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Hello again to all returning readers and welcome to those who are reading for the first time! This is the official blog for Life & Wellness Counseling and Consulting and we are glad that you’re here.
We’ll be looking at Physical Health today, one of the 5 Facets of Health that was introduced in an earlier blog post. We will discuss Goal Setting next week so be sure to check-in with us weekly because life is beautiful!
Most often, when people think about physical health they think about their diet, exercise, caloric intake, how much water to drink during the day, etc. But what if being physically healthy was much more than that. There are so many things associated with physical health that we do not think about, such as whether or not we get enough sun, are we free of possible STDs, how the moisturizers and fragrances we put on our skin affect our internal organs, or the number of toxins we breathe in on a daily basis just by stepping outside our front door. Physical health refers to an individual’s involvement in exercise and physical activity, suitable eating habits, and responsibility for managing medical care needs.
Our health care system teaches us that when notice that something is wrong with our bodies, we go to the doctor… but what if don’t notice? All day, every day our bodies are working, producing, responding, reacting, processing, replenishing, extracting… that’s a lot of opportunity for something to go wrong
and with all these important functions that we depend on so heavily, it sounds like bad practice to wait until one of them stops to have ourselves checked. Ensuring physical wellness is based on being proactive rather than reactive meaning that we educate ourselves about our ever-changing bodies and take the necessary steps to take care of them. For example, you drive your care daily so you know exactly how far you can go in your care before you’ll need to stop and refuel. You may push it to the last mile but you’re probably not going to wait until you run out of gas on the side of the road before you get some gas. An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure!
Developing a routine that includes illness prevention and promotes healthy physical practices can be difficult for several reasons. The top five reasons people identify as barriers to physical health are:
[if !supportLists]1. “I don’t have time.”
[if !supportLists]2. “It’s too expensive.”
[if !supportLists]3. “I’m not motivated.”
[if !supportLists]4. “I was doing good, but then my routine got interrupted.”
[if !supportLists]5. “I’ve tried everything and nothing works for me.”
All of these are valid reasons for wanting to simplify our lives and our daily routines, but what if they became reasons to be more physically healthy? Let’s examine what that might look like.
[if !supportLists]1. “I don’t have time.”
Consider your average day, if you aren’t able to find the time to adequately take care of your body, it may be beneficial to see your primary care physician much sooner than later because of the wear and tear you put on yourself daily.
2. “It’s too expensive.”
Simply put, you get what you pay for. Think of it as an investment, your payout will be greater than what you put in so the more you put in, the more you’ll get back.
3. “I’m not motivated.”
[if gte vml 1]><v:shapetype id="_x0000_t75" coordsize="21600,21600" o:spt="75" o:preferrelative="t" path="m@4@5l@4@11@9@11@9@5xe" filled="f" stroked="f"> <v:stroke joinstyle="miter"></v:stroke> <v:formulas> <v:f eqn="if lineDrawn pixelLineWidth 0"></v:f> <v:f eqn="sum @0 1 0"></v:f> <v:f eqn="sum 0 0 @1"></v:f> <v:f eqn="prod @2 1 2"></v:f> <v:f eqn="prod @3 21600 pixelWidth"></v:f> <v:f eqn="prod @3 21600 pixelHeight"></v:f> <v:f eqn="sum @0 0 1"></v:f> <v:f eqn="prod @6 1 2"></v:f> <v:f eqn="prod @7 21600 pixelWidth"></v:f> <v:f eqn="sum @8 21600 0"></v:f> <v:f eqn="prod @7 21600 pixelHeight"></v:f> <v:f eqn="sum @10 21600 0"></v:f> </v:formulas> <v:path o:extrusionok="f" gradientshapeok="t" o:connecttype="rect"></v:path> <o:lock v:ext="edit" aspectratio="t"></o:lock> </v:shapetype><v:shape id="Picture_x0020_3" o:spid="_x0000_s1026" type="#_x0000_t75" alt="Unmotivated.gif" style='position:absolute;left:0;text-align:left; margin-left:19.65pt;margin-top:-.2pt;width:121.85pt;height:73.25pt;z-index:-1; visibility:visible;mso-wrap-style:square;mso-wrap-distance-left:9pt; mso-wrap-distance-top:0;mso-wrap-distance-right:9pt; mso-wrap-distance-bottom:0;mso-position-horizontal:absolute; mso-position-horizontal-relative:text;mso-position-vertical:absolute; mso-position-vertical-relative:text' wrapcoords="-266 0 -266 21231 21538 21231 21538 0 -266 0"> <v:imagedata src="file:///C:\Users\vmcoo\AppData\Local\Temp\msohtmlclip1\01\clip_image001.gif" o:title="Unmotivated" croptop="8856f"></v:imagedata> <w:wrap type="tight"></w:wrap> </v:shape><![endif][if !vml][endif]A lack of motivation suggests, not only that you may be physically unhealthy, but also that you may be have unhealthy practices in one or more other facets of the five facets of health. Please reach out to family, friends, and professionals for support.
4. “I was doing good, but then my routine got interrupted.”
So let’s look at the statement itself, “I was doing good, BUT…” if you’re saying this you’re admitting that you’re not longer doing good.
5. “I’ve tried everything and nothing works for me.”
Word such as “everything” and “nothing” are finite and all-inclusive, they limit and restrict you… and nearly impossible to achieve conceptually. Finding a routine that fits your lifestyle and meets your physical health needs may mean that you have to step out of your comfort zone a little. Get creative with yourself… no pain, on gain!
Eliminating excuses is a significant part of developing physical wellness and now that you’re thinking about it, getting started can seem a bit overwhelming. Making a large number of dramatic changes in your life at one time proves to be ineffective so start small. Make a list of all the things about your physical routine that you would like to change, eliminate, decrease, or increase. Next, prioritize the list and figure out what is most important to you. Once you’ve done that, start at the top and work your way down. Pick one or two things and give yourself time to adjust to the changes. There’s no right or wrong way to do it so take your time and work at a pace that’s comfortable for you.
Do you only go to the doctor when you are ill? Do you have constant body aches and or pains? Do you tire easily or get winded after a minor increase in physical movement? Do you consume fast food or other foods high in cholesterol and fat daily? Do you consume drinks high in sugar or caffeine and often feel thirsty? If you’ve answered “yes” to any of these questions, these are signs that you may be physically unhealthy.
We encourage anyone who is considering changing their physical health routine to consult a professional to guidance. Your body is a temple, take care.