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Don’t forget to keep your body happy
One of the problems with modern society is that many of us can completely ignore important needs of our bodies. The obsession with electronic entertainment means most of us are focused on feeding our minds. Modern workplaces and transportation let us spend most of our lives sitting in comfort. Convenience foods mean we don’t have to put much thought into what we our fuelling ourselves with.
Health is one of the fundamental foundations of happiness, yet we live in a world where we can easily neglect it. It's very difficult to live a satisfying life if you have a health problem, yet many people completely ignore their body’s needs.
This is particularly a problem if you live in the suburbs.
If you are based in the suburbs, here is a typical day. You get out of bed and eat a processed breakfast. After showering and dressing, you get in your car and drive to work. You park as close as you can to your office, then spend all day sitting at your desk. You eat a low nutritional-value lunch in the cafeteria. At the end of the day, you drive home. You then spend all night sitting in front of a screen, only broken up by ordering a pizza or making some other poor eating choice. You probably also indulge in multiple processed snacks over the day.
This life is very easy to fall into. Notice two things about it. Firstly, the diet involved is very poor. Secondly, almost no exercise is involved. Walking to and from the car and around the house and office is about the extent of total physical activity. Indeed, to eat well and get exercise requires extra, conscious effort. Many people are busy enough without having to do this kind of thing.
What happens to our bodies when we fall into this lifestyle. Well, all you have to do is look around you to see. People become overweight and soft. Their skin is bad, and their mood is poor. They suffer multiple minor health issues.
How can people possibly hope to be happy when they neglect their bodies like this? Is it any wonder they have health problems?
As I see it, there are two simple solutions to this problem.
The first, is simply to make the effort to eat well and get exercise. This is especially important if you live in the suburbs. You must try to get at least an hour’s exercise a day. Whether it means going for walks or hitting the gym. You should also prepare your own food if the only other options involve processed foods.
The second solution is to move to a more densely-populated area. In other words, get out of the suburbs. If you live in the inner-city, you tend to get exercise just through day-to-day life. If the supermarket is only ten minutes walk away, and parking is difficult, you get twenty minutes walking in just by doing your daily shop. If you take public transport to work, you have to walk to the train and back, as well as to the office. There are usually much more healthy and convenient food options in the inner-city than in the suburbs.
It's almost impossible to be happy if your health is bad. Living in the suburbs makes it extra work to keep your health at a good level.
Remember to keep your body happy. Without a happy body, it's hard to have a happy mind.
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