Everything Eudaimonia

Hey ladies! This week, I want to elaborate on the topic of physical well-being that I mentioned briefly a few weeks ago in my post, “What are the Dimensions of Wellness.” With it being January and all I know, a lot of people have goals they want to reach this new year. Many people use the new year as a motivator to get healthier. I don’t see a problem with that as long as things are done in a healthy, self-compassionate, realistic, and sustainable manner. So, with that being said, today, I’m going to cover what physical wellness means to me, what that looks like in my life, and tips for anyone wanting to take better care of themselves in this way.

What is Physical Wellbeing?

So as I mentioned a few weeks ago, physical wellbeing is caring for and respecting your body’s physical needs. This includes movement, sleep, rest, nutrition, hormones, metabolism, your habits around substance use, and the absence of illness or disease. In its simplest sense, it’s just looking after your body. Doing what you can to stay in good health.

What does physical wellbeing look like in my life?

In my own life, physical wellness includes drinking lots of water, working out 5-6 days a week with a mix of cardio and lifting, stretching, eating intuitively, reading nutrition labels, scanning my cosmetic and hygiene products in the Yuka app, getting 7-9 hours of sleep as often as possible, trying to incorporate more produce into my meals, going to the doctor once a year, and allowing my body adequate time to rest and recover. The beautiful thing is, though, that physical health is not one size fits all. You pick the habits you like that work well for your unique needs. What I do works for me, and what you do should work for you. Taking care of your physical health should not feel exhausting or burdensome. It should never feel discouraging or unattainable. Little habits can go a long way, and implementing just one or two of the suggestions I’m about to give could benefit your health quite a bit. The key is consistency. Every day is not perfect, and I don’t practice this long list of habits every day. That just isn’t realistic. Some I do much more than others, but of course, life happens, and people get busy. I just make the effort to work on what I have time for and make consistency the biggest goal.   

How Can I Improve My Physical Wellbeing?

Now, if you’re looking for some inspiration or ideas, here are fifteen different things you can do this year to improve your physical health:

1. Have an exercise/movement routine:

Taking a little bit of time each day to be active and move your body is great for your physical health. This will be unique to your goals and needs, so it may take on several different forms. The options for physical activity are endless, so just pick a way to move your body that makes you feel your best. I know I mentioned my workout routine earlier, but it’s one of my favorite things, so I’m gonna elaborate again here. I like to work out six days a week, but life happens, so sometimes it’s less than that. Regardless, I love to lift weights, go for walks, box, and run. I have tried CrossFit a time or two, and that can be fun on occasion as well. In college, I did a cycling class once a week, and let me tell you, it’s one of the things I miss most about Mizzou. Anyway, my routine changes with the seasons, with running and podcast walks taking the reigns in the spring and summer and lifting dominating the winters. I still try to lift during the summer, but when training for races, I don’t always make the time. With boxing, it just kind of depends on when my dad wants to go. Anyway, those are the ways I love to move, and I know you have some favorites of your own. So just do those. This is an important habit to have because of the benefits to muscle, bone, heart, and brain health, as well as improvements in mood and sleep. It improves energy, immunity, and mental health while decreasing stress and the risk of disease. The bottom line is to make time for movement.       

2. Gain a basic understanding and knowledge of nutrition:

Because nutrition is such a fundamental component of physical well-being, understanding it is rather important. Having a basic understanding of macronutrients, micronutrients, the purpose they serve, and what foods are sources of which is a good place to begin. I also believe that knowing how to read a nutrition label is considerably important because it allows you to be an informed consumer and know what certain foods contain. Looking at macronutrients, ingredients, grams of sugar, and other information on food labels can help you compare items to other brands and make decisions that are better for you. I think when I struggled most with my physical health, I didn’t know what the hell a calorie was, let alone what carbs, proteins, and fat were. I didn’t understand or see the importance of knowing how much sugar was in a serving of what I ate. I didn’t know that different foods served different purposes and that some of the things I was continuously eating were maybe harming my health. The other time I struggled most with physical health was when I cared too much about the nutrition labels, the calories, carbs, fats, and protein, letting the food label dictate my every decision and impulse around food. These opposite ends of the spectrum were both detrimental to my health, so the lesson here is to have the knowledge of nutrition but make your approach one of balance. Strive to make the best choices given your circumstances, but not to overanalyze things and get stuck in a mindset of perfection. I believe having a basic understanding of nutrition is important for your health because it increases awareness, allows you to make informed decisions about what you eat, and helps you balance your plate. 

