The Role of Fitness in Wholistic Wellbeing

Staying fit is a big part of Wholistic Wellbeing. Physical activity lifts the body and mind and helps to counter the negative health consequences of a modern sedentary lifestyle.

Being fit doesn’t just entail exercise. It’s about how you exercise, sleep, relax, and eat. It’s an interdisciplinary practice. A wholistically healthy body is the first stepping stone to a full and fulfilling life, as it helps bring positive energy to everyday tasks.

Below, I highlight the most important pieces of the puzzle.

Exercise

I discovered yoga in my forties and never looked back. It’s one of the kindest things one can do for their body. A daily yoga session can really transform our reality. It helps us feel focused. It keeps us grounded. Most importantly, it allows us to think clearly about our daily problems. Additionally, it can help relieve many individual physical health problems; most notably, back pain. The American College of Physicians recommends yoga as a first-line treatment for chronic low back pain. Yoga can also ease arthritis symptoms, according to a John Hopkins review of eleven recent studies.

Sleep

The modern lifestyle isn’t conducive to good sleep. We’re always pursuing something, sacrificing our resting hours to succeed at work or in our social lives. Even when we get to sleep, we don’t sleep well. Recommended reading: Why We Sleep by Matthew Walker. According to the English scientist, “sleep can help us physically heal, recover from illness, deal with stress, solve problems, consolidate memories, and improve motor skills”.

Relaxation

It is widely recognized that stress is linked to hypertension. A Pubmed journal article on Stress and Hypertension has shown that the former can cause the latter “through repeated blood pressure elevations as well as by stimulation of the nervous system.” This is why relaxation is key to fitness and to overall Wholistic Wellbeing. In my experience, relaxation can be achieved via meditation. Mindfulness meditation, for instance, is about experiencing our increased awareness of a present moment and accepting it. “Our mind wanders all the time, either reviewing the past or planning for the future”, said Suzanne Westbrook, a former doctor of internal medicine caring for Harvard students. “Mindfulness teaches you the skill of paying attention to the present by noticing when your mind wanders off.”

Food

I am an avid vegetarian, something that stems both from my love for animals and a desire to be fit and healthy. One study found that, in low-risk populations, a vegetarian diet reduces the average risk for all cancers. Additionally, it found that a vegan diet can offer even more protection against female-specific cancers.

Being fit is not just about being in good physical shape. We should look at fitness from a more wholistic perspective, taking into account various factors that can affect our overall wellbeing. How you look doesn’t necessarily define how fit you are on the inside: all the pieces of the puzzle must be present, including good quality sleep, relaxation, and a healthy relationship with food.