Many people are so concerned with what is happening in their lives right now that they have set aside their right to live healthy and maintain the same quality of “good” health as did previous generations. For some of those people the “good” health was achieved by living an uncomplicated life: clean air, indoor running water and plenty of rest. Unfortunately, we now live in a world where the environment has been damaged by the pollution of industry and our use of toxic products. 

Doctors do everything

They can to prevent illness and disease from spreading. When someone values prevention as a way to keep good health then incorporating these basic guidelines into your daily routine makes a great habit of reading your doctor’s list of values each morning upon waking. What would you expect your doctor to do? She would suggest more exercise, more foods rich in vitamins and nutrients and perhaps some medication if it all failed.

So what would you expect them to do? 

Taking responsibility for one’s self is another of the basic values someone needs to learn if they value prevention as a way to keep good health. Again, if someone values prevention as a way to keep good health what would you expect them to do? They would avoid any dangerous substance, device or food. If there is no real-life danger involved, they would also avoid excessive consumption of exercise and sports that produce high levels of physical strain on the body. This includes sports that require a lot of jumping, running and lifting. 

If someone values prevention as a means to keep good health

Then they are more likely to use sound dietary practices that reduce illness and disease risk. There are several ways to reduce illness and disease risk but following a healthy diet is probably one of the most effective and least expensive. So what would you expect them to do? They would avoid unhealthy foods, substitute low fat foods for high fat foods and avoid alcohol consumption. These things may seem like common sense to an outside observer. However, to an inside observer it makes total sense when the person actually goes through these changes in their eating habits. 

What would you expect a smoker to do

If someone values prevention as a way to keep good health? They would limit calorie intake so that they do not become obese and increase the risk of heart disease. They would avoid alcoholic beverages and stop smoking if they value good health. Again, these things might make perfect sense to an outside observer but to a smoker who knows about how each of those activities affect their bodies, it makes complete and utter sense. 

If someone values prevention because it keeps them from getting sick what would you expect them to do if someone actually got ill? They would limit calorie intake and avoid risky situations. This includes staying home alone to avoid the stress of shopping or driving. They would exercise more and eat less to limit stress.

All of these things can also be done if a person values prevention and health as important goals.