3. Read Intuitive Eating by Evelyn Tribole and Elyse Resch and take on this approach to eating:

If I could only recommend one self-help or health-related book, it would be this one. I truthfully learned so much from it, and I barely even scratched the surface of the brilliance of this approach in my previous blog posts. I know I bring this up a lot, but it is one of the most important aspects of physical well-being. And honestly, sometimes I feel like a phony hypocrite recommending this approach to eating so frequently because the truth is, sometimes I still struggle. Sometimes, I overthink my decisions around food and beat myself up. I wish it was easier and that I didn’t think about what I eat so much. Somedays, I feel like I never make any progress and that I’m doomed to go the rest of my life thinking about calories. But I know I have come a long way and that things will continue to get better. This book has changed my life so much, and I know there are an endless amount of people out there who struggle with disordered eating, too. It can feel as if I’m alone in this mental battle, but I know I’m not. The ways I have healed my relationship with food and continue to heal my relationship with food are because of intuitive eating. While the book explores the benefits in much more detail, I’ll touch on a few. Intuitive eating has been known to improve cholesterol levels, inflammation, metabolism, and blood pressure; improve body and life satisfaction; decrease depression and eating disorder behaviors; diminish stress and intense cravings; increase energy; and improve relationships and self-confidence. It’s all worth it if you ask me.

4. Aim for 7-9 hours of sleep each night:

We all know how important sleep is for our physical health. The benefits are endless. Also who doesn’t love sleep? Sleeping is one of my favorite things to do. I think this can fall to the wayside however because we all live such busy lives. Sleep is the first thing to go when we want to chip away at our endless to-do lists. The thing is though poor sleep makes us less productive over time. Losing sleep saps our energy and deprives us of mental clarity. A tangible thing you can do is count back 8 or 9 hours from when you know you have to get up and start getting ready for bed around then. Or if you’re like me and need that good hour of television or scrolling before bed, make it even earlier. This habit is important because good sleep improves cognitive function, enhances athletic and academic performance, reduces disease risk, strengthens the immune system, improves mood and memory, and lowers stress levels—all great things for your physical health. Seriously, go to bed early, it’ll be awesome.

5. Visit your doctor annually:

Yeah, the healthcare system can be a massive pain in the ass but preventative exams are worth your time. Our health is undeniably valuable and making sure everything is good by a simple check-in with your provider is helpful. This allows you to catch things before they become serious. Early detection of any potential health issue can sometimes be the difference in life or death. Not to be dramatic. If something is wrong your doctor can serve as a helpful guide and resource in navigating seasonal illness or chronic health conditions. Maybe we’re too old to get lollipops and stickers for a doctor’s visit, but just knowing you’re in a good state of health should be enough. Another benefit of annual wellness visits includes having a personalized plan from your doctor that can better help you move forward to take care of your physical needs.

