Harmony Over Balance

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I'm into integrating, not separating... harmony, not balance. When you decide to take on a wellness lifestyle, you may think, "I just need to eat better, and my health will improve, and everything will be okay." Great power pantry choices are part of it, but that's not the whole picture.

A healthful wellness lifestyle is made up of a lot of complementary elements:

• nutrient-dense, whole food choices
• ongoing physical activity (including flexibility and stretching, strength training and cardio/aerobic)
• robust social / relational interaction and community
• a stress-reduction habit, including good breathing, mindfulness, and joy
• a spiritual and meditation / prayer practice

Looking at this list it can make us wilt a bit and wonder how on earth do we accomplish all that? Well, I'd say we take it in bite-sized chunks, give ourselves plenty of time (ie, years) to establish momentum and progress, and integrate these elements wherever possible.

What do I mean by integrate? Combine, harmonize, intertwine, blend... any knitting together of these wellness activities into daily life is exceedingly valuable. Here's what it can look like:

• Include others in your journey (I say this a lot; don't go it alone!) We can build significant relationships and community around our wellness journey that leads to worthwhile harmony
• Learn to slow down and take your time while eating
• Focus on good breathing practices while working out, preparing (and eating) food, and when praying or meditating (or just driving or working...)
• Cook power pantry meals with family or friends, and then enjoy the meals together
• Work out with others with whom you have a great relationship; set some goals together (my older daughter completed the Kid's Marathon this past weekend; we trained together the last few weeks so she could get her miles in - that was very cool!)

Integrating for wellness harmony looks different for everyone, but the reality is that we can easily find ways to harmonize our lifestyle with a broad spectrum of wellness activities. When we do, we benefit the most, and those around us benefit as well when we include them in our journey.

By the Way

Sometimes pursuing a single solution to wellness is considered a 'reductionist' approach. That is, a single solution is sought for any illness or malady, instead of looking at the whole person and the entirety of their lifestyle. The goal in a reductionist approach is to find the silver bullet which will solve everything. With this perspective, you might pursue nutrition alone, or physical activity, or just your spiritual practice, etc. The reality is, an integrative, harmonizing, holistic approach leads to greater success in wellness pursuits. Happy harmonizing!