Spring is officially here! It was a long winter, but I can see that the trees are starting to bud, the grassing is turning green and my Spring flowers are starting to pop up. This is a great time of year to take charge of your health, and take steps to reduce your risks of injuries and future health problems.
The first thing that you can do to improve your overall health and to reduce your chances of developing systemic health problems like COPD and Diabetes is to work in your yard. Yard work and exterior home improvements, are both great forms of exercise. Just think about how many calories you burn while mowing the lawn, cleaning up yard waste, climbing ladders, moving hoses and even scooping up dog poop. Yard work is a great low impact workout that can help you lose weight, develop muscle tone and improve your endurance.
While working in your yard is a great way to stay healthy, it can also be an easy way to injure yourself. Most people who venture outside to work in their yard forget to stretch. Without stretching your muscles are cold and tight. When you start vigorous activities like climbing ladders, raking and mowing the lawn, you can easily pull a muscle or worse. Another way you can injure yourself while doing yard work is by twisting your ankle because of unlevel ground, rocks or other pieces of debris. To protect yourself from injuries you will want to (1) stretch before you go outside, (2) keep your eyes open for tripping hazards and (3) keep your yard clear of tripping hazards.
Protecting yourself from injuries and risk factors for system diseases are great ways for minimizing your need for future long term care. However, even people who are healthy and in good shape generally require some sort of long term care in their final years. To cover your future ltc costs, you need ltc health insurance.