Welcome to the Six Pillars of OC Wellness Health that make up the absolutely necessary foundation of good health and well-being for energy, mood, disease prevention and general feeling of well-being.
You could add education, financial well-being, creativity, spirituality and nature exposure to this list, but I would say they come later down the pecking order and contribute less powerfully unless your core Six are solid and have become a consistent habit.
Once you have these core Six pillars consolidated, there's the opportunity to build and refine with your specific goals of preventing certain diseases, or reversing present conditions to incorporate.
So... what are they and why are these lifestyle habits so good for us?
Nutrition & Diet
Sleep
Exercise
Hydration
Stress Management
Connection
Nutrition and Diet: Food is medicine if we give it the change to be. By choosing what we put into our bodies daily we either nourish, heal and fuel it, or we deplete, suck goodness, exhaust and make it sick. A diet of whole, mainly plant-based foods eaten at regular meal times with balanced proportions of non starchy vegetables, complex carbohydrates, protein, healthy fats and fibre is the aim.
Sleep: The recommended number of hours sleep for any adult is 7-9 per night on a consistent basis. Many adults say they need more than 7 to live well, and the most common duration that people need to function optimally is 8 or 8.5 hours. When we don't have a good sleep routine, we don't feel energised, often make bad food choices, give into cravings more easily, are more irritable, rely on stimulants such as caffeine and procrastinate more.
Exercise: We need to move our body to avoid the risk of disease and obesity, to strengthen bones & muscles, improve brain health, sleep well, improve mood and keep energy levels high.
Hydration: Dehydration is the main source of exhaustion and increases the risk of kidney stones, poor kidney function and problems with blood pressure long-term. It can cause weakness, loss of strength, overeating and confusion in the short term, as well as make your skin dry, dull and flakey.
Stress Management: Stress hasn't been nicknamed the silent killer for nothing. High stress levels over long periods of time have detrimental effects on our mental and physical health because it prevents the body from functioning optimally. It also weakens our immune system and gut, prevents us from enjoying our free time, means were less productive at work, and can cause social anxiety, depression and other mental health struggles.
Connection: Human connection can improve anxiety and depression, and strengthen our immune system. When you bond with someone, you improve your self-esteem, confidence levels and the sense of belonging sky rockets. Community spirit is vital for healthy longevity and preventing loneliness.
When we lose even one of these Six pillars, we suffer somewhere in the body and in our daily life. It takes it's toll on our health, and therefore means that we have to make a conscious effort to consistently work to keep them balanced and strong. If we aren't moving the body and drinking enough water we won't sleep so well, which increases stress levels and contributes to poor diet choices. It is all so intricately connected, and we cannot get away with skimping on any... of The Six Pillars of Health.
