Is Your Approach To Health Really Holistic?
Many people prioritize their health, at least in a certain way. They make it a point to go to the gym and eat healthily, but it’s important to make sure your idea of health doesn’t end in the gym and the kitchen.
True health takes into account all facets of your life and makes sure you are operating at your best.
While many people are great at monitoring their diets and getting in regular exercise every week, it’s important to monitor some other aspects of your life as well to achieve optimal health.
Are you doing everything you can be doing to really have a holistic approach to health?
Is your approach to health really holistic?
When Was The Last Time You Went To The Doctor?
So many of us are guilty of trying to be healthy but not getting our health checked out.
It may seem trivial to visit a doctor or dentist if you feel fine right now, but preventative care is always easier than having to suddenly react to a health scare. Plus, preventative care is usually cheaper, too.
Consider finding a local doctor or dentist who can help you stay on track. Visiting the same doctor and dentist or team of medical professionals over and over again also lets them get a deeper insight into what exactly your health is doing.
To find the right local practitioner for you, you can ask your insurer for a list or just simply search something like “medical practitioners who are part of the NW Calgary community”. Soon you’ll find a practitioner who is perfect for you.
Do You Get Enough Good Sleep?
The next category to consider is how you are sleeping and how much you are sleeping well. Good health can only come when you have good sleep.
Consider both how many hours of sleep you are getting and the quality of the sleep itself.
It’s important to enter the R.E.M. cycle each night. The R.E.M. cycle, or Rapid Eye Movement cycle, is the deepest state of sleep (when you dream).
Your body is able to repair the day’s damage and prepare you to be energized and alert for your upcoming day during R.E.M.
Most scientists agree that you should be getting two to three R.E.M. cycles a night in your sleep pattern. This means at least six to eight hours of sleep each night to be at your optimal health.
Additionally, sleep gives your muscles the time to rest and repair after you’ve worked on them.
Sleep is the missing ingredient for many who spend hours in the gym and who need time for their bodies to process the results.
Have You Challenged Your Mind Lately?
Another component of health is, of course, the mind. While we build our bodies, it’s important to make sure our mind is as healthy as our other muscles.
It’s important to stay alert and grow our brains as well for long-term mental health. Whether that means journaling, gaming or doing riddles and puzzles, it’s so important to stay as engaged in our brains as we do with our bodies.
Are You Challenging Yourself?
Something many people fail to consider is how health and growth are linked in so many ways. Becoming set in a routine that no longer pushes you isn’t really healthy.
It’s good to become comfortable and confident in your skills and ability. However, it’s also important to make sure you haven’t forgotten how to expand those skills.
Health and growth are forever linked, so one of the healthiest things you can do is try to grow in any area!
Adding a new activity to your workout, or increasing the number of reps for an exercise you already do are easy ways to address some possible slack.
In addition, you could try a new puzzle like Sudoku or learning a new language to stretch your mind as well.
