With an ounce of prevention …

by Kian Amirkhizi & Doug Snow

There he lay, on a hospital gurney. Debilitating chest pains crippling his fragile body. From all observable respects this man is having a severe life-threatening heart attack. Meagerly, he lifts his arm and motions his brother to him, uttering what might be his last words. His brother quickly responds, attentive and at his side waiting. The man on the gurney whispers, ”Do you think it’s too late to start jogging?” You might chuckle as I did when I watched this scene from a popular television sitcom. We find it funny because it rings ironically true as we recognize the all-too human response to our health. So many times when it comes to our health we are reacting after the fact. That is when our response to the situation is the least effective. An ounce of prevention is worth exactly what?

You may have never considered this before, but your body is your single greatest asset to your business. There is a decidedly inescapable physicality to our business. If you are a detailer, then you should fully appreciate the level of importance the body plays in your business. There are copious amounts of bending, polishing, scrubbing and wiping—it’s very physical. The stark reality: If you don’t have a properly functioning body; you don’t have a properly functioning business. We know the importance of maintaining our tools composed of wires, motors and plastic, but do we appreciate how much more attention is needed for our chief organic tool of blood, muscles and sinew? We also know the effects that time has on a car’s aesthetics and functional ability with no upkeep—are we no different? Even if you are not inclined from a self-love perspective, just do it pragmatically and justify the expense and time spent from a profit motive. Proper maintenance of anything requires an investment of time and money, and your body is no different. I’m not a doctor and I don’t even play one on TV, and this article by no means constitutes medical advice. We are examining the importance of maintaining and investing in your health as a necessary function of business.

For example; let’s say with a healthy and well-functioning body you can run an average of four appointments in a day at $125 per appointment, that’s $500 total a day. Now conversely, what if you’re not so healthy, you might need an extended mid-afternoon nap, you may tire easily and lack motivation due to low energy reserves, now maybe you can only run three appointments a day, now you’re down to $375 a day. To make up the difference, you are now working on Saturday’s. Get my point? There are many benefits to staying healthy. Let’s examine a few key areas that promote genuine healthful living or those that present challenges.

Got FAT?

Do you have a pair of “fat pants” in your closet? You know those transitionary clothes that we reluctantly are obliged to wear when biology responds to our over consumption. Yes, when you talk of health you cannot escape weight as the primary focus of consideration. That is because our body weight plays a considerable factor in so many medical issues, Type II diabetes, heart disease and cancer just to name a few. But, from our perspective, all these so-called medical conditions can play havoc in a busy work schedule. Nothing like a mild-heart attack in the a.m. to mess your whole work schedule for the day. “Sorry John, I didn’t get to your car today, I was having an emergency stint surgery, would you like to reschedule?”

As a country we have not faired well in weight control as revealed by our dismal statistics. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), more than one-third of U.S. adults were obese in 2005–2006. This includes 33.3 percent of men and 35.3 percent of women. Any quick trip to an amusement park will reveal this truth quite accurately. (Anyone for signing a ban on the use of Lycra?) Let me nutshell-it for you, in a country roughly of 300 million we have:

• 58 million overweight; 40 million obese; 3 million morbidly obese;
• Eight out of 10 adults over 25 years of age overweight;
• 78 percent of American’s not meeting basic activity level recommendations;
• 25 percent completely sedentary;
• 76 percent increase in Type II diabetes in adults 30 to 40 years old since 1990.

These statistics just seem to get worse by the year. We are literally eating ourselves to death. Clearly this is a symptom of a culture based on instant gratification. Where the god of excess is worshiped at the alter of “extra-value meals.”

Cookies, watermelons, grapefruit and lemonade—what do these all have in common? There are all diets! Look, I know it’s been said before, but diets really do not work. Anytime that you place unnatural restrictions on your food consumption, you will eventually rebel—it’s mentally and physiologically programmed. I am not going to give diet advice; I’m just saying that prudence and small incremental changes would be the better choice. Whatever eating plan you decide on should incorporate all the foods you love, just much, much less. Draw lines of un-crossable barriers, such as never having seconds, don’t eat after 7 p.m., drink 64 calorie beer, you know practical choices! Avoid eating out; eating on the run when you are starving is a recipe for diet disaster.       Restaurants get you to come back because their food tastes so dang good. That is usually a function of how much fat and sugar is inside. Taking your lunch can really avoid this pitfall and you will end up saving time and money in the long run. By the way, the greatest advice I can give on loosing weight if you are really serious; write down everything you eat. You’d be surprised to find out what you are eating and how quickly the calories add up

Exercise

If there is one magic pill that does more for your overall health than any other single component, that would be exercise. The benefits are plentiful, significant and well researched. Movement is a necessary component in healthy living. For me, it has made the most significant difference in the last five years, completely changing the course of my health dramatically. The key for success is to find an activity that you like. If you are sweating it out and admiring what a great workout you are getting but hating every minute of it—what use it that. You’ll probably endure it for a little but will find many compelling reasons why you “just can’t go to the gym tonight.” Everyone has something that they love to do so find it and just do it!

