Sunday, December 12, 2010

Mommies, take care of yourselves!

Yesterday's Daily Challenge goal really got me thinking...

The goal was to encourage a female aquaintance to go get a health check-up. I thought, "Wow, that's great. My mom should really go to the doctor. She's getting up there in age and I want to make sure that she's taking good care of herself." So I call my mom...she's already taken care of it.

Well, I'll call my sister. She will be turning 40 this year and has 4 kids she needs to stay healthy for. She informs me that she not only already had her annual GYNO visit, she's been to her GP & had her teeth cleaned. Then she asks me, "When was the last time you had a check-up?"

That's when I realized that while I was trying to help someone else, I was the one that needed encouragement. I hadn't been to the doctor (besides the OB/GYN) for a full physical in over 4 years! The last time I went to the doctor, I went to urgent care for a "quickie diagnosis" cuz I knew I had a sinus infection.

The more I thought about it, the more I knew that I needed to go, the more I realized I didn't want to go. Why? Stupid reasons: They'll weigh me! They'll want to draw blood! They'll tell me that I have to eat healthier! Get some exercise! All of the expected diagnosis. Why am I scared of the obvious?

How come, as a mommy, we make sure that everyone around us is healthy and well taken care of, but when it comes to ourselves, we let it fall behind? Is it just me? Am I the only irrational health procrastinator?

I know it's important that I stay healthy for my family. So, I'm gonna schedule my check-up today. If you haven't yet, you should too!

4 comments:

  1. It's truly important and I definitely fall in the category of neglecting to go. Lately there's been a lot of women I know unfortunately being diagnosed with some terrible illnesses. It's prompted me to call and make an appointment for January. Start the year off on the right foot. Hope you call! :)

    Kate
    xoxo

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  2. Girl... It's not just you! I do the same thing too. Why do we do it?

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  3. So smart! Your blog looks great by the way!

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  4. I joined the daily challenges when you first posted about it, and promptly forgot whose blog I found it on! I don't have any connections yet because their invite thing isn't working for me :-/ Oh well.

    By the way, go to the doctor! The last time I went, they diagnosed me with High Blood Pressure and he warned me about heart disease being a reality if I didn't turn my life around. I've lost a bunch of weight and become much more active since then. I have never been proactive about my health until I realized it could cause my baby to lose her momma.

    I've learned not to be afraid of bad news, because it can always be turned into a positive!

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