By Sameer Shetty, M.D.
Father’s Day is around the corner and to all the dads; Happy Father’s Day! It almost seems surreal to see how time flies and, if you’re like me, we find ourselves in our mid-lives, with no time for ourselves as life races by. I have two boys entering their teen years and I certainly hope to live a healthy life so I can see them grow up. Being a health care professional, I may know all the tools to accomplish that, but still have my own challenges to adhere to them.
As our nation is in the midst of the obesity epidemic I think it our role as dads to instill values and the importance of physical activity in our kid’s lives. Our job is probably more difficult compared to our parents because of the invasion of so much digital technology in our lives. As a generation, in my opinion, we have enjoyed the benefits of technology but it is a challenge as parents to safeguard our kids from the ills of technology.
Children love spending one-on-one time with their parents, especially when it comes to sports, and they always want to emulate us. We have to harness that admiration and play with them as much as we can. I love playing basketball with my kids and although I’m not that good in the game, I would always win when my kids were younger. As time has gone by, my boys have gotten better and nowadays I cannot keep pace with them. Sports allow us to build friendships, relationships and also keep us fit and active. Life is all about making memories, and what better way to build these than playing sports with your children. So on this Father’s Day as we receive all the love from our children, let us venture to make a promise to them. Let’s promise them that we will try to do our very best to keep in shape, that we will lead by example to live how we expect them to live, and build more happy memories by spending as much time as we can with them.
As we also celebrate Men’s Health Month in June, let’s take this time to take care of our own health. Make sure we see our health care professionals and get ourselves a physical exam and all the recommended routine screenings. Prevention and early detection certainly makes sense. We certainly owe it to our children and our families. As the adage goes, “Prevention is better than cure.”
Board Certified Internal Medicine physician Sameer Shetty, M.D., takes special interest in managing obesity-related conditions. His office Premier Primary Care and Wellness is located at Raritan Bay Medical Center, a member of the Meridian Health family, in Suite 203, Medical Arts Building, 3 Hospital Plaza, Old Bridge. To make an appointment with Dr. Shetty or for more information, call 732-210-8165 or visit www.sameershettymd.com.