Health is more than simply the absence of disease. Bold, but true statement. We must consider the physical components of health without neglecting the emotional, intellectual as well as spiritual. If we let one pillar deteriorate, so goes our health. It is finding balance in each of these areas that we find the way to real health. www.thewaytorealhealth.com
Physical Health
We tend to think of physical health as the foundation of our well being. This encompasses anything that has to do with our bodies as a physical entity and is related to its state of disease or wellness. Nutrition, exercise, proper sleep hygiene, disease and disease prevention fall into this category.
Emotional Health
Taking care of your physical body is the first step towards a strong pillar of emotional health. The mind and the body are linked, so when you improve your physical health
you are going to experience greater emotional health. Just as exercise improves your heart and lung health it also improves your emotional health. For example by lifting your mood with powerful chemicals called endorphins you are biochemically and physiologically altered for the better. The mood enhancing chemicals are housed in your body just waiting to be utilized. They are free and don’t require a prescription. Use them! Emotional health is more than simply the absence of mental illness.
Intellectual Health
People typically think of intellectual health as academic knowledge. It is in fact so much more than a television game show or an SAT score. Intellectual health includes creativity, critical thinking, problem solving, general knowledge and education along with common sense, as well as the ability to adapt to change. Many times in life the person with the greater intellectual health succeeds just as far or further as compared to the person of high academic intelligence simply because of the various demands of life. It is in developing such aspects and finding the balance that leaves people with fulfilling and healthy lives.
Spiritual Health
Your spiritual health is often overlooked or misrepresented by the majority of the population. By spiritual health I refer to the way you find meaning, hope, comfort and inner peace in your life. Many people find spirituality through religion. Some find it through music, art or a connection with nature. Others find it in their values and principles. Research shows that things such as positive beliefs, comfort and strength gained from religion, meditation and prayer can contribute to healing and a sense of well-being. Improving your spiritual health may not cure an illness, but it may help you feel better, prevent some health problems and help you cope with illness, stress or death. Research tells us that those who have the greatest longevity in the world also have a strong spiritual connection.
The body, mind and spirit are connected. The health of any one of these components affects the health of the others. Remembering that we hold the key to bringing greater satisfaction to our lives by expanding the four pillars is essential.
My trek embodies all four pillars.
Starting with the physical; 500 miles requires optimizing nutritional intake, quality sleep, along with good physical conditioning. Emotional health will be integrated by mentally pushing my mind beyond its daily comfort zone. 2O miles a day will require a strong sense of purpose, and realizing that all of life is manageable by taking one step at a time. Intellectually, experiencing and integrating into foreign cultures along the trail will require creativity and problem solving along with plain old adaptability to whatever will go wrong, and I’m sure I’ll have numerous experiences to write about, but the goal will be reached.
Spiritually, the trek has an incredible 1200 year history. While walking alone for 500 miles the inner peace and freedom will be life changing. Requiring use of all the four aspects of health is walking the walk while talking the talk. Personally, this life altering spiritual journey will conclude on my 50th birthday. During this journey I challenge you to be inspired and motivated to take action in all four areas of your health, by as I say on my radio show taking realistic, attainable steps every day to create a new lifestyle through new habits which allow you to become the best you that you can be.
The Four Pillars of Health
Health is more than simply the absence of disease. Bold, but true statement. We must consider the physical components of health without neglecting the emotional, intellectual as well as spiritual. If we let one pillar deteriorate, so goes our health. It is finding balance in each of these areas that we find the way to real health. www.thewaytorealhealth.com
Physical Health
We tend to think of physical health as the foundation of our well being. This encompasses anything that has to do with our bodies as a physical entity and is related to its state of disease or wellness. Nutrition, exercise, proper sleep hygiene, disease and disease prevention fall into this category.
Emotional Health
Taking care of your physical body is the first step towards a strong pillar of emotional health. The mind and the body are linked, so when you improve your physical health
you are going to experience greater emotional health. Just as exercise improves your heart and lung health it also improves your emotional health. For example by lifting your mood with powerful chemicals called endorphins you are biochemically and physiologically altered for the better. The mood enhancing chemicals are housed in your body just waiting to be utilized. They are free and don’t require a prescription. Use them! Emotional health is more than simply the absence of mental illness.
Intellectual Health
People typically think of intellectual health as academic knowledge. It is in fact so much more than a television game show or an SAT score. Intellectual health includes creativity, critical thinking, problem solving, general knowledge and education along with common sense, as well as the ability to adapt to change. Many times in life the person with the greater intellectual health succeeds just as far or further as compared to the person of high academic intelligence simply because of the various demands of life. It is in developing such aspects and finding the balance that leaves people with fulfilling and healthy lives.
Spiritual Health
Your spiritual health is often overlooked or misrepresented by the majority of the population. By spiritual health I refer to the way you find meaning, hope, comfort and inner peace in your life. Many people find spirituality through religion. Some find it through music, art or a connection with nature. Others find it in their values and principles. Research shows that things such as positive beliefs, comfort and strength gained from religion, meditation and prayer can contribute to healing and a sense of well-being. Improving your spiritual health may not cure an illness, but it may help you feel better, prevent some health problems and help you cope with illness, stress or death. Research tells us that those who have the greatest longevity in the world also have a strong spiritual connection.
The body, mind and spirit are connected. The health of any one of these components affects the health of the others. Remembering that we hold the key to bringing greater satisfaction to our lives by expanding the four pillars is essential.
My trek embodies all four pillars.
Starting with the physical; 500 miles requires optimizing nutritional intake, quality sleep, along with good physical conditioning. Emotional health will be integrated by mentally pushing my mind beyond its daily comfort zone. 2O miles a day will require a strong sense of purpose, and realizing that all of life is manageable by taking one step at a time. Intellectually, experiencing and integrating into foreign cultures along the trail will require creativity and problem solving along with plain old adaptability to whatever will go wrong, and I’m sure I’ll have numerous experiences to write about, but the goal will be reached.
Spiritually, the trek has an incredible 1200 year history. While walking alone for 500 miles the inner peace and freedom will be life changing. Requiring use of all the four aspects of health is walking the walk while talking the talk. Personally, this life altering spiritual journey will conclude on my 50th birthday. During this journey I challenge you to be inspired and motivated to take action in all four areas of your health, by as I say on my radio show taking realistic, attainable steps every day to create a new lifestyle through new habits which allow you to become the best you that you can be.