Physical Wellness: What It Really Means (And Why It’s Only One-Eighth of the Picture)

Let’s clear something up immediately.

Physical wellness is not absolute.

It’s not a body type.

It’s not how disciplined you look on Instagram.

And it is certainly not proof of moral superiority.

As a physician, coach, and transformational speaker, I’ve watched physical wellness slowly drift from health to performance. Somewhere along the way, it became something people display rather than something they actually live in.

Here is the part that tends to make people uncomfortable:

You can look physically “fit” and be profoundly unwell.

And you can live in a larger body while doing many things right for your health.

Physical wellness is far more nuanced than most conversations allow. It is also far more honest than what we usually see packaged as “health.”

Why Physical Wellness Gets So Much Attention

Physical wellness is the most visible dimension of health.

We can see bodies.

We can measure weight.

We can count steps.

We can track calories, macros, heart rates, sleep scores, and VO₂ max.

Visibility gives us numbers. Numbers reassure us. And reassurance provides us with the illusion that we are in control.

But visibility is not the same as wholeness.

When physical wellness is stripped away from the other seven dimensions of wellness, it often becomes something unhealthy in disguise:

• Obsessive

• Punitive

• Performative

• Quietly destructive

I have lived this.

And I have treated the consequences of it.

I’ve sat with patients whose labs looked “fine” while their bodies were clearly breaking down under chronic stress, poor sleep, and relentless self-neglect. I’ve watched people do all the “right” things while ignoring the signals that mattered most.

What Physical Wellness Actually Means

At its core, physical wellness is about how well your body functions in your real life.

Not on vacation.

Not during a 30-day reset.

Not when everything goes perfectly.

In your actual, ordinary, sometimes messy life.

Physical wellness includes:

• Consistent, restorative sleep

• Movement that supports function rather than punishment

• Nutrition that nourishes instead of controls

• Medical care that is proactive rather than crisis-driven

• Energy that is steady, not brittle or borrowed

This is about capacity.

Can your body:

• Carry you through your day without constant exhaustion?

• Recover after stress rather than staying inflamed or depleted?

• Support your work, relationships, caregiving, and responsibilities?

If the answer is no, something is off, regardless of how “healthy” things look from the outside.

The Quiet Truth: Many People Are Fighting Their Bodies

This is something I say plainly, even when it makes the room uncomfortable.

Many people are at war with their bodies.

They override hunger.

They ignore fatigue.

They push through pain.

They normalize poor sleep.

They use caffeine as a coping tool.

They treat rest as weakness.

Then they are confused when their body eventually pushes back.

Your body is not lazy. It is adaptive.

When signals are ignored long enough, they escalate. That is not failure. That is physiology doing its job.

The Hard Part People Don’t Want to Hear

Physical wellness requires honesty. And honesty is uncomfortable.

It means being willing to say things like:

• “I’m not sleeping enough, and I’ve normalized it.”

• “I’m using food to regulate emotions rather than nourish myself.”

• “I exercise to punish my body, not support it.”

• “I’m always tired, but I keep telling people I’m fine,”

I say this with compassion, not judgment.

Because I have lived periods of poor physical health while still achieving, caregiving, leading, and performing. I know how easy it is to silence the body when the world rewards productivity far more than presence.

From Poor Physical Health to Thriving: What Changed for Me

When I wasn’t well, I blamed time, stress, and circumstances.

What I didn’t fully understand yet was this:

My body was doing the best it could within the system I had built.

Thriving did not come from trying harder. It came from designing differently.

That meant:

• Protecting sleep as a non-negotiable, not a luxury

• Choosing movement that regulated my nervous system instead of overstimulating it

• Eating in a way that stabilized energy rather than swinging it

• Listening earlier instead of waiting for a breakdown

• Treating recovery as part of performance, not a reward for it

My physical wellness improved when I stopped treating my body like an obstacle and started treating it as an ally.

What Physical Wellness Is Not

This needs to be said clearly.

Physical wellness is not:

• Perfection

• Aesthetic achievement

• Restriction disguised as discipline

• Over-exercise masked as dedication

• Ignoring pain in the name of toughness

If your “healthy” routine:

• Leaves you exhausted

• Makes you anxious

• Disrupts your sleep

• Shrinks your life

That is not wellness. That is control wearing a halo.

The Medical Reality We Avoid Talking About

Chronic sleep deprivation.

Chronic stress.

Chronic inflammation.

These are not minor inconveniences.

They are strongly associated with:

• Cardiovascular disease

• Insulin resistance and metabolic dysfunction

• Mood and anxiety disorders

• Immune suppression

• Cognitive decline

And yet, culturally, we continue to praise people for pushing through.

As a physician, I see the downstream consequences every day. As a human, I have had to unlearn the glorification of depletion.

Why Physical Wellness Is Only 1/8 of the Pie

This often surprises people when I say it out loud:

Physical wellness alone will not save you.

You can eat impeccably and still feel miserable.

You can exercise daily and still live in a constant state of anxiety.

You can sleep eight hours and still feel empty or disconnected.

Physical wellness is one dimension of a larger system.

Without:

• Emotional regulation

• Mental clarity

• Relational safety

• Meaning and purpose

• Occupational alignment

• Environmental support

• Financial stability

The body compensates.

And eventually, it pays the price.

Why We Over-Focus on the Physical

We over-focus on physical wellness because it feels safer.

It is easier to talk about workouts than boundaries.

Macros rather than meaning.

Step counts rather than relationships.

But avoiding the other dimensions does not make them irrelevant. It simply makes their impact louder and harder to ignore later.

What Real Physical Wellness Looks Like

Real physical wellness looks like:

• Waking up with predictable energy

• Moving your body because it feels supportive, not obligatory

• Eating in a way that supports focus, mood, and digestion

• Recovering from stress instead of carrying it for weeks

• Feeling at home in your body rather than at odds with it

It is not flashy. It is functional.

And it is deeply personal.

Why I Speak About This Differently

I do not shame bodies.

And I do not romanticize discipline.

I speak about physical wellness the way I practice medicine: with honesty, nuance, and respect for complexity.

Because your body is not separate from your life.

It is the vessel through which you live it.

Final Truth

Physical wellness matters.

But it is not the whole story.

It is one-eighth of the pie, foundational and essential, yet profoundly shaped by the other seven dimensions of your life.

If you want to thrive rather than simply function, you have to stop isolating the body from the system it lives in.

Wellness is not about looking healthy.

It is about being well.

— Dr. Tomi Mitchell

Disclaimer

This article is for informational purposes only and does not constitute medical advice. It is not intended to diagnose, treat, or cure any condition. Always consult a qualified healthcare provider for guidance on your health.

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© 2025 Dr. Tomi Mitchell / Holistic Wellness Strategies. All rights reserved.

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