Optimize Your Physical Wellness
What does it mean to be healthy and well? Well, if that isn’t a loaded question then we don’t know what is! Being healthy isn’t just having a strong physique or eating well. Both of those are a piece of being healthy but there are many different areas of wellness. For the month of August, we are going to talk about 4 of them: physical wellness, emotional wellness, spiritual wellness and nutritional wellness. Let’s take a look at physical wellness first.
Physical wellness is a fundamental aspect of overall health involving movement and lifestyle choices. It plays a crucial role in enhancing the quality of your life, preventing disease and promoting emotional well-being. Regular movement strengthens the cardiovascular system, reduces your risk of heart disease, boosts the immune system and helps you maintain a healthy weight. You may struggle to get up and get going but you will never regret making the choice to get moving and grooving.
Movement is known to raise ENDORPHINS (the feel-good chemical), “and I feeeel good.” Did you sing it with us there? 😊 So, get up and move! Raising endorphins positively impacts mental health. Endorphins are the body’s natural mood elevators which reduce stress, anxiety and depression. Regular exercise can also improve sleep which impacts EVERYTHING! When you sleep well, the body has time to recover and you have more energy the next day. You will also make better food choices since your body isn’t looking for instant energy (coffee, sugar, carbs). Making better food choices will decrease inflammation leading to a better quality of life. See the cycle here?
Let’s face it. We feel better when we move. Move your body every day and honor where it is each day. Some days you may be able to do more and some days your body may just be calling for a gentle walk. “Move your body because you love it, not because you hate it.” How many of you took a big sigh right there? Stand in front of a mirror and change the way you look at yourself. This is actually a bigger part of the equation than you think it is. There are so many options: jog, walk, speed walk, run, yoga, hike, swim, kayak, paddleboard, HIIT, weights, barre, bike, dance and more. Let go of the attachment that it must be an hour at a time each day as well. If you are short on time, do 10 minutes here and then another 10 minutes there and so on. Some movement is better than none. If you are struggling to make it a habit, then ask one of your friends or family members to be your accountability partner.
Embracing physical wellness is an investment in one’s future health and happiness. Stay tuned for next week’s blog on Emotional Wellness.