But the truth is that a holistic approach to health does make sense and it can really help to improve your overall health and fitness. No woowoo about it.
The simple fact is that adopting a holistic approach to health can actually be beneficial. There are many elements of the holistic approach that can be applied to your everyday life to improve it.
What Is Holistic Health?
Traditional medicine looks at what is wrong with you and tells you how to physically cure it.
For example, if you're 50lbs overweight, modern medicine will dictate a calorie restrictive diet, exercise and sometimes even surgery. With traditional pharmacology, a doctor may prescribe a statin for high cholesterol, or opiates to deal with pain, whereas a holistic doctor would evaluate your diet and mental well-being.
The holistic approach to health accepts that traditional medicine offers practical options, but also looks for the root cause of the condition by examining your entire life.
In short, holistic health is recognition that your physical, mental and spiritual well-being are all connected.
There is a huge array of different approaches, from healing crystals to deep meditation or even energy therapies. Not all of these are practical options for your everyday life.
But the concept of looking after your body and mind simultaneously is proven to create positive results.
When you stop to consider this you’ll start to realize it all makes sense.
A person who is overweight and knows it may feel that they are physically unable to shift the weight. But, if you are mentally prepared to lose weight you will have a much greater chance of losing that weight.
Foundations of a Healthy Lifestyle
If you’re looking to lose weight then a holistic approach to health will tell you that you need to adopt a healthy lifestyle in order to look after your body; prevention is always better than cure.
In fact, in many ways, the holistic approach reflects the standard approach to weight loss. The following simple steps will improve your overall health now and in the future:
Step 1 – Prepare Your Mind
Staying positing is a huge step in almost any battle. Your perception is one of the very few things you can control.
Learn to grapple with negative thoughts and push them away.
According to expert Lisa R. Yanek, M.P.H. at John Hopkins, people with a family history of heart disease were one-third less likely to have a heart attack or other cardiovascular event within five to 25 years, so long as they maintained a positive mindset.
If you want to achieve a goal you need to believe that you are capable of achieving that goal. In terms of weight loss, you may even be able to gain inspiration by joining FF30X.
FF30X will give you support in your goals and the inspiration you need.
Step 2 – Get Some Sleep
Scientists are only just starting to realize what the holistic approach to health has known for years; sleep is an essential part of a healthy lifestyle.
When you sleep, your hormones balance and your body uses the time to heal and repair itself.
You need to get between 6 and 8 hours every night; adjust your schedule now to include this.
Step 3 – Maintain a Healthy Diet
There are hundreds of diets available to help you lose weight.
However, you shouldn’t be looking at these diets as weight loss tools.
Instead, take a look at what you currently eat and consider how you can improve the quality f your diet.
It is important to eat plenty of green vegetables, but protein and carbohydrates are also an important part of your daily requirements. Balancing your food will help you to lose weight as you’ll be looking after your body.
The holistic approach to health is effectively saying ‘consider what you are putting into your body because it affects what you are capable of doing’.
An easy way to start improving your eating habits is to adopt the perfect plate method.
Step 4 – Stay Active
Of course, exercise is an essential step towards weight loss.
But regular exercise does so much more. It improves circulation, keeps your body mobile, and maximizes the delivery of oxygen to all of your organs and cells.
Staying active helps your body to be in the best possible condition; reducing the possibility of disease and giving you more energy.
If you’re not currently exercising then start small. Book a 30-minute slot in your schedule every day and start with a little light exercise.
You can always build up to something more significant over time.
Step 5 – Set Goals & Think Positively
Finally, it is important to consider what you want from life and set realistic goals.
This can be something as simple as losing weight or an intention to build your own global enterprise.
Whatever the goal, break it down into small achievable goals and focus on those first.
For example, losing 50lbs is a big goal; but break it down into losing 1lb a week and you’ll find that this is relatively easy to manage.
Within a year you’ll have achieved your goal and found the new you!
Mental Wellness and Health
While you’re following these steps it is essential that you don’t underestimate the power that your mental wellness has on your health and your ability to achieve your goals.
Mental wellness is perhaps the most important part of the holistic approach to health.
If you have feelings of depression or a lack of belief in your own abilities you’ll struggle to reach your goals. This can create a circle which is hard to break.
You can improve your mental wellness by reminding yourself every day of things that you have achieved.
You can also join the FF30X to get the support you need to believe that you can achieve your next goal; whether it’s weight loss or writing a book (or both).
If you feel positive about the future then you’re taking care of your mental health and are more likely to achieve your goals.
Summing Up The Holistic Approach To Health
There are still those who believe that the holistic approach to health has no place in modern medicine. But, the simple fact is that you need to take care of your mind, body, and soul in order to be at your physical and mental best.
Only then can you deal with all the challenges that life sends you and emerge the victor.
That’s what we’re here to help you achieve; join FF30X today to start finding you that you want to be!
Your new friend & health coach,
Stuart Carter
Head Training Staff, The Fit Father Project
Brotherhood Nickname: “The Fit Brit”
Bragging Rights: 16 Years in the fitness industry, Author of ‘The Easy Fitness Guide', Father of 4 boys and Husband to a Venezuelan beauty.
