How to Optimize Your Physical Wellness
Physical wellness is one of the most important aspects of living a healthy and happy life. We all love to try those trending diets or 30-day challenges. Yet, maintaining wellness in this area is often overlooked in our fast-paced society. As a result, many people are struggling with physical ailments that can limit their daily activities or cause them chronic pain.
The good news is that you can find some relief from physical ailments when you start to find a routine in life that keeps you active. There are some simple steps you can take to improve your physical well-being and increase your quality of life. We’ve compiled 12 ways that will help make an impact on your body’s health today!
Create a Stretching Routine
This might seem like an easy thing to do, but stretching regularly has been proven to decrease stress levels and provide relief from chronic pain issues such as back pain and arthritis. Try to make a goal to stretch for just 10-20 minutes each day, focusing on the major muscle groups in your body such as hamstrings, hips, legs, etc.
Get out of the house
As human beings, we are natural explorers and it’s important to go on adventures! Creating new adventures allows for pathways in our brain to move and think differently than they would in our usual everyday tasks. Get outside for a walk or head down to your local farmers market and spend time with nature.
Stay active at least 20 minutes a few days a week
It doesn’t matter if you prefer to jog, walk, or bike – the important thing is that you’re getting your heart rate up and exercising. Find ways that incorporate exercise into everyday tasks so that we’re allocating some form of physical activity each day even if it’s not from traditional workouts.
Meditate
This is a great way to get a little peace and quiet in your day. There are so many different ways to meditate. There is also a ton of information online to see which technique best works for you. You can find a ton of free guided meditations online or download an app on your phone that’ll lead you through it. We have a ton of recommendations inside the platform. We also have our own meditation challenge tracker for our members!
Transcendental meditation is my personal favorite as it was the easiest for me to ease into when I first started practicing. This type of meditation has the user choose a mantra to repeat during the practice. Check out some powerful mantras we’ve come across to get started!
Being in Nature
Spend time in nature. Sometimes it’s just too easy to live a sedentary lifestyle and forget about the importance of getting outside. Nature not only provides beauty but also has been shown to provide health benefits such as increased physical activity, reduced stress levels, and improves one’s mood.
Learn something new
Keep your mind sharp. Challenge yourself and learn something new. Learning something new actually changes the physical chemistry of your brain.
Want to learn how to maximize productivity, physical & mental health with daily tools? I do! I love Andrew Huberman’s podcast, Huberman Lab. He puts timestamps in the description box if you want to jump around to topics that interest you. I highly recommend all of the topics he covers, they are so informative and well-explained.
Keep awareness of commitments
Physical wellness is an essential component of life that too often goes ignored or under-appreciated. It’s not just about the physical fitness aspect, which can be measured by how many miles you jog in a month (although that is sometimes important). Physical wellness includes things like being able to get out of bed every day with ease, feeling comfortable enough during company meetings so as not to fidget.
It could look like getting up quickly after tripping instead of catching oneself on the furniture while we catch our breath from pain before standing again. These everyday tasks require the presence of physical energy and stamina—no matter whether they’re performed at home, at work, or while commuting.
Awareness of our physical energy level doesn’t just help us stay active and move about more easily, it also prevents illness from taking root in the first place.
Physical wellness is something that we can measure on a daily basis—and should be taken into account as an essential component of life. Because it is.
Eating healthy
We are truly what we eat — both inside (our mental state) and outside (physical appearance). As such, nutrition plays a significant role in physical wellness. The purpose of food isn’t only to provide substance but rather to nourish your cells with the nutrients they need for optimal health and longevity.
Food gives you fuel for all day-to-day activities – whether those involve work, family, or leisure. It may seem obvious, but the way you fuel your body is going to have an impact on how physically healthy you are as well. Try making small changes like eating more plant-based foods or cutting back on refined sugars and carbs (especially processed ones).
Keep a bullet journal
Another way to measure physical wellness is by keeping a bullet journal for your recovery or health. This can be done in many different ways. You could be very detailed by writing down what you eat and how much exercise you get each day. Be sure to moderate and not let the detail stress you or give you obsessive thinking. Keeping track of the number of steps you take every day (those with health tracking devices can use this easily). I don’t do either of those and do not plan to. But they are great ideas.
I like to put my own definition together for physical wellness that includes both mental, emotional, and physical attributes. I find this most helpful when I feel like my anxiety is high. I usually am so hard on myself but when I can take a step back and be grateful, I seem to make more progress. Reminding myself that my progress and effort is what counts is something that really helps me, especially when I write it down.
Have an accountability partner
Find someone like-minded who will be your physical accountability partner. They should motivate you to stay on track with your goals and also provide support when things get tough.
Get sunlight
When we’re inside all the time, our bodies start to feel sluggish and unhealthy because of a lack of natural light exposure, fresh air, exercise opportunities (not just going for walks but other forms as well), change in scenery (different rooms can help too!), etc. Make sure that every day you take some time outside whether it’s getting an early morning walk before work or heading out after work for a quick run around the neighborhood!
Give yourself plenty of down time
It may seem counterintuitive to taking care of your body by giving it a break, but it’s actually important! Your body needs time to relax and regenerate in order for your physical well-being to stay strong.
Conclusion
Physical wellness is an important aspect of taking care of yourself and your body. It’s difficult to stay healthy mentally, spiritually, emotionally when you don’t take the time for physical wellness. As evidenced by this article, there are plenty of ways that anybody can integrate more physical well-being into their lives; with a few simple changes in habits or lifestyle choices, we’ll all be able to reap the benefits!
You have the power to transform your life and habits significantly. Satori is here to set the stage with what is right for you. Join us for a free 5-day course or our annual membership here!
Sources:
“Back Pain Fact Sheet”, NINDS, Publication date March 2020. NIH Publication No. 20-NS-5161