Physical Wellness

Of all the dimensions, physical wellness is the one where I want to say you know when you got it and you know when you ain't got it.

Most times that's true, but it's also a vast oversimplification. Sometimes a person can think they are fine and there's a silent illness as yet undiagnosed. Like me with breast cancer. Sometimes a person can be stressed out or struggling with life issues, and truly be healthy as a (healthy) horse.

There's a third state as well, which is where a person has been diagnosed with a chronic illness and is receiving treatment. That's an interesting one. Like my friend Jane who has been taking insulin for her childhood diabetes for almost 30 years. Or my friend Kate who is two years free of lymphoma following a targeted drug therapy and massive doses of Vitamin C.
Jane eats better than almost anyone I know. She exercises regularly. She is an engineer and while working raised 3 children. She's energetic and happy. Kate is vibrant, strong, a regular at the gym and a confirmed kayaker.

These are only two examples of people with a chronic illness and very high levels of physical wellbeing. You don't have to be an Olympic athlete to have physical wellness. So what do you need?

If it's not being disease-free healthy, what is physical wellness?

Teasing out the single-most important component, it is a strong and healthy connection to your body. By that I mean not just 'good nutrition,' but knowing when you can veer off the beaten track of your regular good diet and knowing when you need to get back on track. It is not exercising because you 'must,' but listening to your body saying "let's boogie!" It is your wanting to get out there because you love the free feeling of movement, you love your body being alive, and you love the gratitude your body offers in return. It is treating your body with care because you are connected to yourself as a physical being.

For all my friends who believe we are a spirit seeking a physical experience, I say while that may be true our material self is the home of our spirit and it needs our TLC. A wise person has improved on 'the body is a temple' adage by adding "but only if you treat it as one."

You have physical wellness when you treat your body as a temple because you choose to. You got it going when you respect the limits of your body for your age but are not overcome by limits. You can have your physical issues -- everyone will, but you listen in and take appropriate steps to maintain your body's best possible condition.

I don't want to ignore the age thing. Yeah, it's there, but I see it more as an indicator than a limitation as the years pile on. Obviously if you're feeling slow and creaky and you're in your twenties you need to get out there and make changes. On the other end of the spectrum, I have an aunt in her nineties.

She says she doesn't get out too much anymore, and sometimes feels like she needs oil so she won't creak so much. She still plays a killer game of bridge and obviously her humor is intact. If you're like my aunt Blanche, consider yourself lucky and in a state of physical wellness for a novagenerian.

So you see, no matter what your age, you're not off the hook. All of the dimensions entail responsibility for our well-being as much as we can, as long as we can. We can't do more, and we should not do less.