What is health to you? Or let me put it this way: if you had all the wealth or earthly possessions in the world, but you did not have your health – what good is the former?

While I have nothing against wealth, I merely used the example to illustrate the importance of your health. But how can you address your own health without knowing exactly what it is you’re addressing? Not easily, that’s for sure. So the best way to go about improving your health is to define it first. Take a moment to see how you define health, and how you feel you should go about improving yours. Is it being your ideal weight, being fit, feeling energetic, feeling young? Make a little list for yourself before we look at formal definitions. The World Health Organization (W.H.O.) defines health as “a state of complete physical, mental, and social well-being, and not merely the absence of disease or infirmity”. Infirmity is defined by WordNet as being: “the state of being weak in health or body”.

So essentially what the W.H.O. definition communicates to us, is that being healthy is not only about having a body that is in peak condition, but it also involves the elements of mental, emotional and social well-being. If any one of these elements is neglected, the others will suffer. They are dependent upon each other – walls keeping your “house-of-health” in check.

So now that we know what health is, we can compare it with our own lists. Once compared, create a new list; let’s call it your True Health Priority list. On this list, write down all the health elements in your life that need addressing, making sure to include references to all the above mentioned “walls”. Then prioritize this list, starting today with priority number one, and starting to address at least one a week consistently – so that improving your health becomes a habit. By becoming a habit, it will empower you to achieve the healthy you – which you deserve to be!