[Excerpted from, 9 Keys to Integrative Wellness: Personal Growth ©2023]

And now: exercise, including forms that balance the body’s qi or prana. (More on this soon.)

And, whenever possible, doing so while immersing ourselves in nature: our natural home.

Again, we all know that exercise is good for health, though we surely can’t omit it from a book on integrative wellness, can we? And how does it fit into that more comprehensive view?

This is another area often little understood by medical doctors, well researched but still too often overlooked as a contributor to health. Especially rare is the psychiatrist who tells his patient to get more exercise, or to get out into nature.

As to the latter, the benefits of nature to mental health are only recently in active research, including nature-based therapies. The effects on subjective wellbeing are clear: those who regularly engage with nature report higher levels of happiness, contentment or life satisfaction, meaning in life, sense of purpose, community or connectedness, and overall wellbeing. Additionally, time spent in nature is associated with lower levels of depression and anxiety. We’re literally more grounded or rooted, with improved focus and attention as well.

The value of such interconnectedness cannot be overstated; when in nature, we feel more connected with the world around us, including other species and the elements, and this is essential to our wellbeing.

Each week at sunrise, I board a ferry bound for my favorite tiny island in Istanbul’s archipelago; an hour across the Marmara Sea, my first nature immersion a watery one as I sit out on the ship’s deck and stare out over the waves (often enough, spotting dolphins), and eventually, I’ve arrived. A few hours of solo trekking (aka, moving meditation), singing to crows, cuddling stray cats, walking along the shore and through a forest (where I often encounter a young black bull I call Henry), maybe meeting my 2 horse friends as they wander, climbing the island’s peak where ruins of an ancient Greek Orthodox monastery sit atop an even older temple to Zeus, and where I engage in sitting meditation and a bit of personal ritual – and I am, in every sense of the word: home.

An old adage, included in our introductory vignettes: Move a muscle, change a thought. When we’re stuck in negative thought patterns, or a challenging mood state, taking a walk or doing any type of exercise at home will often result in a mental shift. As well, we know that moving meditation engenders creativity, so when a writer or artist is blocked, he/she will often engage in something physical instead. As we age and cognitive capability or memory become compromised, the number one method for countering this isn’t learning a new language or solving puzzles or writing haiku (though these too help): it’s physical exercise, to improve blood flow to the brain. (I recommend singing and dancing, in particular.)

Naturally, exercise is also good for our bodies, rendering it particularly integrative. It can also be done with others, for the social aspect of health, especially fun types such as sports, or dancing; exercise that’s also joyful, as well as that performed out in nature, can also be said to support our spiritual health.

As well, we want to contribute to the balancing of energy or life force, our vitality or essence, known as qi in traditional Chinese medicine (with related exercise of qigong or makko ho) and prana in India’s ayurveda (which includes yoga).

Ideally, we include forms of exercise for flexibility, strengthening, cardio, and energy balance, plus those that are fun and ideally social. But who has that kind of time?

The good news is, some of this can certainly overlap.

I begin each morning with 12-15 minutes of makko ho meridian stretches, thereby improving flexibility while also contributing to the balance of qi. Another 12-15 minutes of strengthening, and my day has begun. At midday, just before lunch, I engage in 10 minutes of cardio, typically in a brisk circle walk, forward then reverse, around a central structure in my home. In the evening, just before dinner, it’s 10 minutes of dance – more cardio, and joyful at that, often combined with singing. And then, there’s the weekly 3-hour trek on the island.

For general health (as opposed to, say, preparing for a marathon), 30-45 minutes a day is sufficient – and can be easily divided into segments of 10 minutes here, 15 minutes there. (I begin with 30 as my energy is freshest then – while the midday short-burst cardio serves to pick up my energy again, yet the evening cardio burst helps with sleep.)

Just a few weeks following this writing, I’ll reach 60 years of age. A year ago, I asked myself: how do I want to enter this third-third of life? – or as the French say, le troisième âge. Never being particularly sporty, though I’ve practiced the makko ho meridien stretches for decades and engaged in nature immersion throughout my life, it came to me: strong. Among other goals for this Third Act, I want to remain strong through my senior years – allowing for the realities of an aging body but relatively strong nonetheless – and I began a daily exercise commitment. A year later, still consistent, it’s become a cherished part of my life.

Perhaps you’re differently abled, or challenged by a chronic pain pattern of some sort, and physical exercise is limited or not possible. Whatever may be within the capability of your own body, it remains essential to health; this includes having someone else exercise your muscles for you. We each have a different approach. Singing, for example, especially with great enthusiasm (and no need for talent), is exceedingly cardio, and doesn’t require us to move our bodies at all. The balancing of qi or prana is most often approached through deep breathing, as we circulate air through our bodies. We must seek out what is possible, what we are capable of, and engage in that regularly.

Breathwork. There are various types, and this too is extremely beneficial to our integrative health. Each day when I complete my makko ho meridian stretching routine, I engage in a brief meditation in warrior pose – standing, arms raised above my head, fists clenched – with deep, forceful, cleansing breaths. This is meant for empowerment, physical as well as psychological, and a good way to end my exercise routine and begin my day, I’ve found. Breathwork is accessible to most individuals, carries extra oxygen through the blood to all the body’s tissues including the brain, and is thus beneficial to many areas of the body – above all, heart and lungs. Excellent for increasing energy, too.

In fact, those of us who live a life primarily of intellectual or spiritual pursuit may largely ignore our bodies and need daily reminding – and grounding – of our wholeness, through physical exercise. For those differently abled, or challenged by a health condition, one’s body may represent a battleground or betrayal – and again, whatever forms of exercise remain possible will help one to befriend and cherish one’s body. In any case: for an integrative approach to health and wellness, physical exercise in any form possible is an essential component.

If you aren’t currently engaged in such: begin with just one activity that takes not more than 10 minutes each day. Following a week of consistent engagement (not more than 1 day off), add a second component that’s also a maximum of 10 minutes. Continue adding small components, only after each new one has become integrated into your daily routine, until you reach a level that’s comfortable for you. (And then: add just 1 more, so that you move a step beyond comfort and into challenge.) If you only have that 10 minutes a day, so be it. (And, consider doubling up: engaging in mindfulness meditation in tandem with stretches designed for both flexibility and energy rebalancing is a very common approach to Eastern disciplines, yoga or qigong for example.) As your life goes through adjustments and you have a bit more time, consider adding something more.

And so: exercise, and energy balancing.