When we think of fitness in today’s culture – one of hard work, perseverance, endurance, ‘grinding’ – we think of marathon runners, heavy-weight lifters and celebrated athletes. It might be easy to assume their success can be attributed to strict training on the field or in the gym, paired with a carefully planned out dieting regime, but is much more complex, but also simpler.
Holistic fitness encompasses not only physical endurance, but balances it with emotional health, diet habits, stress management, sleeping habits etc. Optimal wellness is not how well you perform in a certain area, but is supported by many pillars of healthy habits and practices, to find balance between a healthy body and mind.
Key components of holistic fitness
Physical strength: Workout routines and exercising are a prominent aspect of overall wellness. Lifestyles have become sedentary in recent times, meaning that fewer and fewer of us are getting outside, exercising in the fresh air and instead sit at desks, in offices or commuting. The human body was designed to be moving, our ancestors were prolific hunter-gatherers who relied on their bodies to survive and as such, our bodies require adequate movement and flexibility to remain in optimal condition.
The great news is, in today’s landscape there are many forms of exercise that you can start, depending on your interests and abilities, from low impact exercise such as yoga and swimming, to martial arts and rock-climbing.
Diet: While there are is a lot of stigma around the word diet, a holistic diet does not involve any strict regimes, rather it simply suggests a balanced diet of foods, in as close to their natural state as possible. It recognises that today’s nutritional offerings are typically much more processed and refined than they ought to be, and we are becomingly increasingly exposed to chemicals and toxins that have a combined negative effect on our mental and physical wellbeing.
Our food, and the nutritional support it provides, goes a surprisingly long way for keeping our body healthy and avoiding illness. Why not try adding more green leaves, colourful veggies and tasty fruits into your diet and see for yourself?
Supplements can also play a part in your nutrition, as it can be challenging to hit all your nutritional targets. Multivitamins are a great way to make sure you provide your body with all the vitamins and minerals it needs to stay on top, you can read more about them here!
Mental Wellbeing: the realm of mental balance is a vast but personal topic. Each of us has mental health – just as we have physical health – and as such there is no one-size-fits-all approach. While physical exercise and eating in a balanced way will go a long way to improving your mental health, there are some mind-specific practises that you can use to give you an even better mindfulness boost:
- Journalling: Proven to have long-term effects on mental clarity, problem solving and navigating a sense of being overwhelmed, journalling can allow you to bring a sense of order and objectiveness to your thoughts, helping you to assess recurring problems in your life, as well as new challenges
- Mindfulness/meditation: Helping you to return to the present when you become lost in thought or emotion, meditation can provide your brain with a regular rest, which is just as important as physical rest
- Helping others: By supporting others in your local, and wider community, you can give yourself renewed purpose and release endorphins – ‘feel good’ emotions – that can have long-lasting positive impacts on your emotional balance
Additional Factors: if you feel you’ve already pinned down the foundations of your holistic wellness, or you’re looking for another place to start, there are a few other topics you can take into account. By making marginal gains across a lot of areas, you can really skyrocket your wellbeing and enhance your day-to-day performance:
- Recovery: Treatments that can aid in both your mental and physical recovery, such as deep-tissue massages, sauna sessions of aromatherapy can really make a difference in how you feel. It’s not lazy to take regular rest breaks to recharge, on the contrary it is proven to result in better long-term performance
- Sleep: The wonderful benefits of adequate sleep are plentiful and still being researched today. Sleep is the body’s natural rest period to rebuild, recharge and reset for the next day, so by making sure you get enough, high-quality sleep, you give your body the best starting point possible each and every day
- Avoiding unhealthy habits: Habits such as smoking, drinking and staying up late can really put a dent in your positive progress. While it could be argued that these impacts are negligible in one-off events, over time the consistent indulgence in bad habits can lead to reduced motivation, health risks, impacted relationships etc and really work against you and your long-term goals
In Summary
To summarise, holistic wellness is the idea that every aspect of your life can play into your fitness and performance, from your training and recovery cycles, to your sleep habits and mental wellbeing. There are many places you can start to make small lifestyle changes that compound into big progress towards your personal and professional goals.
At Etanics, we pride ourselves on providing customer-centric advice on how to live a happier, healthier life – achieving your wellness goals whatever they may be. We always advise consulting with a healthcare professional who can give you personalised supplementation advice.