Turn Your Hong Kong Holiday Into a Health Breakthrough

“Health is a state of complete physical, mental, and social well-being and not merely the absence of disease or infirmity.” - World Health Organization. 

Think about the elements that make up holistic health: physical, mental, and social. Ideally, we nurture each of these areas of our lives everyday in order to keep ourselves moving up on the journey toward optimal health. Optimal health can even be a misnomer, as health is not a destination, but a constant evolution. Just as the cumulation of a little bit of effort everyday leads to better health, ignoring any of these areas of health can also add up to poorer health. 

Why Hong Kong's General Mental Health Has Suffered

Particularly over the last few years, external factors have led to poor mental health among people in Hong Kong. Isolation from community has devastated Hong Kong's mental health levels, with suicide rates up globally. Covering our faces with masks has prevented us from connecting with each other via non-verbal cues. The hyper-sanitisation of ourselves and our environment has weakened our immune systems. Gym closures and mask enforcement during exercise has kept people from engaging in physical activity or prevented people from pushing themselves as hard as they otherwise would. 

All of these - and more - have created a serious health issue in Hong Kong. One of the great tragedies for our health has been Hong Kong’s slow reopening and relaxation of rules. However, now that quarantine-free travel is possible, we can start to heal ourselves despite this unhealthy environment. 

How To Create a Healthy Vacation Without Missing Out On Any of The Fun:

• Take your mask off. Enjoy breathing again. We need exposure to our environment in order to adequately challenge our immune systems to build strength. Think of your immune system as a muscle. In order to strengthen it, we need to challenge it beyond its comfortable state of rest. Breathe in air that other people in close proximity have breathed. 
• Eat a variety of food. Over-sanitisation of our environment can weaken our gut bacteria. We need to eat foods that help our digestive tract populate with a wide variety of microorganisms. So, try the local street food and eat with your hands. This is not to say that you should stop washing your hands, but return to the habits we cultivated for thousands of years in order to build our good gut health. 
• Meet new people, whether they are fellow tourists or locals. Share your experiences, ask questions, and reconnect to your fellow humans. We have all experienced a huge loss over the last few years, so start to create a bigger, brighter, more friendly future.
• Make your next vacation active. Choose to walk or cycle or run around your destination. It’s a different way to experience your environs and gets movement back in your body. Find a walking or cycling tour to explore the place you’re visiting. Better yet, find a local gym or fitness class to try out. It is not the typical tourist activity but it might end up being one of the most memorable!
• If you’re feeling particularly health-aware, get adjusted on vacation! As a chiropractor, one of my favourite things to do on holiday is connect to other chiropractors while I’m there. Vacations can be a great time to capitalise on our relaxed state and use adjustments to help our neurology adapt better. Use your ATLAS chiropractors as a resource and let us find you someone in your destination city. 

We are here to help you improve your mental health in Hong Kong. Our team of experienced chiropractors can conduct a health screening, helping to identify the major causes of your high stress levels.

Simply book an appointment with us today to begin your wellness journey.