Wellbeing is a multidimensional concept, which comprises several aspects of a person’s life. It includes not only your mental and emotional health but also your physical, social, and even environmental health.
In my Wellbeing Framework (The Rainbow Road for kids and The Road to Wellbeing for adults), I define seven distinct yet intimately related life areas in which wellbeing can be considered. Today I want to talk about the first area of the framework which is Physical Wellbeing.
What is Physical Wellbeing?
Physical wellbeing refers to our overall physical health and fitness level. It deals with aspects such as body weight, nutrition, sleep, exercise, toxins management, and hygiene. To look after our physical wellbeing is to understand that a healthy body keeps disease away but it also promotes mental health and boosts the quality of life.
How to Boost Your Physical Wellbeing?
When we work within this dimension, we work toward designing a fitting and healthy nutrition plan and a sustainable exercise routine. We also strive for realigning your sleep with the circadian rhythm and creating the right conditions that will induce sleep more easily.
If you want to start looking after your physical wellbeing right away, here are 5 actions you can implement from today onward.
1. Reduce Stress
You might be curious. How is stress featured here and why does it show up first? Stress is a major variable when it comes to physical wellbeing. When under stress, our body sets its fire alarm and there are multiple physiological reactions that can make you feel physical pain and discomfort as well as disrupt your sleep and eating patterns.
Stress reduction techniques such as meditation and colouring can help you prevent and minimize the impact of stress on your physical wellbeing.
2. Mind Your Food
The next in line is what, when, how much, and why you eat what you eat. The lack of proper nutrients such as vitamins and minerals can mimic several mental health symptoms and clinical conditions. These include, but are not limited to, anxiety and depression.
Food is an underrated influencer. Its impact goes way beyond our waistline. Like a car without an adequate type of fuel, a body without adequate nutrition can’t operate functionally. You may like to have a look into the Mediterranean diet for instance.
3. Fix Your Sleep
Sleep is another underrated influencer. Just by fixing your sleep, you can realign your inner chemistry and reduce the impact of ailments such as food addiction and burnout. Fixing your sleep means you not only work toward getting your minimum required amount of sleep but also go to bed within the best window of time (10PM-12AM) so that your body can produce melatonin and serotonin. Both of these are light-sensitive.
To learn more tips on how you can fix your sleep, you might want to read this article that offers you 3 lifestyle changes that improve sleep.
4. Become Friends With Exercise
A lot of people don’t like exercise partly because they don’t know yet how fun it can be for them. Choose a route that is appealing to you. Do you like swimming? Are you more into hiking or walking around? Do you prefer to lift weights?
Although different exercise routines provide different benefits, start by picking a modality that gets you going. If you are not a gym buddy, you can be a pool buddy. Or create your own walking challenges on a weekly basis.
Aim for at least 150 minutes of moderate activity or 75 minutes of vigorous activity. This can represent 5 sessions of 30 minutes each or 2 sessions of vigorous exercise for about 40 minutes each. Play it with your time and schedule but make it happen.
5. Stay Hydrated
Drink enough fluids throughout the day, especially water. When we drink the appropriate amount of water we are helping our body function at its best capacity. Water plays an essential role in body temperature regulation and digestion.
Your minimum required intake will depend on your age, activity level, climate and health conditions, but as a rule of thumb set yourself to have at least 8 cups of water per day. You can learn more about what happens to your mind and body when you are dehydrated here.
Final Thoughts
I hope these guidelines and tips were useful to you and that they inspire you to take action on your behalf today. You can start by picking one action from the list I provided here and once you tackle that one you can move on to another aspect of your physical wellbeing.
Remember that change is always a big deal so don’t overwhelm yourself with too many actions. Be strategic about how you are going to implement these suggestions and take your time to build solid habits.
Make sure you add fun to the whole process. Finding the right exercise for you can mean you are going on an adventure to find out what works best for you. Your best friend may love dancing classes but if that’s not your cup of tea that is perfectly fine. There will be something for you. There always is.
Finally, if you want help with your wellbeing, you can contact me or book a session through the blog’s contact form or click to send me an email.
Download a Checklist with 10 Physical Wellbeing Indicators to work through with your doctor or coach.
thewellbeingblogger.com 
Amazing post! I am still trying to perfect my water drinking and my sleep schedule, especially now that I am at home all the time! đź’— thanks for sharing!
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