Your Physical Health is Complicated, How Do We Make it Easier?

The never ending quest for the ever lasting health/wellness/happiness goal has had us chasing a lot of fads and trends over the decades. For physical health, some claim our quest reaches back even to Paleolithic times with paintings in the caves at Lascaux depicting wrestling and sprinting. It seems reasonable that such activities would plausibly either prepare the youth or keep the experienced ready for the task of running down and grappling with dinner for their community.

Also reasonable is the claim that the ratio of effort for survival to calories acquired in those days was much closer; at minimum being 1:1 because if calories were lower than effort for too long, one would not survive. The stress factors then being more about ‘Where is the bear?’ or ‘How can we as a team, run down that bison and make it our dinner?’ than today’s ‘How am I going to satisfy the demands of the higher ups?’ or ‘How can I make ends meet this month?’ Our ancient desire to load up on protein to increase muscle mass or carbs for needed energy for that bear/bison probably won’t have the same outcome for today’s survival demands.

But we still have stress; we still have the fear of ‘will we make it?’. We also still need sustenance, and to move our body around to help our bones, our circulation, even our psychological well-being. We are told that marathon runners, triathletes, swimmers, gymnasts, yogis, and free-climbers for example are in great physical condition but when do we mere mortals the time for those things? We compromise and go to fitness centers, often barraged with giant screen televisions, and soon-to-be influencers taking selfies of their new glow up in the locker rooms. Mind you, gym culture for some, works quite well and the aforementioned elements of it don’t bother them in the least. There are some however who have either tried it and not stayed, or knew that such a thing was definitely not for them.

What do we do then? Those of us who are tied to screens and/or seats all day to meet the demands of modern life? How do we increase our survival rate with an activity that won’t seem like physical and or psychological torture? Barraged with diet plans or drugs, or corporate wellness programs with milestones that if not met, may have consequences; what do we do?

At minimum, find the thing that isn’t torture. At best, find the activity that you might actually look forward to. Sometimes that means reflecting on elements of who you are and what you love. Like, are you a social person? Group activities might be better for you, and that doesn’t mean boot camp, it could mean dancing, singing, walking, hiking, or bird-watching. Do you like solo activities that give you reflective or contemplative time? Maybe forest bathing, fishing or gardening is more for you. If thinking about a thing makes your brain squeeze out those positive neurotransmitters that in turn make you smile, rather than dread the thought of moving, this is the activity to choose. Don’t let anyone convince you that boot camp for example is for you if it just sounds like torture.

If you still don’t know, maybe discussing it with a coach, like one in health and wellness might set you down the right path. Make sure though, that they come from a place of putting you in the ‘expert’ chair for what will appeal to you.