ROI of Your Tax Return

If you are one of the lucky ones receiving a tax return this season, have you already allocated the $$ to a purchase, activity, bill payment, or otherwise? What is the ROI of your decision?

Have you considered spending that money on improving your quality of "health"?  Seriously..... if one of the barriers to exercising, eating healthy, managing stress, being compliant with medication, or another healthy activity is having the income to afford taking care of yourself, here is your opportunity!

Often times I hear that if a person "had the treadmill" or "could spend the extra two dollars on the healthy lunch option" or "could stomach the cost of the prescription" they would take better care of themselves. If this is truly a challenge of yours, it is worth considering. The ROI can be tenfold to a one-time purchase - it may just be the jump start you need - permission to spend your money on the gym membership that motivates you, the high-end health food store that serves great tasting food, or the message you typically only get every other year. Whatever this investment might be - make it for yourself, and your quality of life.

All things considered, your health is directly related to your success in this world. Without our health, we cannot achieve great things, it is constant drain on our impact in this world. With health, we are a powerhouse of potential. Invest in your health this tax season and embrace the opportunity to "spoil" yourself with some healthy treats!

Parenting - making it healthy

Tonight I read an article in the Star Tribune, a Minneapolis newspaper, explaining how new parents are a "high risk" population because they are not effectively managing their health (http://t.co/oza6nRF). I thought to myself, well this is not enlightening or surprising to many of us who have embarked on the adventures of parenthood. The sleepless nights, unhealthy eating habits, lack of exercise and turbulent emotional health status are just par for the course.

Regardless of the number of years you have been in the game, it is safe to assume that maintaining a healthy lifestyle "pre-children" looked a whole lot different before your beautiful offspring came along. In fact, for some of us, exercise was a staple in our weekly routine, a healthy diet was attainable, and sleep happened when it was suppose to. No doubt, healthy habits were easier to manage and prioritize. In addition, if we had a few "less than healthy" weeks, our bodies were more forgiving.

This article and topic intrigues me. As a parent of three children, I realized that with each child we welcomed into our family, the better I got at re-establishing my exercise routine and healthy habits. With my first daughter, it took a solid year before rejoining my tennis league. With my second, it took about nine months to begin a regular walking and running routine. Then with my last child, it took only four months for me to be out with a couple running partners at 5:45am each weekday morning. Was this because with each child I further realized the importance of maintaining my own healthy balance?

Despite my success with maintaining my pre-parenting exercise focus, with each child it was a challenge physically, but even tougher mentally. I felt starved for the physical exertion because I have always been an avid exerciser, but trapped with time constraints and demands that I never had to accommodate before. Most importantly, I felt I needed to be "on call" and available 24/7. How could I accomplish this and allow myself to truly re-energize regularly. My husband felt similar pressure, during his free time he felt compelled to help with the kids rather than relieve some stress.

I am glad to see that the article highlighted the "high risk" status of parents in an effort to heighten awareness of the additional support and resources that are needed by active parents. I often wonder if it is a matter of providing good programs that can reflect the needs of parents and their families, or if a cultural shift is needed to emphasize the importance of a parent's health in the upbringing of their children.

What if a parent's health status ultimately determined the fate of their child's success in this world? The child's ability to live a quality life to the fullest, manage their own health and be productive in our world. Would a study that proved the value of a parent's health status as the determining factor in a child's success convince parents to take better care of themselves. My guess would be that such a study would help, because when we become parents our biggest motivator  is to protect and enhance the lives of our children. Hummmm, interesting research idea....

How Healthy is Your Community?

Almost four years ago, my husband and I decided it was time to move to a new home and neighborhood. This decision was based on many factors - desiring a larger home, wanting more property to call our own, and seeking a strong school system for our children as they begin their foundational elementary school years.

When we set out to determine which communities we were interested in, we focused primarily on the school system, cost of the home, property, neighborhood, community, and distance from our relatives. I can honestly say that we never considered looking into the "health of the community" as a criteria, despite the fact that I am a healthcare professional. One of the primary reasons is likely because there was no source to attain this data four years ago. The closest I came is to ensure there was a safe neighborhood running route for my daily run.

Today, I am happy to share that this data now exists. On March 30, 2011, Robert Wood Johnson Foundation in coordination with the University of Wisconsin Population Health Institute released the 2011 County Health Rankings for almost all counties within the 50 states (http://m.countyhealthrankings.org/). The data allow you to see how your County ranks against a National benchmark, the State and other Counties within your State. It assesses counties on health outcomes (mortality and morbidity) and health factors (health behavior, clinical care, social & economic factors, and physical environment). In essence, you are able to see how healthy a community is and how long people live within the community. It illustrates the factors that influence these two characteristics - education, jobs, income, environment, access to care and others.

So how can we make use of this information? It provides us (community members, educators, healthcare professionals, public administrators) with a starting point to join together and strategically plan to improve the health of their communities, then evaluate the impact of our efforts annually. If done effectively, all residents of the community will benefit by leading healthier lives and living longer - who can argue with these rewards?

After learning where my County ranked this week, I challenged myself to do my part for my community. As a healthcare professional, my "day job" allows me to assist corporations in implementing successful health management programs. I plan on taking this experience and knowledge and help our elementary school plan healthy school programs to enhance our school's culture of health. I am excited about the potential and hope others will join me in lending our skills and expertise to make our communities healthier. Any chance you want to join me?