Ruminations on Health and being Healthy

Creative Commons: Miroslav Vajdic

Creative Commons: Miroslav Vajdic

The human body is a complex organism yet its needs are simple.

It is an efficient well designed engine of life which requires very little tinkering on our part majority of the time.

It has the ability to self regulate, maintain and repair itself. As long as we provide it with a variety of nourishment, a reasonable amount of rest and amusement. Our modern lifestyle takes our body into extremes: long stressful work hours, nutrition-less or over rich foods, too little or too much exercise, sleep deprivation and emotional turmoil. 

All these factors have a deleterious effect on the overall body function and its ability to self regulate. After all, this is the key question:

“Does our body have the ability to adapt to ‘stresses’ in our environment?”

Stresses refer to any external or internal stimuli which your body may be exposed to, from temperature changes, noise, perceived threats, work deadlines, traumatic experiences, emotions to an overcommitted schedule.

The word ‘healthy’ itself means different things for different people. Being ‘healthy’ means bringing awareness on how one looks after oneself, being mindful of how one lives, thinks, cares for oneself and makes active conscientious decisions to reduce the unnecessary strains (stresses) to this machinery of ours. It doesn’t necessarily mean engorging ourselves with nutritional supplements, organic foods and banishing ourselves from cities. There isn’t a one size fits all approach to this.

It is about checking in with oneself and ask: “Would I be happy for my child to live the same schedule and lifestyle?”.

It is never too late to make changes to your lifestyle. One of the most beautiful enduring quality of our body/health is that it never gives up in getting better so why have you?

Be active. Rest well. Eat well. Play well. Think well.

Benjamin Lai  

Benjamin Lai

Benjamin Lai

Ben is a Registered Osteopath in Australia, practising in Hong Kong.
His special interests are in nutrition, chronic pain, back pain, neck pain and headaches.
Benjamin Lai

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