All aspects of health are intertwined and strongly connected. Deep Health doesn’t come from a pill or formula.
This is a continuation of the first blog on Six Pillars of Health.
Look around you and you will notice that people with supportive families, strong connections at their gyms, or fitness communities (such as running or cycling groups) are more likely to show up for their workouts. Or that people with a clear purpose, self-stories that foster healthy activities, or the willingness to change suffering into action are more likely to stay motivated and succeed.
Let's talk about one of my trainee, a dedicated runner with an injury at the beginning of a running season.
She can’t run properly and is in pain during workouts, which means she can’t train, and need hours of rest, recovery and rehab to get back. That’s the current state of her physical health.
But because of this situation, she is also:
feeling depressed and frustrated (emotional health)
lonely and disconnected, missing their weekend run clubs and races (relational health)
starting to wonder what the point of anything is (existential health)
The problems are connected but so are the solutions to improve health.
There is just not the Physical Health that needs to be addressed. But definitely improving one dimension can also improve others.
Solutions to improve health
Finding alternative activities and mentally manage pain
Introduce swimming to help normalise injury and work on rehab
Offer suggestion of yoga and breathing practice to stay calm during the healing period
Relaxation techniques, a bit of mobility work to do at her desk
Continue to meet run buddies for breakfast
Deep Health comes from a balanced diet of fresh, whole foods. It comes from sufficient exercise combined with genuine rest. It comes from fresh air and clean water. It comes from real human connection and sincere emotional expression.
And it comes from living with purpose and joy, and using your life as an expression of these things.
Pull a lever in one dimension of Deep Health, and gears in other dimensions will also move.
Here are a few of the stressors of Physical health
physical activity
poor nutrition
low energy intake and fasting
poor quality or not enough sleep
illness
alcohol or drug or medication
smoking
injury
jet lag
pregnancy and breastfeeding
In the coming blog posts, lets address the other aspects of Deep Health, the stress and solutions for recovery.
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