(part 2 in a series of 3 posts)

Post 1 – The 3 Treasures: Mind, Body & Spirit

Post 2 – The 5 Pillars of Health

Post 3 – The 8 Dimensions of Wellbeing

In recent years, more hospitals, wellness centers businesses, and other groups have begun to acknowledge that there is some relationship between the food we consume, exercise, management of stress, social relationships, and sleep hygiene, collectively referred to as the “5 Pillars of Health.” These components can exist in harmony to play parts in overall health and well-being. With this realization, we can see from the graphic below how the many sub-categories that are now thought to be parts of wellness build upon the original concept of mind, body, and spirit.

The 5 Pillars of Health are a great segway from the 3 Treasures of the mind, body, and spirit. All aspects of society and culture evolve over time. It only makes sense that some ancient philosophical concepts will also continue to evolve over time. Thousands of years ago, nutrition might not have been viewed as good or bad, but rather as great to just have enough food to survive. Exercise may have not been so trendy, whereas again survival might have dictated the types of activities that people engaged with (ie. hunting, running, swimming, lifting dragging, etc.). While people have been coping with stress for as long as humans have existed, we have not diagnosed it as such up until recent decades. Social connections and sleep are again areas that had not really been considered to affect health that much, until more recently.

Food and Diet:

• Importance: Food provides the essential nutrients that the body requires to function properly.
• Key Aspects: A balanced intake of macronutrients (fats, carbohydrates, proteins,) and micronutrients (vitamins and minerals), appropriate hydration, and mindful eating.
• Tips: Focus on consuming whole foods like fruits, vegetables, lean proteins, whole grains, and healthy fats. Reduce intake of processed foods, sugar, alcohol, and excessive salt.

Exercise:

• Importance: 2nd only to not smoking, exercise is the best activity for maintaining physical health, improving mental well-being, and enhancing overall quality of life.
• Key Aspects: Includes cardiovascular (aerobic) exercise, strength/resistance training, flexibility exercises, coordination, control, and balance activities.
• Tips: Strive to exercise for at least 150 minutes of moderate-intensity or 75 minutes of high-intensity aerobic activity per week, while also engaging in muscle-strengthening activities for two or more days per week.

Stress Management:

• Importance: Studies and relative research support that chronic stress can definitely have negative impacts on physical and mental health.
• Key Aspects: Coping and managing techniques can help to reduce stress, such as deep breathing exercises (qigong), mindfulness, meditation, and better time management.
• Tips: Try to implement relaxation techniques into daily activities and routines, engage in hobbies, and pursue support from friends, family, and/or professionals when needed.

Relationships:

• Importance: The ongoing 80-year-old Harvard Grant Study on Adult Development supports that ongoing healthy social relationships can impact emotional well-being and also can provide support during tough times.
• Key Aspects: Connections to family, friends, local communities, and other social support networks can affect well-being on many levels.
• Tips: Seek open communication, show empathy, set boundaries, and make quality time for loved ones.

Sleep or Sleep Hygiene:

• Importance: Quality as well as quantity of sleep is important for physical rest and recovery, emotional balance, and cognitive functions.
• Key Aspects: Good sleep hygiene involves consistent sleep patterns, appropriate duration (7-9 hours for most adults), and an environment that promotes sound and uninterrupted sleep.
• Tips: Strive to maintain a consistent sleep schedule, in a restful environment, reduce caffeine and electronics intake well before bed, and practice a bedtime routine.

The 5 Pillars of Health may seem like common sense to many. However, many people of all ages do not understand these pillars to be fundamentally important to overall better health and well-being. More than in other periods in the US, more Americans are suffering from disease and illness that can be managed through implementing these concepts of the 3 Treasures and the 5 Pillars of Health.

Reference:

2023 Annual report. (2023). In American Public Health Association, America’s Health Rankings. https://assets.americashealthrankings.org/app/uploads/ahr_2023annual_comprehensivereport_final2-web.pdf

I teach and offer lectures about holistic health, stress management, qigong, tai chi, baguazhang, meditation, phytotherapy (herbs), music for healing, self-massage, and Daoyin (yoga).

Please contact me if you, your business, organization, or group, might be interested in hosting me to speak on a wide spectrum of topics relative to better health, wellness, and fitness.

I look forward to further sharing more of my message by partnering with hospitals, wellness centers, VA centers, schools on all levels, businesses and individuals that see the value in building a stronger nation through building a healthier population. I also have hundreds of FREE education video classes, lectures and seminars available on my YouTube channel at:

www.MindAndBodyExercises.com
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https://www.youtube.com/c/MindandBodyExercises
https://mindandbodyexercises.wordpress.com/
https://umareg.com/masters-council/

www.Amazon.com/author/jimmoltzan

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Jim Moltzan

407-234-0119