Regardless of what your condition or health goals, these are what I have found to be the fundamental pillars of health. It can be helpful to lay it out in this way, because many people feel they have tried everything and still cannot move their symptoms. But if you look at your health from this more holistic perspective, you'll come to know that if any of these pillars are out of balance, you may continue to struggle. It's not about getting everything perfect or feeling like you "have to" do all these things. It's just to give you a broader perspective of what it takes to be vibrant and healthy.
Pre-requisite: Spirituality and Truth
In the About page 9 pillars of health, I've wrote why I believe this is the fundamental prerequisite to your health and well-being. Without having the pursuit of spirituality and Truth as your core value in life, you could easily be led astray, even if you have the best of intentions to do good for yourself and others. I encourage you to first read this article first before proceeding to any of these other pillars: What's spirituality and truth got to do with health?
Mindset/Stress
If I were to put these pillars in any sort of rank order, this would be at the very top (yes, higher than food and exercise). So many of us are walking around with a very toxic mindset. Full of negativity, fear, worry, sadness, stress, judgement, anger and hate. We think we have it all together until something sets off one of our hundreds of triggers, then we're not so zen anymore. In order to deal with the realities of the modern world, we have to better understand the mind, what it actually is, and how we can no longer be a slave to its happenings. Without this step 9 pillars of health, we will actually fight for our limitations making it very difficult to succeed in any of the other pillars discussed here.
Nutrition
This is a no-brainer to many people, but it is unfortunately easier said than done. What is good for one person may have the complete opposite effect for another. We're all uniquely individual and have different situations going on in our bodies that call for different foods for different phases of life. This means it's never a good idea to be dogmatic or ideological with your diet. Your health is the priority, not your ideas of what is good. However there are some general principles to follow that apply to basically everyone, such as how to eat, preparing fresh meals using organic whole food ingredients, minimal packaged/processed foods, minimal eating out, appropriate macronutrients, nutrient-dense foods, etc. Working with me, we will absolutely deep dive on this topic and make sure you understand all the traps and the types of foods you generally want to focus on. It's a big topic worth discussing at length, but at the same time, we make it way more complicated than it needs to be. We work to set you up with solid fundamentals, then we take the pressure off food and look to the other pillars which may be holding you back from achieving vitality.
Movement
This is what most people call exercise. The only reason we've had to resort to gym memberships, machines and exercise classes is because we've stopped moving our bodies naturally. We spend too much time indoors, out of the sunlight and fresh air, and sitting in chairs with bad posture. The result of 9 pillars of health is out bodies atrophy and become stagnant, weak and blocked up. There must be a steady variety of stretching, cardio activity and resistance training. If we get lazy any one of these activities, it doesn't matter how perfect we eat, we are still likely to experience symptoms.
Sleep
It's crazy to realize that we spend 1/3 of our entire lives in sleep. Yet so many of us struggle with getting quality, deep sleep. And it's not just about the total hours you get either. The quality of your sleep cycles, measured by a proper sleep study, determines how well you are actually able to rest and repair your body. Many people use some sort of sleeping aid to fall asleep, which affects the cycles. Even worse, get up to use the bathroom numerous times which prevents us from getting uninterrupted sleep. These are all symptoms of a deeper issue, and we have to work to make this a priority if we are to expect to heal.
Your body can do amazing things to heal itself when it's supported in the right way through hydration. As we know, our bodies consist of approximately 60-70% water. I would say that most people today are dehydrated. When we do hydrate, we are choosing sources that are actually contributing to the toxic burden and don't actually hydrate on the cellular level. In addition, we are eating foods that are stripped of the very best source of structured water. So if we expect to heal and feel vibrant, we must get something as simple as hydration correct.
Detox
In today's modern world, detoxification is a must. The body naturally has detox pathways that can deal with any toxins. However, once you understand just how many sources of toxins we're exposed to every single waking second of our lives, you'll see how easy it can be for our body's detox pathways to become overwhelmed and backed up over the decades. Many people try their best to do everything right in terms of their diet and exercise and still don't feel well. The answer is usually toxins. We must understand the various detox protocols that can be used in the short term, on an ongoing basis, and on a yearly basis for maintenance. This includes an understanding of the source of toxins so that we can start to make better choices in the products we use daily.
Digestion
You'd be surprised to know just how many people have compromised digestive systems today. This occurs as a result of decades of toxic, pesticide laden processed foods, pharmaceutical drugs, alcohol, antibiotics, overeating, and more. When microbiome and GI tract are damaged, it doesn't matter how well you eat. You are wasting your money because you are not able to properly digest and absorb the nutrients from your food. What's worse is you actually continue to antagonize the immune system which largely sits right behind your GI lining, leading to chronic inflammation and food allergies. There are ways to clean, rebuild, and heal your intestinal tract. There are always ways to help it out in the meanwhile so that you are able to better digest your food.
Relationships
We are social beings at our core, and we need connection to others in order to feel at ease in the world and in our bodies. I totally get that some people lean towards introverted and some extroverted. But I believe we've gone too far with these labels, excusing those who wear the introverted badge finding ways to fulfill their basic social needs. What's worse, the relationships we do have with our friends and family can often be toxic. We should ideally surround ourselves by people who truly love themselves and want nothing but the best for you. Instead, we often create unhealthy attachments to people with their own issues, and will only love you on a conditional basis. This superficial/transactional relationship will not fulfill your needs at the deepest level, and you will be left feeling empty even though you have a variety of people in your lives.
Purpose
This is an important pillar that often goes ignored. If 1/3 of our lives is spent sleeping, another 1/3 is spent doing what we do to earn a living. Even at a retirement age, we are not just mean to sit around and indulge. Our souls crave purpose in life. And this doesn't mean we all have to be entrepreneurs. But we cannot continue doing something that sucks our soul and still expect to be healthy. It's okay to have a menial job; after all, someone's gotta do it. But it's our attitude towards it that creates the stress that leads to disease in the body. No matter what it is we decide to do for a living, we must find a way to feed the part of our soul that desires an outlet for it's creativity and need to contribute to others.
And there you have it.. a basic outline of the fundamental pillars of health. Now you get a better picture of why feeling healthy and vibrant today in the modern world is not so simple. Working together with me, we will make sure no stone is left unturned. Even if it is something I am no qualified to do myself, I will help you to shine a light on the darker areas that are easy to ignore, and we will come up with a strategy to work on these issues slowly over the long-run.
About the Author
Firoze Mehta is a Nutrition Therapist Master and Certified Hippocrates Health Educator®. Whatever the health condition or goal, Firoze helps others to learn the truth about nutrition and health while providing the guidance and support of a personal coach. If you're interested in learning more about Firoze and what he offers, click here.