Puzzle Pieces
When it comes to supporting our health and wellbeing there is no magic pill and instead it is more like a puzzle. At The Health Puzzle we believe that to reach optimal health you need to find support in each of the areas below:
Nutrition
Our bodies and minds require a certain amount of nutrients to survive (e.g. fats, carbohydrates, protein, vitamins, minerals and hydration). It needs even more of these essential nutrients, in the right balance to thrive. Knowing how to nourish our bodies is one of the best way to support our health and wellbeing.
Movement & Exercise
It is well-known that movement and exercise are important for your mental and physical health but our understanding of the type, amount and intensity we should be doing is poorly understood. Many people do too much or too little based on their health status, nutrient levels and priorities. It is important to find the right balance for you.
Sleep
Sleep is vital for our overall health and well-being. Achieving an optimal amount of sleep, tailored to our individual needs based on factors such as age, health status, and activity levels, requires continuous adjustment. However, when we make sleep a priority and strike the right balance, it can profoundly impact our physical and mental well-being.
Rest & Relaxation
The type and length of your rest and relaxation practices/techniques need to be frequently adapted to meet the needs of your body and mind. Illness, poor sleep quality, high stress, increased exercise levels, etc, all require a higher quality and duration of rest and relaxation. There are so many practices and techniques available you just have to find the one that works for you.
Rejuvination
While we need to eat, sleep, move and rest if you want to reach optimal health you need to consider incorporating daily practices that help to rejuvenate you. This will look different to everyone but it can include things like spending time in nature, trying out breathwork to walking barefoot in the sand.
Purpose
Purpose can provide us with a sense of direction, meaning, and fulfilment in our lives. Each individual will see their life's purpose differently, while some might see their life's purpose as strongly linked to a religious or spiritual path others might see their purpose as being a parent or doing a specific job. When we feel we or what we are doing has no purpose it can have a negative effect on our health and wellbeing.
Play
It is important that we all have a little fun, get creative and feel free for at least some of our day/week. While we need to eat and sleep we also need to find time to enjoy a hobby be that playing on a games console to painting a picture. Next time you say I would love to but it's for kids...think again!
Toxic Load
Every minute of every day our bodies are processing and eliminating toxins. Toxins come from both internal sources (e.g. gut microbes, damaged tissue, waste products) and external sources (e.g. perfumes, flame retardants, heavy metals, and pesticides). We can help to support our bodies to process and eliminate these toxins while also helping to reduce those that might be overwhelming our bodily systems.
Community
We have not evolved very far from our tribal ancestors, where community was important for survival and fulfilment. While we might not live in a tribal community today it is important for our health and wellbeing to find aspects of it within our modern world. Family, friends, work colleagues, social clubs, religious groups, counsellors, personal trainers and more!
Physical Health
Mental Health
While all of the other pillars are vital to supporting our mental health it is important that it has a pillar all of its own. This is because even if someone was able to follow all of the other pillars perfectly they could still struggle with their mental health. Sometimes we need additional support from professionals in their field to help manage and support our mental health.
Physical health can refer to a wide variety of things from the health of each tiny cell in our bodies to our ability to perform physical tasks. While all of the other pillars are vital for physical health it requires a pillar of its own as sometimes like mental health we need some additional support from a professional.