What's The Value Of Your Health?

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What value do you place on your health? Before answering that question, consider the time and effort you invest in it. Do you prioritize it daily, weekly, or monthly? Do you eat a balanced diet, exercise or engage in physical activity often? Do you take steps to ensure your body remains functional in the next 3-4 decades, or are you solely focused on the present?

Unfortunately, only a minority of people take good care of themselves. The majority simply stumble along the path of life, without realizing the importance of maintaining a healthy body. It's important to really think about what this means.

We've been given a body that's a technical and scientific marvel with many amazing features. Here are some examples:

• Our body has about 7 octillion atoms, which is more than the number of stars in the observable universe.

• The body has a supersized molecule called chromosome 1, which contains around 10 billion atoms and encodes a huge amount of genetic information.

• The body has an appendix that is not useless but actually helps the bacteria that aid digestion to survive and replenish. (Guardian.com)

• The body’s heart beats about 100,000 times a day, pumping blood through 60,000 miles of blood vessels. It’s made of specialized muscle cells that can contract without any external stimulus.

• The body’s brain weighs about 3 pounds but consumes 20% of the body’s oxygen and energy. With about 86 billion neurons, it communicates through trillions of connections called synapses and is responsible for learning, memory, emotions, creativity, and more. (PBS.org)

• The body’s skeleton is made of 206 bones and 360 joints. The skeleton provides support, protection, movement, and storage for minerals and produces blood cells in the bone marrow.

• The body’s skin that is the largest organ, covering about 20 square feet. It protects us from infection, dehydration, and temperature changes.

• The body’s immune system defends it from foreign invaders such as bacteria, viruses, fungi, and parasites and can recognize and remember millions of different antigens.

These are just a few of the marvels of the human body. There are many more to discover and appreciate. And if this doesn't cause us to pause in our busy lives and think about how we're treating our bodies, then consider the marvel of the mind as well.