When Is The Best Day to Plant a Tree?

My father, before he passed away, often said things like "if I only knew then what I know now." He might be giving advice about working with a difficult boss, navigating the dating world, or taking care of his body.

It seems true in life that as we make progress on our journey through life, we make discoveries that would have been exceedingly valuable if we had taken action on them year prior. 

Prevention

You may have heard the adage that starts, "When is the best day to plant a tree?" Answer: 20 years ago. When is the second best day to plant a tree? Today.

This week's thoughts were prompted by a study that showed the rates of 6 obesity-related cancers are on the rise in young adults. Specifically, the rates of multiple myeloma, colorectal cancer, gallbladder cancer, kidney cancer, uterine cancer, and pancreatic cancer were increasing in adults ages 25-49 years old. While the exact cause of the increase is not known, one hypothesis is that the rising rates of obesity are driving the increasing rates of these cancers.

Help a Young Person Plant a Tree Today

I believe our culture, the world around us, is making it harder and harder to make healthy lifestyle changes.

So here is call to action! Let's start being intentional about how we live, planning to make healthy choices, and then implementing strategies to help us actually make these changes consistently.

Wouldn't it be great if enough of us rose up to be a voice in our communities to say the path we are on must change, and by golly let's start doing something to change it!? More bike paths! More hiking trails! More access to healthy food, especially for those with limited budgets! More healthy choices in local restaurants! More time to unplug, refresh and recharge, and sleep!

Design vs. Default

If we don't think about how we want to design our lives, the default becomes what the "world" designs for us. And we know this isn't pretty - rates of obesity, diabetes, prediabetes, depression, and cancer are all increasing.

I'd love for you to think about those in your life, especially those younger folks with whom you are close, that you could help to start making healthier choices. Maybe you could even work together and hold each other accountable? Think of this as helping both you and that young person plant a tree today.

Cheers,

Dr. Topher Fox