What is Good Health?

As basic as this question sounds, it troubles me how few people understand the answer. General wellness could be described as the harmonious relationship between all the parts that contribute to who you are physically, psychologically, emotionally, relationally, and spiritually. This includes externalities: everything outside your body which you interact with, and the response your body generates.

Yes, that includes the food you eat and the cigarettes you smoke, but it also includes the people you associate with. If you meet with friends at Tim Horton’s (like I do), then eating chocolate chip muffins might become an issue (like it is for me). The solution might be meeting at a park instead, not altogether forsaking the consumption of muffins!

I’ve heard that those who struggle with drug addiction have to associate with new people to prevent their bad behavior from continuing. Environmental factors can perpetuate a problem, like an accelerant. But it should be noted that accelerators do not cause problem. People’s decisions do.

So in the conversation about health and wellness, it must be understood that what we typically associate with good health isn’t just a singular choice, it’s a lifestyle decision.

James Clear discusses this in his distinction between goals and habits. He describes every decision as casting a vote for the person which you wish to become. Over time, the votes add up. And in the end, you are, in a sense, the outcome of a life-long election where you are the elector and the one elected.

Instead of saying, “I will make myself go to the gym,” you should say, “I wish to be the healthiest version of myself; therefore, I’ll go to the gym.” Instead of looking at life like a to-do list, think of it as singular pieces that make up the lifestyle you wish to embody. Is this possible all the time? Of course not! But there are countless aspects of your life where many of the decisions you make are independent of others.

Going to school isn’t an option for kids, so doing their homework is required. But how well they do is entirely up to them. A good student isn’t the one who does their homework. It’s the one who does their homework to the best of their ability, regardless of the final grade.

Let’s look at an example. You work a 9-5 desk job, with an hour-long commute, each way. Lately, you’ve been having lower back problems and gained an extra 30 pounds (14 kg) the last five years. When you go to the doctor complaining about the pain, he says, “We aren’t going to treat your back, we’re going to put you on a diet.” You try it, but inevitably give up because meal planning is too difficult. The back pain worsens, and you blame the doctor for not treating the problem.

What could be a potential solution to this dilemma? Identifying some underlying stress that causes excessive eating could be a start. Do you think it’s possible that addressing that stress could fix the lower back pain?

Good health looks different for everyone, but deciding to live such a life is a never-ending goal, pushing yourself each and every day.