Introduction to the Art of Health Keeping

This blog is a place to share and discuss a concept called Health Keeping. The Art of Health Keeping includes practices of mindfulness, self-awareness, self-mastery, and living day by day with a growth mindset and having a desire for a life, well lived.

 Topics in this article:

• What is the Art of Health Keeping?
• How does Health Keeping relate to Happiness and Success in life?
• What does Health Keeping have to do with health care systems?
• How can Health Coaching play a role in Health Keeping?
• What is the mission of Health Keepers United?

 What is the Art of Health Keeping?

My journey into Health Keeping began when I was 15 years old.  I was in an Encounter Group for teens with a psychologist who was interested in empowering adolescents. We had a weeklong retreat at a Taoist Monastery in California’s Santa Cruz mountains. There I met a Taoist master who taught me and my group mates how to meditate and examine our spiritual nature and other aspects of our life. We learned to ask questions and be still and quiet enough to hear and receive answers from inner wisdom. The opportunity to tap into universal wisdom was empowering and has served me through many chapters of life.

My personal definition of the Art of Health Keeping is the practice of daily self-care giving and is based in the harmony of body, mind, emotion, and spirit. We are first and foremost physical beings who are having mental, emotional, and spiritual experiences. The simplest way to say it is: “the Body is the Boss.” It is our innate, perpetual responsibility to discover our personal recipe for Health and Happiness, and to continue to update this Health Keeping recipe as changes occur over time and circumstances.

 How does Health Keeping relate to Happiness and Success in life?

 I look holistically at how we as people function and practice self-knowing and self-care in our daily lives. When we tend to our needs in all four quadrants of body, mind, emotion, and spirit, we can live fully and pursue our passions and joys. Another way to look at Health Keeping is to call it “Mindful Self-Mastery.”

 Taking a good look at Health Keeping begins first with asking ourselves “What does “Good Health” mean to me? The key to discovering this personal definition requires that we examine our physical realities in the context of our unique, current circumstances and environments. Then we can look to our level of happiness and satisfaction to verify that we are indeed in harmony, like a well-tuned orchestra. A mindful look at our life can reveal if one aspect of body, mind, emotion, or spirit is out of tune. Self-mastery skills provide ample resilience and resourcefulness to help us find allies, helpers, or methods that we need, at any given time. Then, the music within comes back in tune with our unique spirit or nature.

 What does Health Keeping have to do with health care systems?

 Health care systems in the United States are usually based on economics and litigation risk, which has resulted in a sick care system that treats symptoms.  There is a current cry for systems that invest in discovery of underlying causes and prevention of chronic health conditions with lifestyle education and management.

 The discussion about the focus of medicine and health care systems is not new. There have been ongoing debates of opposing forces in health care between clinical medicine versus preventive medicine, such as this discussion written in 1982 about the Definition of Preventive Medicine.

“In 1942, John R. Paul, Professor of Preventive Medicine at the Yale School of Medicine, wrote to his colleague C.-E.A. Winslow, Professor of Public Health, thanking him for a copy of Winslow's paper on preventive medicine and health promotion. …Dr. Paul, …wrote that he started from a different direction, working "backwards from the ideal":      ... I believe that disease is the motivating force which stirs the clinician into action, and we can never be as excited about HEALTH as we can about disease. Perhaps this should be changed but it means changing our Religion, -and that means prophets crying in the wilderness ...”

 Reference: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2596460/

 More current movements are discussing the drawbacks of the biomedical approach versus the growing biopsychosocial view of health care. The biopsychosocial model has a humanist foundation that looks at health in a holistic sense, including a person’s physical conditions and the impact of their thoughts, beliefs, and emotions.  Empowerment through education in lifestyle skills (Health Keeping) and support including psychotherapy and coaching is an increasing practice around the world.

 “The biomedical model leads patients to attain less healing and more inactivity and does not hold people accountable for their health and wellness when compared to the biopsychosocial approach, but instead addresses chemical processes with other chemicals.”

Reference: https://evidenceinmotion.com/the-doctor-of-the-future/

How can Health Coaching play a role in Health Keeping?

 The current times are riddled with confusion and abundant opinions about the “right way” to deal with our health and wellness. Certified Health Coaching is an emerging role in global health that is helping people take responsibility for their personal health journey. The National Board for Health & Wellness Coaching (NBHWC) has been certifying coaches since 2016. They offer this view of the role and skill set of Health coaches.

 “Health and wellness coaches partner with clients seeking to enhance their well-being through self-directed, lasting changes, aligned with their values. In the course of their work, health and wellness coaches display an unconditional positive regard for their clients and a belief in their capacity for change, honoring the fact that each client is an expert on their own life, while ensuring that all interactions are respectful and non-judgmental.”

Reference:  https://nbhwc.org/

My journey to certification as Health and Wellness Coach continues. I have now graduated from the year long ADAPT Health Coach Certification program at Kresser Institute.  During my practicum phase of the certification process, I am serving several clients who are making positive changes in their habits, mindsets, and Health Keeping skills. I have openings for new clients, please contact me if you are interested or have someone to refer.

email:   [email protected] 

 What is the mission of Health Keepers United?

The mission of Health Keepers United is to engage you in self-discovery and empower you in activating your abilities to help yourself, your family, and community grow healthier day by day.

 My hope with this Blog is to offer a space to respectfully review, present, and discuss various topics of Health and Wellness. The aim here is to offer a “wide angled lens” to promote the discovery and possibility of finding and blending many arts in health and healing. These include innate human wisdom and experience, scientific knowledge, ancient healing arts, spiritual practices, self-help and self-mastery skills, Health Coaching, and new findings and inventions. This is for general information only. Always consult your personal health care team before making any changes to your lifestyle, diet or exercise.

Please submit questions or topics you are interested by email: [email protected]

Future topics:

4 Steps to Creating Healthy Habits

How to be your own fact checker.

Creating your personal Positive Power Affirmations.

How can I be in charge of my health in a health care system that doesn’t listen to me?

Disclaimer:  The health information here is provided for general informational and educational purposes only and is not a substitute for professional health recommendations or medical advice.  Always consult with your personal health care providers before making any changes to your lifestyle, diet, or exercise. The scope of this blog, website and consultation services does NOT include diagnosis or treatment of specific illnesses or disorders.