When we think of health and fitness, we typically focus on only the physical aspect of the words. We may notice someone at the gym doing a lot of Pull-ups or running on the treadmill at a fast pace, and think to ourselves, ‘that person is healthy and fit.’ I don’t know about you but that’s what I often think when I see someone like that. And it probably is true. They are healthy and fit, in at least one of the 6 dimensions of health. But there could be other dimensions of health that they are lacking in. In order for us to be healthy and fit in all 6 dimensions of health, we must first recognize what they are:
- Intellectual
- Environmental
- Spiritual
- Social
- Emotional
- Physical
Like most Personal Trainers, I use my website and videos to focus primarily on the Physical dimension of health. There’s nothing wrong with that. However, the problems arise when we focus on Physical Health while ignoring the other 5 dimensions of health. This can be very detrimental because all 6 dimensions of health affect each other. Most likely you have heard about or witnessed first hand someone that becomes obsessed with working out to the point that it has a very negative effect on their lives. Sometimes people will put off schooling, or important social experiences in order to focus on their physical appearance and ability. While it is true that sacrifices must be made, it isn’t necessary to alienate ourselves from everything and everyone around us in order become physically fit.
My point with this article is not to make you feel like you’ve been neglecting other areas of your health, but really to help you realize your full potential. A person who maintains a balance within each of the dimensions of health will undoubtedly begin to see improvement in everyone of them. Not only that, but that person will be much happier as well. And a happier person is much more likely to stick to their workouts than a depressed person.
If you’re struggling with your workouts and your diet, you may want to sit down and consider looking at every dimension of your health. There is a possibility that other areas of your health are being neglected and abused. Good emotional health helps us to deal with our problems in a way that we don’t lose too much focus when things go wrong. Having a strong spiritual health means that you have something to live for. People and values that you care about, and work hard to preserve. I challenge you to take the time to learn more about each of the 6 dimensions of health, and make adjustments in your life as you do so. If you do that, not only will you experience much greater physical health, you’ll also be a much happier person for it.
