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7 Pillars of health - The Keys to Lifelong Wellness and Longevity
Growing up, I mostly maintained a healthy weight and lifestyle. However, in my mid-late 20’s, I started to gain weights. In 2017, when my life hit rock bottom, I was heaviest I’ve even been. I had around 35kgs overweight with serious Health issues.
Looking back, I can pinpoint four key factors that lead my health to deteriorate. Mindset, meal timing & choices, lifestyle and unmanaged emotions.
I had a limited belief that weight issue runs in my family. Due to the fast-paced lifestyle, I had no structured movements and I used to have the largest meal of the day in the evening. Finally, I didn’t know how to manage stress and emotions timely in an effective way back then. These factors led me to a state where my Body couldn’t take it anymore and started screaming through chronic diseases.
In between those years, I had many attempts trying all sorts of diet trend and workout regime but nothing really helped me. I used to lose a few kgs initially but then my body was quick enough to gain back again. I felt lost, frustrated and often overwhelmed.
So, when I decided to take control of my health, wellness back in 2017, I knew the traditional concept of just focusing on diet and exercise alone not going to help me in the long run.
I started acquiring knowledge to heal and manage health holistically. I looked into different cultures and ancient wisdom.
When I started to apply this knowledge and tools, I started to receive massive sustainable results.
What is pursuit to health?
We are all unique. So our definition of health & wellbeing would be different as well. You may have a completely different goal for your own health. You may be aiming to have an aesthetic look or simply want to be pain-free. Irrespective of your health goal, once you focus holistically you will receive the greater sustainable benefits in all areas of your life.
The major transformation and shift cannot occur by only focusing on one area of our life that is calling for our attention. Once we commit to align and holistically work on our mind, body & soul’s growth that is when the real magic happens. This is the secret formula of life. It happened to me and a hundred others. I’m here to show you how you can get started and start seeing real results.
While problems in modern life seem to become more complex, the solution is remarkably simple. To that effect, it’s important to focus on the seven pillars of health and wellness I outlined in this post.
We often consider good health is the absence of disease or sickness. In reality, this is not a complete truth. To achieve good health, holistic wellbeing, vitality and longevity, it takes more than just having a workout session or eating fruits/veggies.
The pillars will give you a sense of how to work toward your optimal wellness. However, this is a guideline only. I’m a huge advocate finding an individualistic approach when it comes to health and wellness. it’s is not one-size-fits-all. The journey is unique and different for each individual.
if you are someone who is just starting your health journey, my honest suggestion would be to start with one pillar initially and gradually make your way to explore other pillars. if you only focus on one area the results receive may not be sustainable.
What are the 7 pillars of health?
Pillar 01
Breathe
Pillar 02
Nutrition
Pillar 03
Movement
Pillar 04
Sleep
Pillar 05
Connection
Pillar 06
Detoxification
Pillar 07
Growth Mindset & Emotions
“Feelings come and go like clouds in a windy sky. Conscious breathing is my anchor.”
Thich Nhat Hanh
Pillar 01
Breathe
Breath is the single trusted companion who is with you from the moment you came to this world until the last breath you take in this world. Yet, we take this superpower for so granted. I consider the quality of the breath as the most important out of 7 pillars of health.
The quality of the air and the way you breathe are crucial components of overall health, wellness, vitality or disease. On average, we take 26,000 breaths every day. Have you ever noticed how many of these breaths you have taken mindfully?
Breathing clean air is a no brainer but many of us find it challenging especially if we live in urban environments where air pollution is high. It’s important to get out in nature as much as possible. You can use an air filtration system, plants, or open up windows to bring clean air indoor. Be mindful of not having clutter in your home which blocks the flow of air.
Practising minimalism helped me to ensure my home is clutter-free and the natural movement of air & sunlight.
As someone who suffered from sleep apnoea and asthma in the past, I mostly used to breathe with my mouth and upper chest. This negatively impacted my digestion, detoxification, and overall health.
When we breathe incorrectly, our nervous system, oxygen/carbon dioxide balance, memory, are negatively impacted. These manifest diseases in our body like brain fog, lower concentration & memory power, blood pressure issue, cardiovascular diseases, diabetes to name just a few.
To improve breathing and achieve optimal health you must practice –
TIPS
- Deep, slow breathing through your nose using the diaphragm (stomach). Use the diaphragm muscle as your main breathing muscle with an average of 10 breaths per minute.
Pillar 02
Nutrition
We are what we eat. This Pillar of Health is the one that we naturally tend to focus on exclusively when we decide to embark on a health & fitness journey. I’ve done that too in the past trying all sorts of diet trends only to end up frustrated, lost without achieving any results.
Over the years, I believe I have managed to hack the secret for a disease-free healthy body through personal health journey. The secrets is quite simple. When it comes to nutrition, focus on –
What, How & When you eat?
Before you start developing your diet, nutrition plan, I highly recommend to identify and understand your Ayurveda Dosha- body type. This has been a game-changer in my health and fitness journey. You can check out this blog post where I explain in details.
TIPS
What to Eat?
Eat seasonal quality fresh food preferably organic, unprocessed food. You should consider daily diet intake consist of plenty of veggies, fruits, quality protein, healthy carbs and fats.
We often complicate our daily food choices by overthinking. It doesn’t have to be that case. Developing balance to please your taste bud (aka. mouth) and fill up the necessary nutrients for the body is the answer to this problem.
Ensuring that our body is content with its level of nutrients and life force from its food is essential for longevity.
As I practice intermittent fasting, I usually have to worry about only 2 meals – breakfast and dinner. I’ve developed a set of recipes which I rotate all year round and tweak based on seasonality and availability of ingredients.
Usually most of the days during summer my breakfast is a nutrient-packed smoothie with loads of seasonal fruits, leafy greens, and healthy seeds giving my body a healthy start. Lunch is consists of a healthy plant or animal-based protein, veggies and healthy carbs & fat. Then I give myself a cheat day once a week when I indulge myself with a croissant or anything my mouth fancy on that day.
How to Eat?
Even with the most nutrient-dense diet, you might be depriving yourself of essential nutrients from the food because of your eating style.
Studies have proven that, when we eat in a stressful environment, our body is not able to digest the food properly, our body doesn’t absorb the necessary nutrients and sometimes can even create disease due to poor digestion.
There are four key things to consider on how you eat.
- Pay gratitude and bless your food before you eat so that your body can absorb as much as nutrients form the food. Have you ever thought of how many people have worked hard to deliver that yummy meal you are having daily? There is a chain of people from farmers, packers, delivery driver, to the retail shop assistant are just a few involved in that chain. Honour all of their hard work and the food itself which turns into living energy.
- Practice eating in an environment distraction-free to facilitate optimal digestion. Don’t eat while you are multi-tasking like watching TV’s, working, talking etc.
- Chew your food properly before swallowing. It’s an again a no brainer however not many of us consciously do this.
- Finally, be mindful of your portion size. In human naked eyes, sometimes the portion that you serves may look alright but in reality, it might be more than what your body needs. I’m not a huge advocate of calorie count and measuring every meal. Having said that, if you are someone who struggles with weight loss, it might be a good idea to check the calorie intakes and measure meals initially to familiarise yourself until you learn this intuitively.
I follow a rule of thumb where my meal sizes are equal to the size of my palm.
