Why Should I Take a Holistic approach to health?

Why is it essential to take a holistic approach to health? Because it’s all connected, the different dimensions of wellbeing are interconnected, overlapping and dependent on each other.  We tend to experience life as though mind, body and spirit are separate entities, they aren’t, they are interdependent parts of the same whole. 

They say that you can’t out-train a bad diet. If you’re busting a gut at the gym then going home and eating rubbish, you’re undermining your efforts. Think also about how food and mood are connected; how the food you eat affects your mood. Eating a diet of proper food, not addictive, food-like products designed to hook you into a habit, is one of the best things you can do for yourself- your whole self. Feeding yourself like you love yourself, like you want to nourish yourself because you’re worth nourishing, is an important act of self-love.

Whether you’re a hare or a tortoise when it comes to exercise, moving your body and keeping a regular exercise routine is good for more than just the body. Yes, you’re working the cardiovascular system to keep the heart and lungs healthy, building and toning muscle, and burning excess fat, but you’re also creating a healthy mind. You’re creating space in the mind to reflect and think- making room for creativity and ideas, you’re building mental strength and self-confidence, you’re nurturing the mind-body connection, you’re releasing tension and trauma that is stored in the body, and you’re reducing stress.

Losing weight is more than eating less and moving more - and this is where our holistic approach really kicks in. You can be eating well, following a fasting routine and exercising regularly but not seeing any movement on the scales or in your body, why? Analyse your stress and sleep habits. Stress in the mind can manifest in the body as illness. Anxiety, sleeplessness, skin conditions, hair loss. The pressures and stresses that we experience in our environment are internalised and the body responds with these symptoms. If we were in the habit of listening to our body and living intuitively, we would see what's happening in the body as symptomatic of what's happening in the mind. We can nourish and improve this mind-body connection to make us feel more embodied with practices like yoga, pranayama and meditation, as well as listening to and trusting our body. 

In times of stress, the stress hormone cortisol is triggered and there is a link between stress, cortisol and abdominal fat. Continued high levels of cortisol causes the body to deposit fat in the abdomen - leading to that stubborn belly fat. This is why only eating less and moving more is never going to be the solution to sustainable weight loss; we also need to manage stress. Finding strategies to relax, unwind and practise regular self-care is a great start;  increased resilience, self-love and self-worth will be longer term strategies. 

Think also about your sleep - the length and quality of your sleep will affect mind, body and spirit. If sleep is an issue for you, and you’re not able to nourish yourself with restorative and refreshing sleep you will experience fatigue, irritability and stress. Studies also show that good sleep is an important part of a weight loss plan and that poor sleep can hinder weight loss and lead to overeating. It’s easy to see why; your body is tired so your brain will trigger it to seek out a food source to provide some quick energy - you’ll eat the crap or drink the coke- and you’ll feel worse for doing so. Trying to embed good sleep hygiene habits is great for holistic health. 

Finally, how is your social health? Do you have positive, nurturing relationships with friends, family and loved ones? Do the people around you lift you up and make you feel happy, confident and supported? If the answer is no, think about how these relationships affect other areas of your life. What could you do to improve or change them?

A holistic health journey, then, is a whole- life MOT, an analysis of all aspects of our life in order to live in a more united, authentic and whole way.