Take Care

Mummy and Abah always said/say this to me: Take care of yourself. This is usually said whenever I’m about to embark on a new trip or when I was going back to micasa when I still lived there, when I still had my other life.

Take care of yourself. Such a simple expression and yet it encompasses a great deal. I interpret it to mean to take care of my physical being, my safety, my health, my dignity and pride and virtue.

Take care of yourself. That was the last thing Mummy said to me too before she left me for good. And now I will never hear her say that again. Ever. But I shall remember her words and try to do as she wished.

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There’s a recent spate of crime especially in the Klang Valley of late. I heard and read of horror stories of girls being attacked at car parks, of being abducted before being able to escape, of snatch theft attempts, of real attacks. In fact, exactly a fortnight ago today, a friend had her car passenger window smashed when she was stopping at a light on her way to work. The perpetrators escaped with her handbag and her new smart phone.

So girls, let’s take good care of ourselves. Of our safety. Of our dignity, pride and virtue. Because as unfortunate as it has become, we can’t rely on guys to protect us anymore. Not when they are the ones who attack us. Someone said we should be afraid. Be very afraid. This in the sense that we should walk in pairs, and not walk off alone especially in dark, remote places. Exercise judgement and common sense. Be wary of our surroundings. Be alert and suspicious. Have something in hand – your car keys or pen or brolly to ward off attacks or to protect yourself. Inform your loved ones and close friends when you’re going somewhere so they know where you are. I am always asked to do this whenever I go on trips. The funny strange thing is my parents trust/ed me more abroad than in Malaysia. Now do you see why?

And yes, recite prayers when you are out and about. We can do all we can but ultimately, God is our best saviour. He will protect us and help us but we also must help ourselves first.

So do take care of yourselves, gals. Let’s not give in to the bullies. Let’s not be part of the statistics. I’ve had my bag snatched, been pick-pocketed and had my house burgled, and I still feel angry when I thought of how I was ‘violated’.

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There was a mini health fair here recently. I went to check it out and noticed there was some health check. So I gave my name and joined the queue. After checking my blood pressure, I went to a scale. The guy manning the booth adjusted the machine and then told me to step on it. You’re supposed to hold up your hands and hold the handles, not unlike someone who’s jet skiing. Then the machine does some calculation and you can step off.

Pretty simple stuff, eh.

The machine is actually pretty sophisticated and can calculate your % of body fat, your body mass index (BMI) (you need to let the guy know your height of course), your weight, muscle level and last but not least, your biological age. I was relieved that my readings came out alright (no high blood pressure despite just finished a meeting with the horrible internal auditors) and that my biological age is years younger. Alhamdulillah. Feeling curious, I stayed on to see if the machine was all that great.

The lady after me stepped up. Her blood pressure was higher than normal and sadly, all her readings were out. And get this: she’s 39 but her biological age is 53. Is that scary or what? I’d be freaking out too if I were her.

Now, please don’t think I’m looking down on her because I myself still have a lot to improve in terms of taking care of myself and my health. I’m just using her example to tell you that that is what would happen if you don’t take care of yourself, if you don’t watch what you eat, if you let your body deteriorate, if you neglect your health. Every organ in our body deserves to be healthy and if we don’t take care of our organs, our body and our health, they will deteriorate from the neglect. Rot away. And then it’d be harder to get ourselves back on track.

Do you want to be much older biologically than your real age?

If not, then do start taking care of yourself. We all have a responsibility to the body that God gave us to live. Like they say, prevention is better than cure. Your body will thank you for it later and your family will be happier if you live a longer life of better quality.

It saddens me when I see people neglect to take care of themselves. Don’t they love themselves? Or do they think it’s love when they neglect to take care of themselves? Please, it’s not love. It’s more like abuse and neglect. Eat better food, organic if you can; rest well; get enough exercise; apply sunscreen and/or use the brolly/hat when you go out; drink lots of fluid; think positive; get enough nutrients or take supplements if you don’t think you are getting adequate nutrients; cut down on red meat; quit taking toxic food... these are some of the ways we can start taking care of our health and bodies. I’m no expert nor a nutritionist or dietician but there are a lot of online articles out there. Equip yourself with the knowledge of the food that is good for you.

It’s never too late to start taking better care of yourself. Come on, we owe it to ourselves and God to take care of ourselves, inside and out.