In our previous blog on heart health, we delved deeper into lifestyle interventions that can help with your physical health. But therein, we already admitted that health is more than just your physical well-being. According to the WHO, health is “a state of complete physical, mental, and social well-being and not merely the absence of disease or infirmity”. We subscribe to that definition, but it’s still quite broad. We’d like to take you through what that really means; a healthy lifestyle.
Complete physical, mental, and social well-being… quite a mouthful, but what does that mean for us at BOOST? As a Personal Training Studio, most people walk through our doors to work on their physical health. Such a journey is called a lifestyle trajectory, where you work on all the factors that can influence your physical health. Think about nutrition, sleep, smoking, alcohol consumption, and exercise. What many people don’t know is that we also help people in other areas. In fact, we believe it’s a prerequisite for long-term lifestyle change!
As you can read above, lifestyle mainly concerns how you live. But can you actually focus on how you live when you’re busy living? And living for us is more than just surviving. When we talk about surviving, we mean getting through the day. You’re present, but are you really there? You’re with people, but do you feel connected? Are you using your weekend/vacation to enrich your life, or are you escaping the routine?
Does a healthy lifestyle equate to vitality?
We’re talking about vitality, which literally means life force or energy. Many people see it as the same as physical health, but it’s different. Perhaps you know older or (terminally) ill people who have more sparkle in their eyes than some young, relatively fit individuals.
Vitality is about daring to dream and experiencing the energy to pursue your dreams. It’s about a sense of ownership and purpose. And let’s not forget, the resilience to withstand difficult times. Life isn’t all sunshine and rainbows. Things will happen in your life that will make you feel like your world is turned upside down. Pain is an inevitable part of life. Although it may exist, the art is not to let it completely control us. It’s already hidden in the word resilience. Strength alone is the tree that stands strong and firm but irreparably collapses in a big storm. Resilience is like the reed that bends with the wind without breaking and returns to its original state once the wind stops.
The bridge to a healthy lifestyle
Although you might not directly link the above to a Personal Training Studio, these are still areas that need coaching. Let’s break it down:
Daring to dream: This mainly involves experiencing the space to think ahead and set goals. It’s the opposite of just ‘getting through the day’. Lifestyle often involves choosing what you don’t want now so that you get what you want in the long term.
You want to stay on the couch now instead of exercising, but this summer you want to feel fit during that mountain hike. You want to have that snack now, while in a few weeks you want to be slimmer. You want to watch one more episode of Netflix now instead of going to bed on time, but tomorrow morning you want to be fresh and energetic. You don’t feel like saying no to that extra glass now, while in the long term, you want to improve your physical health.
Choosing what you want later over what you want now not only requires the mental space and peace to think ahead, but also the inspiration and motivation to set goals for it.
Experiencing (mental) energy to pursue your dreams: This closely relates to the previous point. But a dream remains a dream if you don’t act. And that action requires a little more. You can imagine that this is closely related to your lifestyle since sleep, exercise, and even nutrition play a role here. But mental aspects such as confidence in your ability to achieve your goal, the feeling that you have autonomy over your own life, and social support play a huge role in actually pursuing these goals.
Resilience: Looking ahead, setting goals, and striving for goals is quite doable… if everything goes well! People who have control over their lifestyle are not necessarily the people who do everything perfectly. They are the people who consistently do it ‘well enough’. How often do you hear about people who, in periods when things are going well, exercise five times a week and go on strict diets, only to completely stop when work, family, or other things get busy?
Lifestyle changes themselves are worthless if you don’t stick to them. And sticking to them is not a lifestyle issue but a vitality issue. Conversely, you can imagine that if you can’t rely on your body, it will impact your mental well-being.
A fit and vital life
Although vitality and lifestyle are thus interconnected, they are not the same. At BOOST, we distinguish between them with our BOOST Your Body and BOOST Your Life programs. Where one is ready to immediately work on their lifestyle with BOOST Your Body, for others, it’s more powerful to build the foundation with BOOST Your Life. Would you like to know which program suits you best? Sign up here for an intake, and we’d be happy to discuss it with you.
