My family and I just returned from a Caribbean cruise for Christmas where the weather was a perfect 77°, sunny, no clouds and the sea breezy air was perfect. Sorry… I don’t mean to gloat, lol.
I am jonesing really hard for another soft-serve ice cream cone and riding water slides with my kids and best friends all day long.
I gotta tell ya, there is nothing quite like waking up fully rested, where you have nowhere to be and no responsibilities besides having fun, enjoying your family and friends, and eating until your heart's content…am I right?
This was the first family vacation that actually felt like a vacation (not just a ‘family trip’) and was restful. Any parents out there know what I'm talking about?
Throughout the week, I began noticing how this trip allowed me to experience vitality in all 5 Pillars of Health. I also was reminded how vital each pillar is to our ability to thrive as humans.
The 5 Pillars of Health are what make up our overall health. I know every day isn’t a vacation, but this trip challenged me to think of ways to bring those vacation vibes to my everyday life.
The 5 pillars of health are:
- Sleep
- Nutrition
- Movement
- Stress Management
- Community
Over the next 5 Posts, I am going to deep dive into each pillar, but for today I want to overview what each pillar is and how I got to experience it on my vacation.
Sleep - Going on this trip I told myself I was going to literally disconnect from my phone and prioritize family and rest/sleep. I slept at least 8-10 hours every night and took a 1-2 hour nap everyday. Every. Single. Day. It was GLORIOUS! - But all of this sleep showed me just how sleep deprived I was going into this trip.
Nutrition - Now, apart from the cheese burgers, tacos, ice cream cones, and adult beverages that were consumed daily, I did pretty good with my food choices and didn’t over indulge that much. I felt really good with my food options and didn’t over do it…at least not every time.
Movement - My kids never let me sit still. My athletes hear me frequently say “Movement is Medicine”, “Motion is Lotion”, and “Keep it Moving.” But this week, my kids were the ones telling me that. They never complained about walking up 5 flights of stairs just to reach the top of the slides, ride them down, and then make the trek again. Over and over and over. This movement wasn’t your traditional strength training workout but I definitely got my steps in each day.
Stress Management - Did I mention it was relaxing? No stressing was allowed on the ship. It was nothing but a non-stop waterslides and dance party. Being a parent and not having to worry about the normal day-to-day responsibilities was a stress reliever in itself!
Community - One of the best parts of the cruise was that my best friends and their family went on the cruise as well. The people on the planet we love to do life with the most were with us. We were able to unplug, recharge and reconnect with one another. As I get older, my circle of close friends gets smaller and smaller and those are the people I want to do life with the most because they bring me the most joy and ‘fill my cup up’.
Coming off the trip I feel rested and refreshed. I feel like my battery pack is recharged and I am ready to take on 2024 with all the goals I have set for myself and TMA. I hope you are excited about what 2024 holds for you as well.
As we move into 2024 I want to remind you that there are 2 non-renewable resources we have in this life… our time and our body.
If we waste our health, we waste our time in the process. I don’t want to waste my one precious life. I want to be the best well-rounded healthy version of myself as possible and it all starts with the 5 Pillars of Health.
So as you think about the year to come, I hope you think about the overall health of your sleep, nutrition, movement, stress management, and community.
It's going to be an exciting year. Join us for the journey!
Best,
Doc Shawn
