Whenever I’m at a party or a social get-together of some sort and I tell people I am a dietitian, a lot of people who appear to be in shape, will ask “oh, I’m in good shape, don’t you think?” “Absolutely… Except for….”
Senior doctors too, in the first few seconds of meeting you, can make a good mental picture of the state of your health including that of your internal organs. You see, the skin, eyes, hair, teeth, tongue, gums and internal throat are like the monitor of your computer – they provide information by reacting to abundance of or lack of vitamins and minerals or improper functioning of internal organs.
Anyone who is not obese might superficially appear to be in ‘good shape’.
A person is in good shape only if not suffering from any vitamin and mineral deficiencies, has a good level of physical activity and very little or no body fat.
People who are not obese assume they are in ‘good shape’.
Well my dears, not being obese and being in good health are two entirely different things. The signs of good health can be read from your skin, your hair, clarity of your eyes and the health of your teeth.
If your eating habits and lifestyle is not healthy,
your stomach is not healthy and so too your internal organs including your brain. ‘Not healthy’ means your body is functioning at less than optimum levels. Of course, with age the performance of our internal organs deteriorates but then we are not referring to retired people, are we?
It’s a chain reaction. The chain starts with what you put into your mouth and what you do with the resultant energy that is generated. Just as the performance of your car engine (amongst other things), depends on the quality of the gas and oil you put into it, so too
your performance at office depends on the quality of food you put into your mouth.
Eating French fries, burgers, pizzas, pastries and other junk food regularly is like putting sludge into your car engine – do it just once and the effect is devastating. The body too suffers and our organs, especially the heart, get clogged with all the ‘sludge’ that is forced down our throat.
Good food habits, good healthy lifestyle with plenty of physical activity or exercise keeps you like a well oiled, well maintained engine. Your brain too performs at peak level. Your skin begins to glow in good health, your hair stops falling or splitting; you do not suffer from bad breath nor suffer from body aches, stomach cramps, bloated stomach or acidity. You are less prone to flu and seasonal diseases and so you rarely need medical leave expect perhaps, for your bi-annual preemptive medical checkup.
A career is a race to perform well for your own sake and that of your family.
If you would not enter a rally with a poorly maintained car, why would you not maintain the health of your body that is so much more precious than your car?