6. Scan your products on the Yuka or EWG app:

At this point, it’s like I’m beating a dead horse. I mention these apps so much. But I honestly love them. The products we use affect our physical health more than we know and the full effect of certain toxic chemicals may not be realized during our lifetime. In America, we serve as guinea pigs for corporations that sell us food, cosmetics, and household products. By simply downloading an app, we can become more informed consumers and find low-toxin products that are better for our bodies and the environment. Both of the apps are free and this habit can make great improvements to your physical well-being. With Yuka and EWG finding products that don’t contain carcinogens, hormone disrupters, and other harmful chemicals banned in the EU becomes easy. And honestly, it should be. Only in America does buying shampoo become a dilemma for those conscious of their physical health. Other added benefits of using these apps to find cleaner cosmetic and hygiene products include helping the planet, reducing waste, lowering your exposure to health-harming toxins, and minimizing health risks for both you and the environment. A brand I’ve been loving recently is Native. The sugar cookie-scented body lotion is a staple.

7. Drink more water:

Without water, we simply cease to be. We will die. A lot of us don’t drink as much water as we should so it’s helpful to have a water bottle with you wherever you go. If you get bored with water, add some flavored hydration packets or fruit to it. Health doesn’t have to be boring and mundane. Splurge on a cute Stanley and throw some lemons in that shit and call it a day. We need to stay hydrated because water regulates our body temperature, protects our joints and organs, helps our bodies remove waste, and delivers nutrients to our cells, it also improves cognitive function, mood, heart health, skin, and sleep quality. Water does us a lot of good. Let’s drink some more.

8. Stretch:

This is one habit I do nearly every day. It’s important for muscle recovery, but I also just hate the feeling of being stiff. It’s much more fun to be bendy. And while stretching can be painful, it always feels great afterward. Also, if you scroll through TikTok (pending the ban) or Pinterest or just watch a show while stretching, you don’t focus on the pain so much. I usually play the New York Times games while I sprawl out on the floor and stretch, and it really is a fun little habit of mine. Kinda weird, but there’s weirder shit a girl can do. Stretching is important for physical health because it enhances blood flow to the muscles, improves mobility and flexibility, reduces the risk of injury, relieves stress, improves performance in physical activities, and enhances range of motion, amongst other things. Fifteen minutes out of your day is about all it takes. Unless you’re simultaneously doom-scrolling and forget what you’re doing, which admittedly happens from time to time. 

9. Have a physical rest and recovery routine:

I love the gym and all, but our bodies were not meant to go at it every day. We need our rest and recovery otherwise, performance does not get better. Just like any other thing, if we don’t allow ourselves a break, we will burn ourselves out, and performance and productivity will suffer. Have a day or a few days where you don’t do any formal exercise. Of course, we still have our normal daily activities such as walking, housework, job work, and other shit. Because that’s life. Just know your body and listen to it when it asks for rest and recovery. This is important for the health of our bodies because rest days are when the body can heal and recover from intense training. Rest days are also important for avoiding injury and burnout, repairing your muscles, helping your body adapt to its workload, and supporting healthy sleep. Finding a good balance between movement and rest will enhance your physical well-being. Just learn to listen to and trust your body.

10. Meditate:

This habit deals with both physical, emotional, and spiritual health, but I’ll focus on the physical benefits here. I can’t speak to this tip from much of a personal place, though, because I’m not the meditative type of girl. I’ve read some literature on mediative practices, and I do it when I read those sorts of books that swear by its excellence, but I never really keep it up. It really can be a pain in the ass. For some people, though, it can be beneficial. Everyone should try it and see whether they benefit from it and want to realistically work it into their lives. After all, meditation helps reduce stress, pain, and anxiety; improves focus, sleep, immune function, and emotional intelligence; and enhances self-awareness, compassion, and relationship-building abilities. All great things for our wellbeing. My guess is that the literature doesn’t lie, mediation can be life-changing and enhance our health in numerous ways. Might as well try it at least once.  

11. Spend time outdoors:

Go play outside. Or read a book out in the sun. Or go for a walk or hike. Spending time outside is good for us for many reasons. First of all, our bodies need an adequate amount of vitamin D, which we get through sunlight, for our immune system to function at its best. Sunlight also enhances sleep, increases serotonin levels, improves bone health, and can help lower blood pressure from the increased availability of nitric oxide in the body. If possible, you can also habit stack and exercise, meditate, or stretch outdoors. My favorite way of spending time outside involves being poolside with an Arnold Palmer in 80-90-degree weather and a UV of about 8. Put me in that scenario, and life is good. I also love the beach, but I live in Missouri, so that’s typically out of the question. Anyway, get some sunlight, it’ll be good for you. 

