So, let’s talk about the six pillars of health. These are the areas that you need to be concerned about when you are thinking about creating a healthy life.
1) Sleep
It is very important that you get enough sleep on a regular basis. Creating a sleep habit is critical to supporting your healthy balance in life. During the time that you sleep your body is allowed to return to homeostasis, to repair, to rest, and to provide you with the support that you need to have the energy to take on all the wonderful things that are going to be happening in your day and week. Now we know that everybody is different, but it is ideal for everyone to get between seven and eight hours of sleep every night. Have an awareness of what works for your body. If 8 hours seems to be too much maybe see if seven works better for you.
2) Mindful Movement
Have you heard the commercial that says, “A body that is in motion stays in motion”? This is so true. By assuring mindful movement you are helping your body achieve the movement and energy required for you to participate in activities that you enjoy. It is true that what you do now effects what you will be able to do in the future. Choose movement that you enjoy. Try some new things. Change it up occasionally. I do not enjoy yoga, but it is an amazing practice that combines movement with meditation and mindfulness. I have been enjoying hiking and Qigong, but would love to find some kind of dance class. Choose activities that you enjoy and bring you pleasure. If you don’t have any, have fun trying to find some.
3) Grounding
When I am speaking of grounding, I am referring to connecting your biological rhythms with awareness and intent of the four rhythms within our existence: circadian, seasonal, tidal, and lunar. By allowing ourselves to be grounded we maintain that peaceful connection to our true selves.
4) Optimal Nutrition
Well this one seems obvious, doesn’t it? In order to thrive we need to provide our bodies with what it needs to support your optimal health. This is much like the saying we used to hear a lot, “Garbage in means garbage out.” If you provide your body with what it needs, you are better able to access those bodily functions. Eating well does not guarantee that your body will be in perfect health. There are so many factors that surround us that effect our health of which we have little or no control. Optimal nutrition gives your body a fighting chance to respond to those challenges.
5) Healthy Relationships & Emotions
Healthy relationship with ourselves and others offer a key component to your physical and mental health. Your mental and physical health are linked together when we think about your overall wellbeing. We do not have to reach far to understand the cause-and-effect relationship between the mental and physical. Science has proven the link between stress and the physical effects on your body by contributing to inflammation and disease.
6) Mindfulness & Meditation
The absolute best tool for stress management is mindfulness and meditation. Allowing your body to find a place of stillness supports your body in moving to achieve the state of homeostasis. I have heard homeostasis defined in so many ways but the main point of all the definitions is balance. Allowing your body to maintain balance means it is not working too hard or too little. Maintaining that balance means that everything is as it should be.
We will soon be entering into that time of year where we start to think about our health and how we can improve it. We will be going into more detail on each of the six pillars of health in the coming weeks. Stay Tuned!
Deborah