Promoting physical well-being with new habits

I recall that fateful evening when she first walked in for a non-contact session. Little did she know it was my very first session back in 2019. I had just gotten my certification as a well-being specialist, so I created a program from the knowledge gained and made a post or more, which eventually got to her. She wanted to come in for a session about a relationship that was affecting everything else in her life. I wasn’t and still am not a relationship or marriage counsellor, but I could tell if someone didn’t love themselves enough to back out of an entanglement that heads nowhere. So, what was meant to be a single session became a 5-week programme with activities to be carried out daily.

“Therefore, your physical well-being depends on you doing all you can in more deliberate and structured ways to ensure fitness and general wellbeing.”

It’s been almost five years, and the program is more robust, with most referrals coming through word of mouth. As we explore physical well-being this month, I will be taking you, readers, through some unconventional routes to self-discovery, as I did with her almost half a decade ago. By the end of the month, you will all be aware of the interconnectedness of specific activities to your physical health and even the rest of the eight dimensions of wellness.

You would agree that whenever physical wellness is mentioned, what readily comes to mind as remedies are physical exercise and diet. Interestingly, keeping your body moving and dieting are just two of the numerous things to achieve this. Moreover, it may be challenging to do both wisely if certain things are not considered. Therefore, your physical well-being depends on you doing all you can in more deliberate and structured ways to ensure fitness and general well-being. The body must be in top form so that other aspects of life do not suffer. So, here are a few areas you need to pay attention to to be abreast of your body functions:

Good sleep hygiene: It is not enough to admit that sleep plays a vital role in maintaining your physical health; you must pay attention to the recommended duration of sleep per day and practise good sleep hygiene. Here are the recommended hours of sleep per day for different age groups: Infants (4-12 months) need 12-16 hours, toddlers (1-2 years) need 11-14 hours, children (3-12 years) need 9-11 hours, teenagers (13-18 years) need 8-10 hours, and adults (18-65+ years) need 7-9 hours of sleep.

No matter how discouraged you may feel by the above sleep hour guide, its importance far outweighs what you deem an inconvenience because sleep deprivation is a silent killer. The consequences of not having adequate sleep include impaired physical performance and increased risk of chronic diseases such as diabetes and hypertension. Poor sleep hygiene weakens immunity and inhibits cell, tissue, muscle, and bone repairs/regeneration while promoting premature ageing. Lack of good sleep also exposes one to certain concerns like anxiety, poor coordination, restlessness, and clumsiness due to hormonal imbalance.

However, if you live in a very busy and congested city like Lagos, where you commute long hours to and from work daily, you can partially compensate for lost night sleep hours with afternoon naps. A 15–30-minute nap will give a quick refresh, but a 90–120-minute sleep during the early afternoon hours will provide you with a sounder session. Certain wellness centres and practices on the island now offer afternoon nap services in their facilities. One such is Calme Pur Wellness Practice, where you can enjoy exclusive access to the nook from 60 to 90 minutes.