I’d recommend you read the program overview letter for our Fit Father 30-Day Program (FF30X).
Inside FF30X, you'll receive:
- The simple & delicious Fit Father Meal Plan
- The metabolism boosting Fit Father 30X Workout (under 90 min/week)
- VIP email coaching where I'll personally walk you through the program
*Please know that weight loss results & health changes/improvements vary from individual to individual; you may not achieve similar results. Always consult with your doctor before making health decisions. This is not medical advice – simply very well-researched info on holistic approach to health.
You’re probably leading a hectic life. Work commitments and the challenges of raising a child mean that you’ve struggled to maintain the healthy lifestyle that you wanted. You’re certainly not alone in this respect.
It’s time to prioritize. For example, if you have two big long-term goals; to lose weight and write a book then which is more important and which should you do first?
You’re already a member of the Fit Father project. To drive yourself towards the long-term goal of a healthier lifestyle it’s time to commit and get the support you need.
For example, if you want to write a book; then work backward. You know your long-term goal is to complete the story but how many words do you want to write? The average novel is 80,000 words.
For instance, if you commit to exercising for 1 hour every day between 5 pm and 6 pm, you know that at some point your partner will get home early; even before you start your session.
Unfortunately, 
The simple fact is that adopting the right approach to body management today, will help to set you up for the future, reducing the risk of common age-related diseases and improving your quality of life as you age.
Of course, us fathers have to keep active otherwise we will not only gain enough weight to look like the former WWF wrestler Yokozuna, but our health will suffer.
Finding the will and motivation to keep moving forward is the key to success.
Maintaining a healthy diet is the number one most important part of any fitness plan.
If you are stalling out, mix up your workouts. If you’re bored with the gym, take your routine outdoors. Personally, I think everyone should run up a hiking trail at least once a month.
There is a reason 
Where are you at right now? 
The most obvious reason to lose weight is being overweight in the first place. For most humans, simply being overweight is not reason enough to make the effort to lose it. It’s unfortunate but true.
People that place a high value on attractiveness are more likely to maintain weight loss over time. Being more attractive is a fantastic motivator for a variety of reasons. For anyone with a high 
When you’re doctor tells you to lose weight, it’s time to stop procrastinating. Unfortunately, this weight loss motivator does not always work as well it should. Even if the doctor’s advice is accurate, patients typically have some reason for being overweight in the first place. Overcoming whatever obstacle that is, does not dramatically change because the doctor told them to. Obviously, it’s important for everyone to use the weight loss motivator that works for them, but it may be more beneficial to focus on the positive aspects to losing weight. I’m not telling you to ignore your doctor, quite the opposite. I’m telling you to agree with your doctor and accept accountability for your situation.
As mentioned earlier, losing weight for someone other than yourself is not always the best route to take. After all, we are the ones who care the most about our own lives. We are the ones responsible and ultimately the ones who have to suffer the consequences of failure.
Sometimes it’s just time to start the process. Many of us have gained weight gradually, closely monitoring the decline. We have paid attention and made note of what is to come.
Develop a meal plan, fitness schedule, and set reasonable weight loss goals. By writing it down, you’ll not only remember more easily, but you’ll more likely to create a legitimate plan that works.
The problem isn’t the resolution; it’s your motivation to lose weight.
The motivation to lose weight is essential to get you started, but its habit that keeps you doing it.
The scales are not your enemy in your weight loss challenge, but they can be detrimental to your motivation to lose weight!
A journal can be your best friend. You can use it to record how you are feeling, when you have slipped from your healthy eating plan and when you have failed to exercise.
It’s no secret that some of the most famous people in the world get up at the crack of dawn to workout.
But it’s not just us. Take a look at what some of these famous people do first thing in the morning:
Sleep is very important. You should get between 6 and 8 hours every night.
The secret to developing a habit is to keep repeating the same activity. In fact it is the first few weeks that are critical to getting the habit established.
Being productive means motivating yourself to complete that task, or exercise, to produce maximal results, even when you don’t feel the urge to do so. We can always be more productive in all aspects of life.
The idea of committing everything you have to a workout when you already feel exhausted is not appealing. But, thinking about the long term benefit might!
Recognize the support that the
There is little point in attempting a two hour run if you are struggling to imagine yourself running for that long.
Rules are made to be broken, but there is a limit to what you can achieve in a set space of time.
Imagine you cycled 20 miles every day for the past year. You're probably be impressed with the habit you built and your improved fitness.
A great way of being productive is to disconnect from the internet. The issue is that we are constantly connected and checking the web for updates from friends and colleagues. This leads to wasting time looking at sites and other links that are not really relevant!
If you’re a parent you’re probably already familiar with bribery! It doesn’t need to involve money.
Finally, in order to reach your maximal productivity you have to appreciate that you cannot be productive all the time!
The modern era has generated a wealth of knowledge. Health and fitness are advanced topics that require a serious dedication to proper research. There are tons of scientifically proven methods to lose fat and increase muscle. Whatever your goals are, use data backed science to increase your productivity.
