The Cure to Chronic Maladies Just Around the Corner
Hello, my Fellow Dreamers,
This month’s topic is about physical wellness, and today I will provide you with information on how to nail the path to wellness. When I mention the path, it is because this is not something that you achieve in one day, or one week... no. This is about a trail of steps that you have to follow that will lead you to the final destination, which is a full and long life of wellness, and just like the saying goes “if you listen to your body when it whispers, you won’t have to hear it scream.”
●What is physical wellness?
To give you a general overview, physical wellness refers to the behaviors, that can be adopted by humans, but also the habit of taking care of your health and live the best life you can by constantly doing certain activities that make you relieve stress and keep illnesses away; jogging, practicing yoga, or simply going for a walk in the morning fresh air at the park, these are all things that you can make a habit to make your body stronger, and happier.
With this being stated, any physical activity that you can think of can get you further every time you do it. When you eat the healthiest thing you can find in the restaurant, in your kitchen, or wherever you’re going to eat, you are also taking a big step into the physical wellness path, and I congratulate you dreamer! Because the fact that you are thinking about doing it and actually putting it into action means a lot, and it represents a good change in your life.
●Hey, watch out for these...
At the same time, it is important to mention that those who want to make a positive change in their lives will encounter different occasions; though this is nothing to be afraid of because that fear makes you stronger when you conquer it day by day. Following this, the main consequence of being a sedentary person and not having a nutritious diet, which usually comes together, is the early shutdown of the body, and it reflects in the following consequences, according to the American Heart Association (2017):
1.The immune system doesn’t work to the maximum.
2.The metabolism gets affected.
3.The hormones become unbalanced.
4.The muscles lose their strength.
5.Stress, anxiety, or depression.
6.Allergies.
To mention the least, these few were the main effects of not paying attention to the body. Of course, leaving out the autoimmune diseases, chronic illnesses, like stress, anxiety, and even allergies, which in my case, they can drastically reduce when one listens to one’s body, according to one’s needs. So, it is time for everyone to jump off the couch, leave the work aside for a bit, and start jogging, play football or walk through the park closest to the house. I encourage you to do the best, only for today (and make sure to apply this every day for rewarding results).
●How can we achieve it?
Now that the facts have been brought into the table, the next step is how can one reach the goal of a healthy lifestyle. It is very simple, move. The organic system, as in the whole body, needs constant physical activity to keep the strength and endurance to grow rather than reduce, and especially nowadays with the COVID-19 situation. The National Institutes of Health (2019) has proposed some ways to improve health, and thus be in the path of physical wellness:
1.Become an active person.
2.Give maintenance to the body.
3.Find a healthy weight.
4.Understand what kind of metabolism one has.
5.Eat nutritious food.
6.Change to a healthy lifestyle.
If one sets one’s mind to it, everything will become true! And if starting to walk the path is a little bit troublesome, invite someone to accompany you. When people support each other through rough patches, the outcomes are greater, I assure you, I have been in this path since I was young, and alongside my brother, it feels easier and it is amazing to feel his empathy towards me, and vice versa.
●The path of physical wellness.
My experience in starting my path to physical wellness began when I was 13 years old, and since then I knew that I wanted to live a healthy and happy life to enjoy the pleasures the world has to offer. So, at that time, I had a lot of things and events to attend, and my allergies were making life impossible to enjoy, only because of those sleepless nights that I gave to finish projects, activities, etc. So I have to change and listen to my body, and the main things that really helped me are as follows:
1. Yoga practice and morning walks in the park.
2. Healthy meals, naughty snacks (I still enjoy sweets).
4. Tasks organization.
With these small changes, I started to understand and feel what my body was asking for, and finally, my path to physical wellness and self-care began. What I want to let you know, Dreamer, it’s that be patient with yourself, every day that you try more and more will make a big difference later, and your body will thank you with good health and long and joyful life.
At Dream on Youth, we hear you and understand you, you are not alone. Take care, and until next week :)
References:
1.American Heart Association. (2017). Why Should I Be Physically Active?https://www.heart.org/en/healthy-living/fitness/fitness-basics/why-is-physical-activity-so-important-for-health-and-wellbeing
2.MedlinePlus. (2017). Health Risks of an Inactive Lifestyle.https://medlineplus.gov/healthrisksofaninactivelifestyle.htm
3.National Institutes of Health. (2019). Physical Wellness Toolkit.https://www.nih.gov/health-information/physical-wellness-toolkit
4.UMASS Medical School. (2017). Physical Wellness. University of MassachusettsMedical School. https://www.umassmed.edu/studentlife/wellness/physical-wellness/