On the 1st Day of Christmas My Trainer Gave to Me...

...Give Yourself the Gift of Good Health!

When I initially thought of this as my final gift idea I planned to write about giving the gift of good health to yourself rather than as a gift to someone else. I would then touch on all the benefits you reap when you take care of yourself and always try to be as healthy as you can be. But.....

Giving a healthy "You" is the best gift you can give to someone you care about-or, rather, to someone who cares about YOU! Did that make sense? Taking good care of yourself kinda says that you'd like to be around for a while :) Forcing a loved one to watch you NOT take care of yourself, in reality, is hurtful.

Now, here's my disclaimer: We all have health issues that we can only "manage" because we have no control over it-a truth I discovered as I got older  :) Really? A Personal Trainer with arthritis in both her thumbs? Sometimes s**t happens and we just gotta deal with it!

Someone I love dearly, who shall remain nameless, refused to go to the doctor for years, mostly because he saw his dad, my father-in-law :), misdiagnosed more than once, until the final, accurate diagnosis, sadly was, well...the "final" diagnosis  :( So in a way I understand. But! I was still frustrated that he wouldn't go get a physical. I am a firm believer in trying to catch issues early. Some diseases, if caught early, are more likely to be successfully treated. And although I have those times I want to strangle him (jk) I want to keep him with me for a long, long time <3 (In the end our daughter got through to him-yea!)

So think about this...what if your "gift" is to give up smoking, a promise to see a doctor, or to begin exercising or eating healthy? This could be your most thoughtful gift ever!