Day Three: The Essential 5

Weight loss essentially means putting down the box of cookies and going for a walk...then doing that daily. However, I believe that changing our health is really composed of five main components that are all dependent on one another for balance and homeostasis within the body. Permeated throughout this circle is the psychological view that we have about ourselves, which affects our relationship with all five of these components. Over the next several weeks, I'll go into more detail about each of these.

Nutrition - Eating natural foods, incorporating the right multi-vitamin, reducing processed sugar, eliminating fast food from your intake altogether

Water - Three liters a day, not exceeding one liter in an hour

Sleep - Good, deep, natural sleep

Exercise - Healthy amounts of rigorous exercise on a consistent basis

Balance - Rest/repair days, cheat meals, massage

So, how are these interconnected? When you don't get enough sleep, do you drink more coffee the next day? This means that your sleep deprivation affects your hydration. If you are out of balance and stressed out, do you lose sleep? When you don't get enough exercise, how do you eat? How do you sleep? And the list goes on...

I challenge you to pull out the love letter you wrote to yourself on Dec 26th (go to this post if you didn't write it). Review your love letter, make any additions that may have come to mind since you first wrote it. I challenge you to really think about these essential five components of health and where you are out of balance with these.