add Up!

Health is wealth; your health deserves the same planning and priority as your financial future. For women, menopause is a health milestone to plan for, just like retirement. Menopause happens to all women, and the healthier you are when it occurs, the better you will be able to cope with all the changes. Your health habits add up! This week on Fox 17, Dr. Bitner discusses ways to mitigate menopause and your risk for heart disease, diabetes, and more!

Fact #1: 

Menopause is the most dramatic risk factor for heart disease, diabetes, obesity, hip fracture, and depression. The earlier you start preparing, the less likely you are to be at risk. When there are signs of perimenopause, irregular periods, worse PMS, worse menstrual migraines, or weight gain that does not make sense, it is time to organize your health plan, just like a financial plan.

Fact #2:

Heart disease and diabetes are, in many ways, preventable. Eating a diet high in fiber and lean protein, committing to four hours per week of activity, and knowing your numbers can make all the difference. Create health goals for and understand numbers for A1C, CRP, lipid, uric acid, body fat percentage, muscle mass percentage, and blood pressure.

Patient Story: 

Jane, 38 years old, recently experienced a decline in health. At a checkup, she talked about experiencing low energy, which interfered with her ability to participate in her kid’s sports activities and exercise. Jane became concerned after seeing the same thing happen to her mom. In midlife, her mom talked about being too tired to be involved in family fun, gaining weight, developing high blood pressure, having joint pain, and becoming depressed. At 58, her mom had a heart attack and was also diagnosed with diabetes. Jane looked at 58 as her health goal, much like retirement. At 58, she wanted to be involved, active, lean, and healthy. Together, we developed a plan with steps to address her symptoms and her risk for obesity, heart disease, and diabetes. Having a clear milestone and a health advocate was what she needed to focus on getting her health back.

Health Tip of the Week: 

Knowledge is power. Your health is your personal wealth! Start “saving” now for your future by knowing what is in your health bank (genetics and current health numbers). It is also important to understand the gap is between what you want and where you are. Developing a care plan will allow you to have the health retirement of your dreams. It is possible! 

Watch the full segment.