Exercise for different temperament
Every person has a different temperament, and this is reflected in their attitude to physical activity and exercise. It is thus essential that an individual, who opts to exercise for whatever reason, selects the form that best suits his or her temperament. Below are the main forms of exercise, which are likely to be selected by people of different temperaments.
Sanguinous people: Tend to select team sports. They are relatively high on cooperation and low on competitiveness. Leisure activities such as volleyball or basketball are often selected, especially if social interactions present themselves. This type may also favor weight bearing exercises. They can usually handle strenuous exercise, and have good stamina.
Phlegmatic people: Although being rather laid back, and not inclined to seek physical activity, if compelled to do so will select rather low-stress nonteam pursuits such as leisurely walks, hiking, gardening or bicycling. This type has the capacity to handle much physical activity due to the qualities of coldness and moistness associated with their temperament. However, finding the motivation to exercise may be their biggest challenge.
Bilious people: This type is often a natural athlete, so will favor intense, competitive team and one-on-one activities. Team ball games like football and rugby, tennis, martial arts, athletics in general will feature in their range of selected activities or sports such as running and strength training. Bilious temperamental types should be cautious to not overdo it, or be so consumed in winning that it increases their levels of stress. Swimming is most beneficial for bilious temperaments as the cooling water balances the levels of heat.
Melancholic people: These tend to select single, skill-based activities like rowing, cycling or golf, personal challenge activities like road running or hiking, or strength building courses. This type usually derives much benefit from regular, yet light to moderate physical activity such as stretching exercises, pilates. These exercises promote balance and concentration, grounding the melancholic temperamental types.
Avoid overeating
According to a Qurʾānic verse: “Eat and drink, but not excessively”
Narrated by al-Musand, the Prophet(PBUH) said: “The son of Ādam only needs a few bites that would sustain him, but if he insists, one third should be reserved for his food, another third for his drink and the last third for his breathing”.
Avoid certain food combinations
Prophet(PBUH) advised to maintain the balance and harmony in the qualities brought about by the foods we ingest are:
Avoid combining milk and fish, vinegar and milk, fruit and milk, dried meat and fresh meat, two cold dishes, two hot dishes, two gas producing dishes, opposing temperature of foods (Hot & Cold) as well as opposing tastes (sweet & sour) .
Emotions affect our body
Emotions can change the natural course of how the body functions on a daily basis.
Uncontrolled, negative emotions can apparently be as damaging to our health as smoking or high cholesterol are. Emotions affect our health in several distinct ways. Take stress for example. This increases the release of stress hormones from the adrenal gland, and over the medium to long term can be damaging to organs and tissues. Another consequence is an inflammatory effect
Unresolved emotional conflicts, arising from anger or grief, can lead to low-level inflammation developing in parts of the body.
It has been proven that this increases the risk of psychological and heart diseases. A stomach ulcer may develop when a person is angry or worried for some time, and depression may be provoked by unresolved grief.
Importance of Sleep
Ṭibb al-Nabawī recognizes that sleep is cooling and moistening. Wakefulness, on the other hand, increases dryness and heat.
Although everyone needs sleep, the duration of sleep that is required varies from person to person. Generally, children need more than adults, and women need more than men. Although the elderly can manage on less than average, they usually benefit from extra sleep, as the moisture will overcome dryness associated with old age.
At the physical level some of the benefits include a reduction in heart and blood circulatory diseases; prevention or delayed onset of type 2 diabetes; protection against some forms of cancer; the delayed formation of facial wrinkles; and markedly reduced vulnerability to infection. The mental benefits include a decrease in the likelihood of developing depression; enhanced job performance; manual skills are picked up more effectively; and psychological performance is enhanced.
