What exactly is holistic health?

Holistic Health is harmony and balance within all aspects of self - Mind, body, spirit and emotions.

We are all unique individuals and we are born with our own exclusive balance that makes us who we are and determines our strengths and weaknesses. When we approach health and lifestyle in a holistic way we become aware of the influence each aspect of a person's life has on all others. Looking at health in a holistic way, we must take into consideration our diet, exercise, our mind and emotions, our spiritual belief, and our relationship between family, friends, co-workers, society and our interaction with nature.

“Health is more than the absence of disease”

According to the World Health Organization, "Health is more than the absence of disease. Health is a state of optimal well-being." Optimal well-being is a concept of health that goes beyond the curing of illness to one of achieving wellness. Achieving wellness requires balancing the various aspects of the whole person. These aspects are physical, emotional, mental, and spiritual. This broader, holistic approach to health involves the integration of all of these aspects and is an ongoing process.

If you could achieve better health with lifestyle changes – would you make the changes?

You have the POWER within YOU to make those changes. The POWER is your CHOICE. Choose to create wellness. Choose to become more energized. Choose to feel happier and revitalized. Choose to empower yourself!

Make wellness-oriented lifestyle choices;

• Balance and integrate your physical, mental, emotional and spiritual aspects
• Create mutually respectful, cooperative relationships with others and our environment
• Gather information about healthy lifestyle choices, get to know your body and actively participate in your health decisions and healing process.

 Where do I start?

PHYSICAL:

• Each day eat fresh, wholesome food, like fruit, vegetables and whole grains. Limit sugar, salt and processed foods.
• Exercise – aim for at least 20 minutes of exercise 3 days a week. For muscle and bone health, incorporate weight resistant exercises. To keep motivated – vary your exercises i.e. walking, cycling, dancing etc.
• Stay hydrated by drinking lots of filtered or bottled water.
• Rest and revive. Try to achieve adequate, good quality sleep each night to allow your body and mind to recover from the day’s activities.

MENTAL:

• Learn something new, take up a hobby, read a nonfiction book, solve crosswords, play scrabble.
• Change your negative thoughts into positive thoughts. Instead of criticizing, look for the good in others. Each morning plan to approach the new day with a positive attitude.
• Be tolerant of others and listen to their point of view and respect their beliefs.

EMOTIONAL:

• Laughter is contagious. Have fun and play. Don’t take everything so seriously! Connect with you inner child.
• Nurture friendships, foster mutual trust. Spend time with people that inspire you and make you feel happy. Share your feelings with friends that you trust.
• Encourage loving relationships. Forgive yourself and others. Bury the hatchet and recover the closeness you shared before. Realise that every day is a new day where we can create new opportunities.

SPIRITUAL:

• Be good to yourself. Love yourself. Spend time with yourself through meditation, pray or by just relaxing.
• Learn to listen to your own thoughts and trust your intuition. Open yourself to creativity. Believe in yourself and your abilities.
• Live in the present – don’t dwell on regrets.
• Strive for inner peace.