As a child, board games were probably one of the things I asked for the most for Christmas.  I chuckle at that now because I was an only child for most of that time.  It’s kind of hard to play a board game alone!  One of the games I remember most is a game called Operation.  It seems to be timeless, as it continues to get its shelf space in the local Target or Walmart.  You may remember the steady hands this game requires.  It’s quite fun to be play the role of the doctor.  It takes precision to work to keep Cavity Sam healthy.  You intently hold the tweezers in an effort not to get buzzed.  Being slow and steady is the best way to be successful.  You have to be proactive, plan ahead, and have a game plan.

A game I was not familiar with, but has recently gotten on my radar, is a game called Whac-A-Mole.  It’s everything Operation is not!  It’s fast paced, aggressive, random, and anything but steady.  Moles seem to pop up randomly, seemingly out of thin air,  and you have to whack them as quick as you can.  You have to hit them head on to push them back into the ground.  The quicker you do it the higher your score.  You have to be reactive.  They come after you with a vengeance and it takes all the will power you can muster up to get the upper hand.  Sometimes you just want to give up. You feel outnumbered and overwhelmed!  You hope that they will soon just disappear.

Recently, when thinking about the differences in the games, I thought of similarities to my health journey.  Perhaps you will see the parallels as well.  Who knew such a comparison could be made?!  For as long as I can remember, I treated my health much like the premise of a Whac-A- Mole game.  When my symptoms (moles) popped up, I often swatted them.  Other times I chose to ignore them. I figured if I ignored them they would go away.  What was I thinking?!  I failed to think about the fact that even though the moles were seemingly quiet, they were all the while, eating away at the ground beneath me.  More precisely, my gut!  Until they did a full blown attack, think SWAT team, I keep that “hit some”, “miss some” mentality going.  As a result, I allowed for some irrevocable damage to occur.  The things that can be resolved are part of a very slow process towards healing.  I let the moles do a number on me!  What about you?  Are you whacking the moles or ignoring them?  I urge you not to ignore them.

Instead, pick up your tweezers and meticulously attend to the needs of your body. Be so very careful.  Pay close attention.  Stay alert.  Don’t give up.  Most of the things are simple to do.  You’ve heard it all before, but I will repeat it again for good measures.  Eat healthy.  Exercise.  Take your vitamins.  Get enough sleep.  Do not ignore the messages your body is trying to send.  Answer quickly and do not put your body on hold. If you stay ahead of the game or at least stay in the game, you will stand a better chance of winning the game!  It costs far less to attend to things proactively or as they come up, than to go the reactive route. The beginning of a new year provides a great time to think about making lists. What do you need to jot down and then make sure you attend to soon regarding your health?  Go ahead and get it done!  Make the appointments and keep them.  Fill your kitchen with whole, life-giving foods.  Trade in the Standard American Diet (SAD) for a whole foods eating plan.  Live intentionally.

How can HealthTurners help you to that end?  In addition to the programs offered, I’ve planned a series of Facebook posts over the coming weeks to help you make some changes within your home. We’ll be using my Word of the Year, Shift as a springboard.  As promised, we will have our own HealthTurners group. While I will continue to post on Facebook, the group will be a place where you can ask questions, build community and hopefully be spurred on. Join the group if you are interested in the give and take rich community requires!  We’ll want to hear from you!  Together we can indeed start a movement!  2016 can be a year where you thrive mentally, physically and spiritually.

If you have friends who can benefit from the HealthTurners page or the HealthTurners community, please encourage them to join us. We are better when we go together.