Self-care of our physical bodies is important. When we care for ourselves we are able to care for others or learn to care for ourselves better. In order to have our best to give to ourselves, our friends and families, our careers or our job search there are a few things we need to consider in order to make a physical makeover successful.
Rest, diet and exercise play a huge role in our physical well being.
Our bodies need fuel. Just like our cars. If we put bad fuel in, it sputters and does not perform to its potential. When we follow the suggested preventive care program recommended by the manufacturer, the life-span of the car’s usefulness greatly increases and we usually experience fewer mechanical issues. Our bodies are a lot like cars in the sense that with proper preventive care we too can usually experience fewer interruptions in our lives due to poor physical health.
A few controllable elements of our health include: developing good sleep habits and routines (sometimes called sleep hygiene), fueling our cells with nutritious foods and plenty of water as well as moderate exercise.
When we compare our bodies to machines we can begin to understand that we have to take care of our equipment by putting the right fuel in it and maintaining the moving parts, we don’t have to replace it. As our bodies age, we do have to accept some things as inevitable – some stuff wears out but that process of decay can be slowed by doing some simple things include taking a daily vitamin, eating foods high in nutrients to fuel our bodies at a cellular level.
Putting a car in the garage and never driving it would be considered bad for the car as the fluids and lubricants settle there are numerous things that an idle car can develop from sediments in gas lines to faulty electrical connections. Why would we not think our bodies are similar? Moderate exercise can be good for you. Walking 30 minutes a day, briskly if you are able, is great for your whole body…including your mind. It works muscles, joints, lungs and heart and it activates a chemical called endorphins. Science has much to say about this little “feel good” chemical and endorphins are the body’s natural pain relievers. They act like opiates to reduce pain and bring about a feeling of euphoria and well-being. Combine this positive effect with our efforts of eating more nutritious foods and getting plenty of rest and we will begin to really see and feel a difference in some cases in as little as a week we can begin to feel better…have more energy naturally. For some it may take a bit longer but making it a lifestyle change and not just the new program of the day will do a long way to ensuring sustainable, on-going benefits of better health for ourselves.
Having a regular sleep routine and good “sleep hygiene” is great for stress relief too. Removing obstacle to getting enough good sleep and preparing for sleep is important also. Our nighttime chemical that helps us sleep and rejuvenate our minds an bodies is called Melatonin. Melatonin also has antioxidant properties, and may have an important anti-aging role. Too much sleep is not good for you so look into getting a good sleep ritual and what the meaning of sleep hygiene is for you.
When we are well rested, feeling good, putting good fuel into our bodies, it increases our ability to adapt to stress in our lives. It will be easier now to handle obligations for ourselves, our families and friends as well as respond with the appropriate amount of urgency during situations that arise. Our work will be more productive and our search for a career or answers to our current problems may be easier to handle with a clearer head due to proper diet, exercise and rest.
How would you being a physical makeover? Would you be able to commit to your own self-care today? Have you examined areas where you might need to apply better self-care? Do you think that if you were eating better foods, exercising and getting better rest you would be better equipped to handle stress during your day as you work or seek work?
