USB Portable Personal Health Records With PDF Health Profile: It Will Just Take a Minute

A big part of the upcoming changes to healthcare is understanding and practicing preventative health measures; where we take a good look at ourselves and determine if we are destined to become a heavy user of the healthcare system based on lifestyle patterns. The problem at hand in implementing this, though, is that a majority of us are unwilling to take action because of A) I'm not unhealthy, how dare you judge me, and B)I can't afford the tests to determine if I have any problems. The truth is, if you have the Internet or access to a library - you have some of the greatest prevention tools at your disposal and you've already been paying for them. It's time to get using them! Here is a small kick in the pants to get you researching what (potential) ailments you may be experiencing. This will all just take a minute!

One key component in self-analysis comes from how big you are via the amount of fat. This first component, Body Mass Index (BMI) can be calculated here: http://www.nhlbisupport.com/bmi/ What did you come up with? Well, the higher the number the more likely you may be experiencing or will experience: (from http://win.niddk.nih.gov/publications/health_risks.htm)

type 2 diabetes
coronary heart disease and stroke
metabolic syndrome
certain types of cancer
sleep apnea
osteoarthritis
gallbladder disease
fatty liver disease
pregnancy complications

Cutting down on body fat alone can greatly reduce the chances of developing, while also 'curing' a number of very common and preventable issues; ones that are highly responsible for the constant increase in healthcare costs.

Secondly, we must consider that if you do fall within a normal range, the worries haven't ended. You may be skinny but fat on the inside! The question is, how often do you tend to eat the 'fun food' that we Americans cherish? If it's even a few times a week, you may be heading down a slippery slope. So, that above list now gets dumped right into your lap. The prevention step towards you? It's easy, just like your larger counterpart, it's about diet! What everyone needs to know can be found at http://maddieruud.hubpages.com/hub/Healthy_Diet.

Now, what about exercise? Well, we should all be shooting for at least a half-hour to 45 minutes of cardio and some weight training a day, but in reality, the best body that is the epitome of health is built from diet first!

The key to a long, happy, pain-free life ultimately comes down to your initiative to make it happen. Now that you have an introduction and basic knowledge to start further research and self practice in prevention, what will you do with it?