Defining Health

 I used to look at pictures of beautiful women and men in fitness magazines, longing to be ‘healthy’. Oh, how their bodies glistened in the sunlight, each muscle clearly defined and casting a dramatic shadow on the other rippling muscles below. I finally saw why Mr.Hudson had marked leg muscle wrong on my anatomy quiz: quadriceps and hamstrings really did exist!  They weren’t just one mass of muscle craftily concealed under mounds of flesh.

And then I started meeting people that could have walked off of the pages of these magazines, with defined muscles and athletic ability. I realized quickly that muscle definition didn’t equate to health. Many of these individuals had horrible eating habits, low energy, depression or other health issues that I wouldn’t have identified unless I took a closer look.

Before my twenties, I only defined health by the absence of illness. It looked something like this:

Not bleeding + Not throwing up + Not sick in bed = Healthy

This is a reactionary description of health. I used to only realize a component of health existed when it went missing. I wasn’t conscious of things like energy, sleep, the mobility of joints or the specific function of an organ until there was a problem.

So, if health is more than a beautiful body or the absence of disease, what is it?

As I began this quest in my own life, I realized quickly that health has different components: emotional health, mental health, physical health and spiritual health. I also saw how overlapping each area of wellness is. A simple walk can make your body stronger while bringing greater mental clarity or reducing stress levels.

When I look at health now, and the health that I envision for myself and my family, it spans beyond the physical experience. Health includes emotional, spiritual, physical and mental aspects, creating a fuller and more holistic definition of what I am moving toward.

To sum it up in a nutshell, I am not turning down the possibility that one day you will be able to visually identify where my bicep and tricep are located, without a question of a doubt. However, I now focus on a number of additional facets of health that impact my overall experience of health.

Happy Mind + Happy Heart + Happy Body + Happy Spirit = Holistic Health

Overly simplified? Absolutely, but I want to expand the traditional definition of health to include more of who I am.

How do you define health?

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