I believe in a Holistic approach to health and fitness. Holistic Health & Fitness is more then being able to lift heavy weights, run a marathon or being the best player in a team sport. To understand what it means to be truly fit, we need to consider our holistic health. There are 4 key elements of holistic health:
* Physical
* Emotional
* Mental
* Spiritual Well-Being
Physical Fitness
Yes, physical fitness is an important part of holistic fitness. To maintain a healthy weight and level of fitness, adults should get at least 150 minutes of moderate aerobic exercise (hiking, gardening, or yoga) or 75 minutes of vigorous aerobic exercise (biking, jogging, or swimming) weekly. Add two sessions of strength training weekly and the physical part of holistic fitness is complete.
Emotional Fitness
Emotional fitness is the ability to deal with whatever comes your way. This is not the same thing as being tough. In fact, someone who is emotionally fit can recognise when they are struggling and ask for help without shame. Emotionally fit people understand how stress affects their lives, and they work to deal with it effectively. Emotionally fit people love themselves, just as they are, and they extend this acceptance to their partners and children. This is a tall order, and it takes reflection and work to become truly emotionally fit. Some people work on this through counselling, some utilise the arts (e.g., painting, drawing, music, or writing), and some rely on family and friends to help them develop their emotional fitness. Whatever you choose, make this an important part of your holistic workout.
Mental Fitness
Our minds age just as our bodies do, and it is important to stay sharp and include mental fitness as an important part of our holistic health plan. Even if we don’t suffer from a deteriorating mental illness such as Alzheimer’s or dementia, our brains will begin to lose some of their agility as we get older, but there are ways to keep those neurons firing. Crossword puzzles, brain teasers, and online “brain training” apps and software all help us stay sharp as we age. Getting plenty of sleep and engaging with the world around us also help!
Spiritual Fitness
Spiritual fitness is more than just church, although attending a house of worship can be part of it. Spiritual fitness is the understanding of the connected-ness of all things in the world and knowing where you fit. It can include simple daily actions like acting with compassion and kindness and striving to be a better person. Prayer and meditation can help, as can striving to be an honest and upright person in your everyday dealings with people. Acting out of integrity and generosity instead of dishonesty and selfishness is also a part of it. Spiritual fitness can also mean listening to your intuition and your body and learning whatever lessons they have to teach you. Just as there is no one spiritual path for everyone, there is no one way to spiritual fitness. Your personal journey is the way!
*** Working to improve our holistic fitness in all of these areas can only improve our lives and is work worth doing ***
Reference: https://holisticpain.com/defining-holistic-fitness/
* Physical
* Emotional
* Mental
* Spiritual Well-Being
Physical Fitness
Yes, physical fitness is an important part of holistic fitness. To maintain a healthy weight and level of fitness, adults should get at least 150 minutes of moderate aerobic exercise (hiking, gardening, or yoga) or 75 minutes of vigorous aerobic exercise (biking, jogging, or swimming) weekly. Add two sessions of strength training weekly and the physical part of holistic fitness is complete.
Emotional Fitness
Emotional fitness is the ability to deal with whatever comes your way. This is not the same thing as being tough. In fact, someone who is emotionally fit can recognise when they are struggling and ask for help without shame. Emotionally fit people understand how stress affects their lives, and they work to deal with it effectively. Emotionally fit people love themselves, just as they are, and they extend this acceptance to their partners and children. This is a tall order, and it takes reflection and work to become truly emotionally fit. Some people work on this through counselling, some utilise the arts (e.g., painting, drawing, music, or writing), and some rely on family and friends to help them develop their emotional fitness. Whatever you choose, make this an important part of your holistic workout.
Mental Fitness
Our minds age just as our bodies do, and it is important to stay sharp and include mental fitness as an important part of our holistic health plan. Even if we don’t suffer from a deteriorating mental illness such as Alzheimer’s or dementia, our brains will begin to lose some of their agility as we get older, but there are ways to keep those neurons firing. Crossword puzzles, brain teasers, and online “brain training” apps and software all help us stay sharp as we age. Getting plenty of sleep and engaging with the world around us also help!
Spiritual Fitness
Spiritual fitness is more than just church, although attending a house of worship can be part of it. Spiritual fitness is the understanding of the connected-ness of all things in the world and knowing where you fit. It can include simple daily actions like acting with compassion and kindness and striving to be a better person. Prayer and meditation can help, as can striving to be an honest and upright person in your everyday dealings with people. Acting out of integrity and generosity instead of dishonesty and selfishness is also a part of it. Spiritual fitness can also mean listening to your intuition and your body and learning whatever lessons they have to teach you. Just as there is no one spiritual path for everyone, there is no one way to spiritual fitness. Your personal journey is the way!
*** Working to improve our holistic fitness in all of these areas can only improve our lives and is work worth doing ***
Reference: https://holisticpain.com/defining-holistic-fitness/