Supplements

Of course the standard line with many articles of this type is to consult your doctor for specific medical advice—blah, blah, blah. Yeah, go ahead and do that, but I would be surprised if you get a useful answer. I’ve got nothing against doctors but I really don’t think that relying on the Western Medical Paradigm is going to fare better than other approaches. Doctors in this country have their own way of looking at issues when it concerns supplements and health. Let’s take a look at current medical stats for this country:

• 12,000—unnecessary surgery;
• 7,000—medication errors in hospitals;
• 20,000—other errors in hospitals;
• 80,000—infections in hospitals;
• 106,000—non-error, negative effects of drugs.

That’s 225,000 per year! WOW! Just watch a little TV and you are bombarded with drug ads. Ever notice that the people who are taking the drugs are the happiest? Come on—drugs for legs that move too much? The side effects are sometimes very serious. If it’s a decision between death and vibrating legs, I’m taking the legs! I’m not saying that all drugs are bad or there are not times when life-saving measures are enhanced with our wonderful modern medicine. We just need caution in these areas; do we really need to take aspirin every time we feel the slightest discomfort? We are over medicated, over-diagnosed and over-ism-ed to death! It just sets up a mentality of weakness; first mentally then physically. Reliance on any substance other than what is essential for life is objectively unhealthy (except coffee). I would suggest doing your own research, talking with a nutritionist, qualified herbalist or those rare but great doctors who think in this way. But, at the end of the day, I would assume that it is safe to assume that most of us are not getting proper nutrition and supplementation is essential for excellent health.

Safety

Environmental toxins are many and growing in number as modern chemistry blends and creates the latest potion for, well—everything. Ever read the ingredients for a tube of toothpaste? It’s just frightening (if you are scared there is a pill for that). On the job, we are in contact with so many things that are constantly challenging our health. I once did some work for a medical sociologist. Her job was to analyze data and find “hot-spots” of disease centers. I’ll never forget her telling me about a hot spot for a certain type of cancer. Eventually it was narrowed down to workers at a construction site of a hotel, then down to the plumbers. Apparently, they were in tight quarters with certain adhesive chemicals used in the installation of PVC piping which was causing the problem. Wow! That was sobering; imagine what we come in contact with on a daily basis? So, here is a simple rule of thumb: if you can smell it, wear a mask; if you have to touch it, wear protective gloves. Become familiar with MSDS; avoid unnecessary contact with excessively toxic chemicals. Do your research and become responsible for your own health.

Spirituality

Go to church! In a huge study, researchers have positively linked weekly church attendance with reduced mortality rates and health risks. In Alameda County, Calif. data was collected over a period of 31 years involving roughly 6,500 adults. Non-churchgoers were found to have a 21 percent greater risk of dying prematurely compared to those that attend religious services at least once a week. So you just can’t count Christmas Eve and Easter services.

It has been said that if you don’t have your health you don’t have anything. We have beautifully made bodies that need attention and maintenance. It will require time and money that is well spent. Buying a high quality fish oil may be pricey and you may question whether this is really necessary. But I’ll leave you with this; next time you drive by a hospital, I want you to think of someone that is experiencing a life altering illness staring out the window looking at you driving by, wondering to himself, what he could of done to prevent this … by the way, the guy at the beginning was only having indigestion.

If you liked what you read please drop me a line, if you didn’t tell me anyway! We are always glad to hear from you.

Kian Amirkhizi and Doug Snow are the founders, primary instructors and owners of MATRI-X, a company that provides professional training and supply for the repair and restoration of leather, vinyl, plastic and velour. Both Amirkhizi and Snow are nationally recognized experts in these disciplines, and have won several national awards. Both continue to operate their own successful restoration/repair businesses in the Los Angeles area. Your feedback is welcomed, so please do not hesitate to contact them with comments regarding this article at MATRI-X at 888.207.6007. For more information on product suggestions, please contact them online at www.reco