Sustainable health refers to long-lasting well being maintained in natural, simple, and holistic ways. It doesn’t follow the cycle of get sick, take pills, get better, then get sick again. Sustainable health practices prevention in nutrition, movement, and mental health.

 

The pillars listed below outline what sustainable health looks like:

1) Health is not one size fits all

– Health looks and feels differently for everyone. Health practices (movement, nutrition, and mental health) are different for everyone.

 

2) Health is not an absence of illness, but rather a balance

– Sickness is eminent; it serves to strengthen our body. A tree does not grow strong without the wind pushing against it. The adversity in our health serves to make us stronger. By practicing preventative health the body stays more in the center of the health spectrum, rather than swinging from one extreme to the other.

 

3) Health is not purely physical

– Health is mental, spiritual, and emotional. Trying to separate mental heath from physical health is virtually impossible.

 

4) Health is what you make it

– If you have a half-hearted approach to taking care of yourself, then it will transpire in your body. You can’t be 100% perfect in your health practices; but rather the right intention will always guide you and honor your true self.

 

5) Health does not happen overnight

– One cannot expect results from a new nutrition or movement regime overnight; nor can you expect the symptoms of disease to disappear tomorrow. Concurrently, optimal health is not something you wake up and suddenly achieve. It is a dynamic place of being. Persistence is key for sustainable health.

 

6) Health is not skin deep

– Health is not measured in weight, size, or anything related to physical appearance. Health is measured in the way you feel. I can guarantee though, that optimal health will manifest itself physically as pure radiance.

 

7) Health is intuitive

– I personally believe that we have the innate ability to heal ourselves and the answer to our greatest health questions lies within. We have become so out of tune with what our bodies are telling us, we have to learn to be receptive again.

 

8) Health involves self-advocacy

– Especially in the health care field: if you don’t agree with how a doctor/nurse/physician/specialist/ect. is treating you, then speak up. Don’t settle for something you don’t think is fully honoring your mind, body, and spirit. We are all born with an inherent right to be healthy. Practice that right by demanding what serves you best and walking away from the rest.

 

9) Health requires questioning, reframing, and change

– Your body, life, mind, and spirit change; therefore your health practices should be just as fluid. Optimal health requires change to cater to the present rather than be stuck in the past.

 

10) Health begets knowledge

– Finally, in my opinion the most important, your most valuable tool for optimal, sustainable health is knowledge. A deeper understanding of how your body works, motivated by genuine curiosity fosters a motivation to better care for it. By better understanding the systems that work in synchrony to keep you living, breathing, and striving you are able to make more informed decisions regarding your health. You are amazing, and you deserve to feel amazing. Honor yourself, your body, and your health by sitting down and letting it teach you the amazing wonders that lie within.