When we talk of physical wellbeing, we aren’t talking simply about the fitness of the body. Physical wellbeing is a big umbrella under which physical fitness is also a crucial point.
Let me state a few examples, just to explain this point better.
1. A 35 year old man. Living in one of the best cities in the world. Educated at the best school has a job, most people at his age can only dream of. He’s married, with two kids and a beautiful home. Big cars, foreign vacations, fancy dinners, parties, etc. are part of his routine life.
This man is very healthy too. Doesn’t eat unhealthy food often, drinks but never exceeds his limit, doesn’t smoke, doesn’t do drugs, has absolutely no illness. Moreover, he exercises every day and also runs the city marathon.
In short, perfect life!
One day, he was crossing the street, going from his office to the restaurant across the road. He was meeting his lovely wife for lunch. He spotted her and waved with a smile. But that’s when it happened.
He felt a searing pain running down his chest, through his left hand and he collapsed in the middle of the busy street. Two hours later, he was declared dead at the local hospital.
• Question – What happened? And why?
2. 50 year old housewife. Mother of two beautiful children and wife of a businessman. She spent her days doing what made her happy.
Every morning she’d leave for an orphanage and teach the children. Then she’d go to meet her friends or foundation members who helped run her NGO.After a happy chit-chat and lunch, she’d go to her book club or wine tasting or one of the numerous activities she’d enrolled in. By evening she returned home to cook a lovely meal for her family. And the day ended with fun and laughter. Perfect!
Two weeks after her 25th wedding anniversary, she fainted in the orphanage and died of a haemorrhage.
• Question – Why? What went wrong? I have a whole lot of such stories that are shocking and mysterious. But the reason we need to analyze these cases carefully is for two reasons.
• Both these people, had seemingly happy and good lives. They were truly happy with their world and the people in it.
• Both these people, are not very different from how we are or wish to be one day.
Now, do you see why it is so serious?
In the examples given above, the man, had a perfect life. But he also had an ideal job. And no ideal job comes without stress. That was what caused his heart attack. As for the lady, she had a completely clean medical report, as far as physical health was concerned. But her psychiatrist revealed, that she had been severely depressed due to loneliness and that is why she kept herself so busy. Her constant running around, proved too much for her body to take.
We’ve made it a habit to let small instances in our life, pass by, assuming they aren’t really important. We make a huge issue of a heart attack, a migraine or hyper-tension. But we seem to be okay with the unexplained tiredness, sore body, muscle spasms, unexplained headaches, etc. For us, these are day-to-day things.
And honestly, why shouldn’t they be?. Who has time to live life worrying about every single papercut?.
BUT.
Would you worry if that papercut, wouldn’t stop bleeding? Would it be enough to catch your attention? Or would it really take something like, collapsing or fainting, to finally make you realize that everything, is far from okay!
Physical wellbeing, is that scale or measure, which gives you a better idea of whether everything is really okay or not. It is the difference between being truly healthy and healthy by definition.
What is Physical Wellbeing?
• Physical wellbeing, is a combination of good physical, mental and emotional health. It is the result of the combination of all components, individually included in other forms of wellbeing.
• Simply being physically fit or emotionally strong or mentally well isn’t enough.
• Physical wellbeing is the ultimate form of wellness achieved from all departments of human health put together. It is the larger picture of wellness.
Although it would be impossible to write everything about physical wellbeing, I think we should all make note of these specific markers so that we know when there is a red alert and what we can do to avoid them.
Signs of distress
• Excessive fatigue. Feeling more tired than usual and more often
• Unexplainable headaches, sudden shooting pain, which later goes away.
• Dizziness when standing up and walking up or down stairs.
• Extreme anger or getting upset very easily.
• Inability to control emotions: Crying a lot.
• Excessive hunger or Loss of appetite.
• Sweating excessively.
These are just some of the many symptoms you may see. A very interesting symptom also includes, the need to work out a lot. It seems strange, but some people have a tendency to workout 2 or 3 times a day. That seems normal, but is sometimes not really normal. Remember, anything in excess is harmful.
Now let’s take a look at what we can do to ensure wellbeing.
Measures to ensure Physical Wellbeing
• Drink plenty of water. Keep re-hydrating every half hour.
• Exercise regularly. Decide intensity based on your height and weight.
• Exercise in moderation. Don’t overwork yourself.
• Have a meal that includes a good amount of proteins and carbs alike.
• Do NOT exclude fats from your diet entirely. That is harmful.
• Eat meals at regular intervals. Preferably 6 small meals a day.
• Take a break from work or studies. Never work at a stretch, 4 hours or more.
• Do things you enjoy doing, pursue hobbies and make them priorities
• Go out into the open and get a good amount of sunlight.
• Never stay locked up indoors all day long.
• Listen to calming music and watch light entertainment.
• Practise yoga or meditation or both! More the better.
• Make an effort to stay positive in general. Think happy, stay happy.
Ultimately, all we have left is our wellbeing. Wealth or fame walks out with time. Health is what sticks around and ensures your longevity.