You’ve probably heard the saying “Health is Wealth” but have you ever stopped to think about what “health” really means? In this article, Definitions of Health: A Holistic View, we will explore what this means.

Health is a word we use and throw around all the time, but its meaning can be surprisingly misunderstood. It’s more than just the absence of illness, it encompasses our physical, mental, and social well-being.

Understanding the definitions, dimensions, and determinants of health is critical for anyone on a journey to improve their overall well-being and achieve good mental health.

At Elements4Life, we have a well rounded, holistic outlook in regard to the interpretation of health.

Table Of Contents:

• DEFINITIONS OF HEALTH: Beyond Symptoms & Being Unwell
  • Health as a Reserve
  • Health as Function
  • Health as Psycho-social Wellbeing
• DIMENSIONS OF HEALTH: A Holistic Perspective
  • Physical Dimension
  • Mental Dimension
  • Social Dimension
  • Spiritual Dimension
  • Emotional Dimension
• DETERMINANTS OF HEALTH: Beyond Individual Choices
  • Social, Economic, and Political Health
  • Cultural Health
  • Population/Social Health vs. Individual Health
• Conclusion

DEFINITIONS OF HEALTH: Beyond Symptoms & Being Unwell

Most people think of health (no symptoms) simply as the opposite of being sick (expression of symptoms). While this is partly true, it’s an overly simplistic view. Let me share a few more complete definitions of health to illustrate why.

Health as a Reserve

Think of health as a reserve bank, much like your savings account. You build up this reserve, cumulative effect, through healthy habits, eating well, exercising, and managing stress. When illness or injury occurs, you tap into these reserves to recover. The larger your reserve, the better equipped you are to bounce back from health problems.

Health as Function

Another way to look at health is through the lens of function. Can you perform your daily activities with ease? Can you climb a flight of stairs without getting breathless? Can you focus on your work and maintain healthy relationships? If you answered yes, then you’re likely in good health—at least from a functional perspective.

Health as Psycho-social Wellbeing

Here’s where the more holistic definitions of health come into play. This definition acknowledges the importance of mental and social well-being alongside physical health. It’s about feeling good about yourself, having a positive outlook, and enjoying healthy relationships with others. It’s about having good mental health.

DIMENSIONS OF HEALTH: A Holistic Perspective

When we talk about dimensions of health, we’re talking about distinct but interconnected facets of our overall well-being. These dimensions go beyond just our physical bodies and touch upon every part of what it means to be healthy.

Let’s explore the 5 key dimensions.

– Social. 
– Mental. 
– Spiritual. 
– Emotional. 
– Physical.

Physical Dimension

This dimension is the most obvious, encompassing things like diet, exercise, sleep, and avoiding harmful substances. It’s about taking care of your physical body so you can enjoy life to the fullest. The physical dimension of health also includes things that impact health, like blood pressure. You can improve your physical health through increased physical activity.

Emotional Dimension

Emotional health involves understanding and managing emotions to empower navigation through all of life’s challenges. Nutrition, including toxicity, can significantly impact emotional health, as certain foods can affect mood and stress levels. A nutrition coach educates clients on how to manage emotional eating, select mood-boosting foods, making better choices and guidance on how to maintain a balanced diet that supports emotional stability and resilience.

Mental Dimension

The mental dimension encompasses our cognitive abilities, emotional regulation, and stress management. It involves challenging yourself intellectually, cultivating positive emotions, and learning effective coping strategies for life’s inevitable ups and downs. You can improve your mental dimension through things like meditation.

Social Dimension

This dimension highlights the importance of strong social connections and healthy relationships. Feeling a sense of belonging, being part of a supportive community, and engaging in meaningful interactions all contribute to good social health. This dimension ties into the idea of a health continuum and the dynamic nature of health.

Spiritual Dimension

Spiritual health relates to a sense of purpose, meaning, and connection to something greater than oneself. Nutrition coaches can support this dimension by respecting and incorporating clients’ spiritual beliefs into their dietary plans. This can involve fasting, vegetarianism, or other ideologies practices. By aligning nutrition with spiritual practices, coaches help clients achieve a holistic sense of well-being.

DETERMINANTS OF HEALTH: Beyond Individual Choices

Here’s where things get really interesting: while personal choices around diet and exercise are undeniably important, there’s a whole web of factors, often referred to as the social determinants of health (SDOH), that play a significant role in shaping our health outcomes. These determinants include things that individuals often have little control over, such as working conditions and access to healthcare.

Let’s look at three crucial determinants of health: social, economic, and political health, cultural health; and the differences between population/social health vs. individual health.

Social, Economic, and Political Health

This determinant acknowledges that factors like poverty, discrimination, access to education, safe water, and job security have a significant impact on health outcomes. People living in poverty may have limited access to healthy foods or healthcare, making it much harder for them to maintain good health. This can sometimes be referred to as health inequalities.

Cultural Health

Cultural beliefs and practices play a large part in shaping our health behaviours. For example, in some cultures, physical activity is woven into everyday life, while in others, sedentary lifestyles are more common. Socioeconomic factors heavily influence this.

Population/Social Health vs. Individual Health

It’s important to distinguish between the health of an entire population and the health of an individual. Public health initiatives like vaccination campaigns aim to improve the overall health of a population. These efforts may not always directly benefit every individual but they contribute to a healthier society as a whole. When looking at these two, there is a significant difference between health indicators and indicators of health.

Conclusion

Thinking critically about the definitions, dimensions and determinants of health provides us with a more well-rounded understanding of health and how it is shaped by a wide variety of internal and external factors. When we go beyond seeing health as just the absence of disease, we open ourselves to a holistic approach to well-being—one that includes mental, physical, and social well-being.

Ultimately, understanding the definitions of health, dimensions of health, and determinants of health provides us with an opportunity to take ownership of our health, advocating not just for ourselves but also for those around us.

If you would like to learn more about Definitions of Health and Fitness, engage with a nutrition and movement coach at Element4Life in Canberra today.