National Preparedness Month Day 5--Your Health

The most important way you can be prepared for anything is to be in good health.  Whether you need to escape an active shooter by running a good distance, find yourself in an area like Puerto Rico after a massive hurricane which wipes out all medical services, or have a smaller emergency which requires working a 16 hour shift/nursing a sick child all night/walking to work because your car is dead, being in excellent health to begin with will make all of these situations a little easier to deal with.

Your good health encompasses the following areas:

• Having your vaccinations up to date.  Anti vaxxers are idiots, don't listen to them; unless there is a solid medical reason for not being vaccinated, save yourself/your kid a bout of measles or polio and keep your vaccines up to date.  
• Eating nutritious food.  A Whole Food Plant Based diet works wonders for many people.  
• Exercising every day.  Include cardio, strength, and flexibility exercises such as stretching, walking/jogging, calisthenics, and weights.
• Mind your health metrics.  Keep your weight, blood pressure, blood sugar, and cholesterol numbers in check.
• Have your vision and hearing checked/corrected as needed.
• Stay on top of your dental health as well (it's pretty heard to function with tooth pain, an abscess, or rotting teeth).
• Also take care of your mental health.  Stress reduction, developing coping skills, and asking for help when you need it are all important parts of your mental, and in fact, overall, health.
• If you must take prescription or OTC medication, try to stockpile at least a 90 day supply in case you can't get to a pharmacy to refill your prescriptions in a timely manner.
• If you have significant health issues, make a comprehensive plan for what you would do in an emergency (do you have someone to call in to help you, do you have back-up electricity for necessary medical devices, are you able to evacuate far in advance of any possible disaster headed your way, do you have back-up glasses/hearing aids, etc).