The greatest wealth
is health.

– Virgil

Physical well-being

Physical well-being is about being safe, sheltered and in good health and it is closely connected to mental well-being. If we have good physical health, we will automatically experience better mental and emotional well-being. On the other hand, mental stress and anxiety will put stress on internal organs, increase blood pressure, decrease immune function and upset chemical balances.

Health

There is plenty of information online and in books about how to achieve good health. It is essentially about accentuating the positive (good habits) and eliminating the negative (bad habits). For this reason, it is best to teach children good habits right from the start. These habits will fall into a holistic system of physical health, and include:

  • a balanced, healthy diet; in particular:
    • reduce sugar, and other toxic additives, by eating less processed food
    • cook fresh, local ingredients yourself
    • maximise good things like organic produce
  • regular exercise
  • maintaining a healthy weight
  • getting adequate hydration, sunlight and fresh air (Read the LAW of good health)
  • getting sufficient rest
  • getting a good sleep

Environmental factors like pollution, toxic chemicals, germs, cold and damp can all impair our physical well-being. Even seemingly benign things like oxygen in the air and light from the sun harm our bodies. To eliminate and/or mitigate all these factors:

It is interesting to note that all of these things help the environment in various ways.

Genetics has a part to play in our physical well-being but probably less than you might think. Maintaining good, healthy habits can at least improve most genetic issues and at best counteract them completely.

Illness

By maintaining good health your body is more able to ward off illness, prevention is always better than cure. If we are honest with ourselves the cause of our illnesses is quite often the fact that we have not looked after our health.

If you do become ill, it is always best to remedy the cause of the illness, in the long term, if possible, and not just treat the symptoms.

It is best to use natural remedies and avoid prescription drugs as much as possible. Natural remedies are gentler for both people and planet. Of course, there is a place for prescription drugs but there is plenty of argument that they are overused and can cause as many problems as they solve. Prescription drugs often just mask symptoms and usually have side effects and adverse reactions, some of which are unknown. The fourth biggest cause of death in the US is properly prescribed pharmaceuticals.

Shelter and safety

As well as cold and damp there are other factors that can affect our well-being including extreme weather, pests and intruders (animals and people!). Houses, buildings and even clothes will protect us from many dangers.

Peace is crucial for well-being but unfortunately, wars, terrorism and violent crime are a constant threat all over the world. We need to do whatever we can to try and stop these threats peacefully.