Everyone wants to feel better. We all want to be healthier in some way. When we decide to make that happen, it usually comes in one of two forms: diet and exercise. And usually we do too much too soon.
But that’s not the whole story. During the last couple of years as a personal trainer and coach, and now as holistic health coach, I have seen that it is even more important to add in two crucial elements to anyone’s health and wellness: mind and spirit.
I like to think of it as an equilateral triangle but a three-legged stool might be a better visual! Body, mind and spirit are each three legs of the stool. If one of the legs is missing or shorter than the others, then the stool is unstable and you can fall on your face. To keep that from happening, we want to make sure these three areas of our lives are in balance so that we can see and benefit from the changes we want and truly need.
What do these other two areas cover?
When I talk about the spirit, I am speaking of all of the things related to spirituality. This includes: how often you go to mass, taking part in the Sacrament of Reconciliation, prayer, and other activities to boost your connection with your family of faith and your relationship with God.
Mind is related to spirit except it takes into account your job, relationships with family and friends, how much time you spend taking care of yourself, and how you think about yourself.
How does this look with the average person? Here are two examples:
- A mom who is so busy working and taking care of her family that she is not caring adequately for herself. Her own body and mind suffer as she takes care of everyone but herself.
- A single guy who is so busy working at his job that he doesn’t take the time to build relationships, take care of himself, or even get to church. He is so focused on work that he is missing the opportunity to excel in other areas of his life.
Those are just two examples, but I have seen many more and I’m guilty of it myself.
So, what’s the answer?
Well, that really depends on where you find you’re out of balance. If your health is suffering, then it’s a good idea to start there. If you’ve been away from the Church for a while, then come back for a mass. If your relationships are suffering, talk to someone and see how you can effectively deal with that.
While I can’t say for sure how to fix everyone from just this blog, I do know that once you start to work on one area of your life, the others can be balanced more easily. That’s very cool.
Remember, we have these lives God has given us for a reason. Let’s not waste them!
Wendy Stewart, a native of Baltimore, is a Holistic Health Coach and certified personal trainer specializing in families, diabetics and athletes of all ages. You can contact her for a health consultation or group training at https://wendystewartwellness.com or nutritioncoachwendy@yahoo.com