Simply put, physical wellness refers to listening to your body and taking care of it for optimal health and functioning.
While each and every one of us knows how important our physical health is, we somehow manage to put health and wellness on the back burner. We prioritize work and everything else, and we postpone the things that we actually should take care of first.
Of course, there’s also a lot of complicated information out there about different diets and fitness trends that make physical well-being seem difficult to achieve. But in reality, managing your health can be quite easy if you break it down into distinct areas of physical wellness.
Why Physical Health Is Important
Physical health and mental health are inextricably related – if your body doesn’t feel well it will affect your mental well-being and vice-versa. For example, chronic stress can weaken the body’s immune system. On the other hand, a chronic disease can lead to a series of mental issues. A good physical health helps a person feel better in the long term, it reduces stress and the person will have an overall elevated mood.
So what are the main areas that you should consider to improve your physical well-being?
Physical activity
Sedentarism is often linked to many medical problems. Moving more, whether you’re doing exercises, walking or dancing can have major health benefits. Every minute of physical activity counts for your physical wellness.
Like eating healthy, many people dread exercise, but not all physical activities have to be painful or take long hours. Of course, regular physical activity has long-term benefits, but even so, many find it very hard to make it part of their daily routine. The key here would be to find a physical activity that you like and try to stick to it. If you think body pump classes are too hard and yoga is too boring, then simply don’t force yourself to do it. There are so many sports, classes and methods that you can choose from and that can inspire you to improve.
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Besides, exercise doesn’t only make you feel better, it also makes you look better which will obviously help with your overall self-esteem.
Healthy foods
Ridiculously enough, many people are scared of diets because they think they’ll be eating nothing but lettuce for the rest of their lives and they’ll feel hungry all the time. In reality, healthy eating has nothing to do with constantly eating lettuce. A healthy eating plan means limiting the intake of unhealthy foods and including a variety of healthy ones such as fruits, vegetables, whole grains and lean meats.
Your body also needs consistency and proper nutrition, so make sure to not overeat or skip meals because these habits can lead to metabolic consequences that will upset your physical and mental wellbeing. Also, don’t forget to drink plenty of water (according to your needs, of course).The recommended amount is 2 liters/day, but the quantity may vary during summer or if you like exercising a lot.
Get enough sleep
Adults need 7 to 9 hour of sleep every night in order to stay healthy and alert. However, a lot of adults, especially the younger ones, don’t seem to understand how important this specific amount of sleep is. Moreover, they don’t understand the importance of maintaining a regular sleep cycle. Staying up till 3am and sleeping until noon will get you enough hours of sleep, but your body will not be prepared to go to bed at a decent hour the next night. Thus, the next day you won’t be able to wake up early for work or school and be functional.
Your body needs a regular routine when it comes to sleep. Otherwise, you will start feeling symptoms like irritability, extreme fatigue, lack of focus, sluggishness and you’ll be more prone to develop certain illnesses.
Sexual health
Sexual health is fundamental to your overall physical wellbeing. Sexual health is about a positive and respectful approach to sexuality and sexual relationships, and the right to have pleasurable and safe sexual experiences. It is also more than just avoiding diseases and unwanted pregnancies. It is about recognizing that sex can be about pleasure and intimacy – an important part of life that can have many surprising benefits.
Some of the benefits you can get from a healthy sex life include: lower blood pressure, muscle strengthening, a reduced risk of heart disease, stroke, and hypertension. Also, while sex might not be enough exercise on its own, it’ll still help you burn some calories.
Relaxation
Stress can literally kill, that’s why it’s so important to find some time every now and then to simply relax.
Relaxation is often referred to as a mental exercise that has only mental benefits, but there’s so much more to it. The tension that we have to face on a daily basis can build up in muscles and this can cause headaches and/or back pain. Besides, stress hormones are the cause of adrenal fatigue and contribute to the development of serious diseases.
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Nowadays, everyone packs their schedules full of events and the pressure we put on ourselves to achieve our goals is tremendous. Sure, ambition is admirable, but your schedule should also include some “me time” to simply relax and enjoy yourself. So get a massage, read a book, watch a good movie – whatever floats your boat. Take care of your body and your body will take care of you.
Six Strategies for Improving Your Physical Health
1. Be careful what and how much you eat
If you don’t suffer from a specific condition, you don’t really need a strict diet. For a healthy weight you can eat a variety of foods that are tasty, but also healthy – such as lean meat, vegetables, fruits, whole grains, beans, nuts, seafood, eggs, and dairy products. And of course, you can indulge yourself in a slice of cake, just not the whole cake. The secret is not always about what you eat, but also about how much.
2. Drink plenty of water
We know you’re tired of hearing this, but your body is 60% water. Without water, you can only survive for about three days, and if this doesn’t scare you into drinking more water, we don’t know what will.
3. Be physically active
This doesn’t have to include a fitness routine or playing a specific sport. Walk around a few blocks and add walking breaks to your day, especially if you have a desk job.
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Take the stairs or dance – there are plenty of ways in which you can include more exercise in your daily routine.
4. Get plenty of sleep
Going through the week sleeping 4 hours/night and then 12 hours during weekends doesn’t work. As an adult, you have to sleep around 8 hours every night.
5. Limit alcohol intake
The truth is you don’t have to be an addict in order for alcohol to take a toll on your health. Casual social drinking can be fun, but you should limit your drinks. Aside from the obvious damage that it can cause, alcohol is also high in calories and that can worsen existing health conditions.
6. Quit smoking
It goes without saying. Any tobacco products can seriously damage your health. And vaping is almost as toxic as smoking cigarettes, so if you have this nasty habit, try to get rid of it as well.
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