Healthy Home, Healthy Family

One of the oldest adages people say is: “The most important thing we have is our health.” I agree with this.  When we’re in good health we have the strength, determination, and the willpower to perform our jobs, interact with family and friends, and get through our day-to-day.  Healthier people generally have a better outlook on life. The opposite can easily be said when we are unwell.   But to say good health is ALL we need is definitely false. In fact, good health is a by-product of many things – including where we live.

Poor conditions in a home can make us physically ill and it’s often older homes that have not been updated that are the biggest culprits.  These conditions can include older pipes, lead paint, improper plumbing, no running water, bad insulation, and poor heating and air.

There are the intangibles as well – stress and lack of sleep have been proven to cause illness and they prolong the illnesses brought on by external conditions.  Living in a substandard home, especially with children or elderly family members can induce either of those conditions.

Good living conditions don’t necessarily make us vibrant and healthy, but the surely don’t detract from the quality of our lives.  Families that move from poor conditions to higher quality homes that they can afford have improvement in their health.   They get sick less often, they are able to save more money and afford medicine and doctor visits, and they are mentally in a better place, which reduces stress and worry.

With all that in mind, maybe we can move towards coining a new idiom that goes hand in hand with our good work.  How does “healthy home, healthy family” sound?