12. Practice mindful eating:

This is a component of intuitive eating and involves being fully aware of your food and present during your meals to completely savor what you’re eating. Mindful eating also allows one to be aware of the sensations of their body, such as hunger and fullness, to eat just the right amount that the body needs. This practice is a way of respecting your body and honoring your appetite. When we eat in a distracted and half-hearted way, we can easily eat past fullness or not appreciate and experience our meal with all the five senses. The physical benefits of mindful eating include improved digestion, decreased emotional eating, stress reduction, weight maintenance, improved meal satisfaction, a healthier relationship with food, and improved self-esteem. This practice goes a long way in improving overall physical health because nutrition is such a fundamental component of how we feel on a day-to-day basis. By slowing down when we eat, limiting our distractions, and being fully present during our meals, we can give our bodies the right amount of nourishment they need while also expressing gratitude for our food.  

13. Work more produce into your meals:

Produce, produce, produce. We all know we need it, but sometimes we just don’t fucking want it. The thing is, though, there are so many fruits and vegetables out there that there’s bound to be one you like. If you say there’s not a single fruit or vegetable you like, you’re either a toddler or not being creative enough. Healthy food can taste good, trust me. Some of my go-to ways of incorporating produce into my diet are chili with a massive amount of vegetables in it, apples or bananas with peanut butter, homemade fries with sweet or white potatoes, a salad with so many toppings you can’t actually see the salad, baked eggplant, pumpkin or really any kind of pie, and lastly any sort of berry. Or any fruit. I love fruit. Especially pineapple. Even putting fresh greens on pizza counts. Seriously, the options are endless. Just be intentional about it because produce has important health-enhancing benefits from the vitamins, minerals, fiber, and antioxidants they contain. For example, fruit and vegetables aid in digestion, help regulate blood pressure and cholesterol, lower the risk of illness, and improve heart health. Eat your produce, kids.

14. Have a skincare routine:

This isn’t the first thing that comes to mind when I think of physical well-being, but hygiene absolutely falls into this category. After all, it is taking care of your physical body. Maybe it’s just the woman in me, but a daily skincare routine is therapeutic. It’s an easy habit to have, too. My skincare is by no means elaborate. It literally consists of a bar of soap, Cetaphil moisturizer, lip balm, and petroleum jelly. I also use a gua sha. But again, use your favorite products that work with your skin and make this as elaborate or as simple as you’d like. This is an important habit, however, because it allows you to have healthy skin, improves skin texture and tone, can help protect against environmental factors such as UV radiation, and can also serve as a little confidence booster. I know I always feel a tiny bit better about life after doing my skincare routine. 

15. Buy a Theragun:

I absolutely love my Theragun for muscle recovery. Of course, silly little me would never drop that much on a massage gun, but shoutout to my sister K for granting me one for Christmas. It has several different attachments for different pressure points and parts of your body, which is helpful. I’ve made my sister use it on my back a few times, too, and as weird as she is, I’ve had worse experiences at the chiropractor. Apologies for the side tangent, however, if you take your workouts seriously, take your recovery seriously, too. A Theragun is a great way to do that because it helps to reduce inflammation, improve circulation, relieve pain, increase mobility, reduce stress, and help you get better sleep. All great things for physical health.

Closing:

Okay, so that was fifteen different ways you can improve your physical well-being. I know many of you probably practice most of these already, but if any seem intriguing or are new to you, give them a try. Maybe there are a few you want to take more seriously. Or maybe you weren’t looking for any ideas or advice at all. Either way I hope you enjoyed reading this post as much as I enjoyed writing it. Once again, same place next week 😉 See you then!