HIY - physical test *

Like all five, the Physical self check is straight forward. You should ask yourself these questions:

• how would I describe my energy level? Do I feel happy and strong every day? Is it most of the time? When was the last time I felt strong and up to meeting the challanges life poses?

• do I feel any physical discomfort? Is there only one issue or are there multiple problems that may not seem connected to each other? What are they?

• where is my physical discomfort coming from? This is a specific question to focus on a type of tissue when we do have physical aches, pains or discomforts. What is the tissue that is hurting us? Is it a bone, a ligament / tendon, a muscle, skin or perhaps one of the 12 organs itself?

• how long have I had this (these) symptom(s)? This question will help you set up some realistic expectatinos on how long will your healing take - the more time the condition had to settle in your body, the longer will it take to get rid of it. This is something Western medicine knows as well - chronic issues take much longer to releive then the acute (new) ones.

• what relieves my symptom(s)? Is it cold (Yin) or maybe hot (Yang)? Is it movement (Yang) or it is better if I get still (Yin)?

• do these symptoms match my lifestyle? What are the obvious things in my lifestyle that I could change to address them?

These questions are the beggining of the journey of healing your physical body. This is a process, just like getting un-well was a process that probably took years to develop. Remember to write your answers down and keep them in a safe place.

To rank your physical health here is a 10 step scale:

10 - I have or am on a brink of a Organ failure
9 - I am imobile and in constant pain
8 - I am in constant pain but I can walk for 5 minutes or more
7 - I have regular pain attacks and I feel heavy fatigue
6 - I live with no pain but experience fatigue daily
5 - I live with no pain and no faitgue
4 - I can move (walk, bike, swim) for a while
3 - I can jog for 30 minutes
2 - I can run for 30 minutes
1 - I can run uphil for 30 minutes
0 - I have no limitations in my aerobic effort.

The scale I offer is the one that focuses on the aerobic effort and endurance. Aerobic excersise (vs anaerobic exercise) is defined as "a elevated and sustained heart rate" and it means that we are not just raising our heart rate but also increasing our oxygen intake for a "sustained" period of time. This is not the same as playing a sport that raises and drops one's heart rate (between the points) - this is moving at a same pace for a 5, 30 or more minutes without stopping or changing your speed.

In measuring your physical health you are looking for ability to move your body without limitations for as many years as you can. Modern studies are indicating that just 10 minutes of running every day provide 90% of health benefits and may be all we need to keep our matabolic rate high and our body functioning at an optimal level.