Reaching optimum health is one of the most fortunate objectives we can obtain (and sustain) in life. Without it, our bodies could be susceptible to pain, disease, discomfort, or even immobility to name a few.
A person’s health is composed of three different aspects known as the health triangle. Each aspect is important and interconnected with the others.
Today, I’m dedicating this post to talk about the health triangle and share other important information you would love to know about how to maintain a healthy lifestyle and reach optimum health in life!
What is the Health Triangle?
While the term health triangle may be new to you, what is not new is the overall idea. The World Health Organization (WHO) defines health as the balance of mental, physical and social health. This is what’s being referred to when speaking about the different sides of the health triangle.
Having a good balance in all three areas is essential to living a healthy lifestyle. No one side is more important than the other. They are all interconnected. In fact, every aspect of the health triangle affects the other. Together, they’re all important aspects for the betterment of our overall health.
What Are The 3 Sides of The Health Triangle?
Mental health
A healthy mind means less stress and has a positive impact on how we think, feel, and act.
Physical health
A healthy body means optimal physical performance.
Social health
And having good social health is about the relationships we have with other people, which contributes to our overall peace and well-being.
Why Is The Health Triangle Important?
When you make it a priority to take good care of all three important aspects of the health triangle, you should see improvements in your overall:
- Nutrition
- Body
- Physical performance
- Sleep quality
- Ability to cope with stress
- Ability to treat mental illnesses and deal with mental health issues
- Relationships
How To Have A Balanced Health Triangle?
Mental, physical and social health are all important. Here’s how you can have a balanced health triangle.
Eating a balanced diet
The food we eat can have an impact on our bodies and immune system. Be sure to eat a well balanced diet of protein, low glycemic foods, and healthy fats. A good rule of thumb is to practice eating a minimum of five fruits and vegetables a day.
To help you with your healthy eating goals, check out this post for a full list of pretty easy tips to integrate into your lifestyle.
Staying hydrated
Staying hydrated has more benefits than just quenching your thirst. Did you know? It can also help you prevent gum disease. That’s right. A lack of hydration can impact your teeth and gums. It’s good to stay hydrated so you can minimize the amount of harmful bacteria that can quickly grow on the teeth, gums, and tongue. Lower amounts of saliva has been shown to lead to a greater risk in dry mouth and dental diseases.
Getting enough rest
When it comes to physical health, nutrition, exercise, and sleep are super important. You’ll need rest to help your body recover and maintain its optimum functions. Getting adequate rest looks like allowing yourself to get anywhere between 7-9 hours of sleep per night. If you want to improve your overall health, getting enough rest is important. Do this, even if it means going to bed a little earlier if you can’t sleep in.
Practicing self care
Yes, self care is what we all know to be the traditional rejuvenating regimes like a long bath, facial, or mindfulness meditation. Practicing self care also includes getting regular checkups, incorporating regular physical activity, and taking on hobbies that help relieve stress anxiety. Taking good care of yourself by scheduling regular visits with your medical professional or seeing a therapist if needed will help you
Increasing happiness
There was a social experiment where a teacher had students write their names on a balloon and then instructed them to fill the hallway and mix them up. They were given 5 minutes to find their own balloon and failed. They were given another 5 minutes to pick up a random balloon and return it to the person with whom it belonged, which was a success. The lesson was that if we make it a goal to help others find their happiness rather than only focus on our own, it’ll be a lot easier to find our happiness too.
Building a support network
Social health can impact our overall well-being. The community and amount of support we have or don’t have can contribute to feelings of isolation and loneliness.
Volunteering
There are a lot of different ways to develop a social support system if you don’t already have one. Volunteering is a great way to achieve this in your life. Not only will you be showing up as a support system for others to help you be what others are needing in their life, but it can also help you improve your mood and reduce the stress and anxiety in your life, which can overall help protect you against depression.
Socializing
The relationships we forge in this lifetime can contribute to our overall social health and well being. Spending time with friends and family does good for our soul and makes life easier and more enjoyable.
