The Pillars of Health

I’d like to introduce a concept in the health and wellness arena, the pillars of health.  What does the pillars of health mean?  Essentially the pillars of health is a concept that holds that there are foundational aspects or pillars that contribute to health and wellness.   These pillars give us a foundation on which to build healthy habits and help us to achieve better health.

In this post I will discuss what I believe to be the pillars of health.  There are a lot of different opinions about what the pillars of health are.  They are all valid because other people have priorities, knowledge, experience or specialties.  Their view might be a little bit different, but from my perspective,  the following areas make up the pillars of health.

Pillar 1: Movement

In my opinion, the first pillar is movement.  I really believe the old adage, “Movement is life!”  As a Chiropractor, I evaluate and help people improve their ability to move every day.  Your body was designed to move.  Did you know that there are 206 bones in the human skeleton and nearly 350 joints.  With so many joints in our body, it is apparent that we were designed to move.  Our bodies thrive on movement!    

Pillar 2: Nutrition

From my perspective, the second pillar of health is nutrition. We have all heard the term, “You are what you eat.”  The food that you consume becomes the building block of everything in your body. Your body is an incredibly efficient, high performance machine.  You wouldn’t put low quality gasoline in a Ferrari would you? Of course not.  Think about and treat your body like you would a high performance sports car, put high quality “fuel” in your body and you will get better performance.  

Pillar 3: Hydration 

In my mind, the third pillar of health is hydration.  Hydration is incredibly important for proper function of virtually every system in our body. Our bodies made of up to 60% water.  This tells you how important it is, so getting adequate water and having a good clean source of water is really important. 

Pillar 4: Rest & Relaxation

Pillar number four  includes rest and relaxation. Your body needs time to rest, recover, recuperate and repair, from the damage and the stresses of the life.  Taking some time to relax and getting adequate sleep are foundational to emotional, mental and physical health and well being. 

Pillar 5: Stress management & mental health

The last pillar is caring for your mental health and managing stress. Developing habits and routines that improve mental well being and decrease stress are vital.  Stress not only impacts our mental well being but it impacts the physical functioning of every system in the body.

These 5 pillars are what I consider to the foundations to leading a healthy, happy life.