Many of us have taken positive steps in choosing holistic living and using alternative therapies for our health and fitness. In line with the concept of holism, if we practice alternative therapies, we are treated much more as a whole, to provide overall health and fitness.
It is becoming increasingly recognized that one of the limitations of traditional western medicine is its tendency to only focus on treating the specific and apparent symptoms of any condition (often only temporary pain alleviation).
This is vastly different from our holistic approach of taking into account the total mind and body complex, as well as the environment. Holism and alternative therapies appreciate that the true cause of symptoms, including pain, may be far removed from where the symptoms are expressed. All aspects of the person are taken into consideration, not just the (perceived) affected part.
Therefore, bringing the two together provides natural and more enduring healing to the person as a whole, that is in mind, body and spirit.
What is Holistic Living?
Living a holistic lifestyle means to live our life without physical, mental, or spiritual barriers. We keep all elements strong and healthy, not just one part. Taking care of all holistic elements may prove to be challenging, but once we learn to master the basic principles, we are on the path to achieving total fitness.
This ‘fitness’ is not only limited to physical health. As it also includes emotional and mental wellbeing, being holistically healthy means greater happiness and personal fulfillment.
The first step is to look at our life as a whole, that is, everything around us, not just the physical ‘I’, and see how we can improve any and all of it. The goal is to achieve overall fitness, where everything is functioning optimally.
To look deeper, Holism, in philosophy, is the concept that parts of a whole are interconnected and cannot exist without each other. Moreover, the whole itself is greater than the sum of its parts. These different parts or elements include the physical, mental, spiritual, social and environmental aspects of our life, which make up the whole being.
Having a holistic lifestyle means recognizing that these different parts of our life are linked and cannot be separated. What happens in our personal life may affect how we perform at work, or how we interact with our social circle, or how we see our environment.
Another example is when we are ‘mentally’ stressed. Our stress may trigger other ‘physical’ illnesses and diseases. This is because our emotional health has a large and often underappreciated impact on our physical health.
Alternative Therapies
Alternative therapies are treatments outside of conventional medicine and just like holism, these natural therapies consider the whole person in all aspects, such as physical, mental, emotional, environmental etc.
If a patient suffering from migraine approached a holistic doctor, the doctor would not immediately prescribe the patient with headache pain killers as many traditional doctors would do. Instead, the doctor would take into account other aspects of the patient’s life, such as work, family, and nutrition.
Part of the treatment may include drug intervention, but will be limited to that, as the entirety of the treatment may involve lifestyle changes or other related actions.
Complementing the Two
A holistic lifestyle can therefore be complemented by alternative therapies and practitioners of holistic medicine. Health self management is the main key motivator for choosing to live a holistic lifestyle, and alternative therapies go perfectly with living holistically.
Are you interested in learning more about CrossFit Alanis’s Holistic Fitness Training and Holistic Nutrition Programs? Our first step together is your free No Sweat Intro. You’ll schedule a time to come on in, sit down, and let’s learn how we can most successfully help you, should we be a good fit for each other. We provide times in the morning and afternoon, so pick a time that works best for you! —> CLICK HERE TO SCHEDULE YOUR FREE NO-SWEAT INTRO CONSULTATION
