Okay Peeps! Let's talk about physical health today!
For some of you, your reaction to this prompt the first time you saw it might be, "Oh physical health? Simple. Exercise, go to the gym... bla bla bla." But if we're to be real, you have never been to the gym all your life and the only real exercise you've ever done is walking up to the bus stop to get a ride.
No shades.
The purpose of this post is not to attack anyone (I might attack if need be), but to share some little daily tips for improved physical health. I'm not talking about going to the gym, drinking a GP tank of water, or sleeping till you enter coma. I'm talking about the little ones you don't pay much attention to. The ones we don't talk about all the time but are much more important.
I hope this post doesn’t get chaotic, and hopefully not so long.
Number One!
Good Posture
Sometimes when I see the way people fold themselves in half while sitting down, I just want to grab two iron rods and put them into their backs, since they need extra support. Why are you folding yourself and slouching? For goodness' sake, you're a human being. Do you know how much you're stressing your back and your neck? Are you even breathing well?
Please, for the love of God, try to get yourself a good posture. Come borrow mine if you have to.
Seriously though, if you're going to be sitting for so many hours a day, maybe you have a job that requires it, the best thing you can do for yourself is to fix your posture. First off, make your seat comfortable, relax your shoulders, your feet should touch the floor, and sit upright. The more you slouch, the more you're straining your body. Practice good posture and feel the goodness.
Pro tip: Try not to bury your head in your phone. Lift up your phone and look directly.
Number Two!
Eat Slowly
You're not in an eating contest. Take your time and chew your food properly. If I paid enough attention in biology class, I remember correctly that digestion starts from the mouth. When you eat too fast, you don't give your brain enough time to register that, "Oh food is coming!"
Then you keep overloading and overloading and overloading. If not for one thing, you're definitely going to start bloating. Yeah, that's how you'll be wondering where the pot belly is coming from. And then minutes later, you're hungry again after eating 10 wraps of fufu.
Trust me when I say it works, my dad once told me that the time I use in eating would be enough to start and complete a construction project.
He's exaggerating please
So please, if you care about digestion more than how delicious the food is, take your time and chew your food.
Number Three!
I'm not shouting, I promise.
Cold Showers
For some people, this one is already sounding like a punishment. But tell me something, why is the water you're bathing with so hot that it can remove chicken feathers? Come on now. I didn't say refrigerate the water you want to use and take your bath. Moderate cold.
Here's what it does, it’s a cool way of improving your blood circulation, a cool way of waking up your nervous system. And if you're struggling with acne and inflammation, take more cold baths.
A little confession though:
I am the president of hot water bath association.
Now let me finish before you crucify me. I have changed for good. Here's what I do, I start with warm water and slowly switch it up to cold water before I'm done bathing. It's easier that way. And oh! Take a glass of water before you enter that cold shower, so your BP will not rise before you come out.
You're welcome.
Lastly!
20-20-20
Relax, it’s not today’s date.
The 20-20-20 rule will save your eyes, especially for my tech brothers and sisters who spend so many hours in front of screens, and generally for anyone who uses tech devices.
I learnt this at the Tech Bootcamp I attended last year. Good stuff.
So basically, all you have to do is: for every 20 minutes, shift your focus to something 20 feet away for 20 seconds. It helps your eyes relax and prevents you from getting that everyday headache you get after staring at a screen all day.
You can even set reminders, you know, whatever works for you.
And with this ladies and gents!
We have successfully come to the end of this post. Congratulations—you made it. Just make sure you're reading this post with good posture wherever you are before I come for you.