Oxygen deficiency effects:
Common ailments like headaches, tiredness and irritability are often the result of insufficient oxygen intake. This in turn will have a negative effect on physis. All bodily functions will be compromised to a greater or lesser degree. The risk of heart disease and stroke, for example, increases from regular exposure to air pollution. The impact of air pollution on health is well documented . Air polluted by chemical pollutants, combustion and other toxins irritates the mucous membranes of the eyes, nose, throat and lungs. The person’s eyes burn and form tears, the nose becomes stuffy and congested, the throat becomes constricted, and the lungs become ‘twitchy’, often with difficult and labored breathing. The risk of stroke is known to be higher in air polluted areas.
Sicknesses of the heart :
Sickness of the heart is of two kinds: sickness of uncertainty and doubt, and sickness of desire and temptation. The first is known as shubuhāt or obfuscations, diseases that relate to impaired understanding. For instance, if somebody is fearful that Allah will not provide for him or her, this is considered a disease of the heart because a sound heart has knowledge and trust, not doubt and anxiety. Shubuhāt alludes to aspects closely connected to the heart: the soul, the ego, Satan’s whisperings and instigations, caprice, and the ardent love of this ephemeral world. The second category of disease concerns the base desires of self and is called shahawāt. This relates to our desires exceeding their natural state, as when people live merely to satisfy these urges and are led by them.
Sickness of the heart can be avoided if we are able to conquer arrogance with humility and intelligence, uncontrolled ambition with conscience and selflessness, and envy with compassion and patience. Submitting to the will of Allah and living according to the Qur'an and Sunnah will enable us to avoid succumbing to nafs al-ammārah (excess of passion with negative traits of envy, jealousy and lust etc.) and toward nafs al-lawwāmah, wherein reason controls the passions with Allah consciousness.
Concept of Physis
Physis is controlled by Allah, the Creator who created the human body to perfection with self-regulating and self-healing mechanisms. Ibn Qayyim al-Jawziyyah said: “The innate nature is the power which God,... has entrusted with managing the affairs of the body, its preservation and its health, and guarding it for the whole length of its life.”
Most traditional systems recognize the bodies self-healing ability and the role of the physician is to support this inherent wisdom. It is interesting to note that traditionally, whenever a Ḥakīm wrote out a prescription, they began with the words ‘Huwa al-Shāfi - He is the Healer’. This is in keeping with the understanding that ultimately healing comes from Allah, and the role of the physician is to assist physis, the ‘doctor within’ each of us.
Physis operates at every level of human existence, from the moment of fertilization in the mother’s womb, continuing after birth, and persisting until death. Every action, reaction or response - be it physical, emotional, spiritual, bio-chemical - internal or external, is responded to by physis to ensure homeostasis or equilibrium. Physis operates during every second of existence to maintain good health, and especially when sickness develops. It supports the body during convalescence, and is very active following injury. It acts to repair wounds, to overcome infection, and to eliminate the cancers which form constantly in our bodies. By doing so, it safeguards a person’s state of good health against a hostile environment, and actively promotes wellness if he or she is suffering from any ailment. Physis is the sum total of all the body’s natural, instinctive reactions and responses given to the human being to stay well and healthy. When it comes to restoring health, the following quotation, appropriately describes the working of physis: “In fact, no herb, no food or any other substance or procedure can do anything on its own to heal. It can only assist the body in its own selfhealing. If your finger is cut, it is not the stitches or the bandage or the iodine that causes it to heal, it is the skin itself that performs the miracle.”
Another example of physis in action is abnormally high body temperature, or fever. Practitioners of natural medicine see this as a normal physis response to an infection. By raising body temperature, the body’s immune system is more effective in counteracting the invading micro-organism, and so eliminating it as a threat. This is another example of the correct working of physis; fever is a defence mechanism, not a symptom of illness. In contrast, modern medicine invariably deals with a fever as a sign of bodily distress, and actively and aggressively lowers body temperature with antipyretic drugs.
Each person carries his own doctor inside him. We are at our best when we give the doctor who resides within each patient, a chance to go to work”
Albert Schweitzer
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