The beginning of the new year is typically when people reassess their health goals and kick their fitness routines into high gear, but I’ve actually been on quite the wellness journey of my own for the past few months. Some of it has been physical, like paying attention to how certain foods make me feel, adjusting my diet accordingly (like cutting out gluten and dairy, unfortunately), and adding in supplements to support my body’s needs. Some of it has also been mental and emotional, from building more restorative morning and evening routines, spending less time scrolling on my phone, and practicing (or trying my best to practice) more mindfulness. These may seem like small shifts, but little by little I’ve noticed how they have improved not just my physical health but also my energy, mood, sleep, and so much more.
All of this has reminded me that health rarely exists in just one part of our lives. The food we eat can affect our mental state, and our mental state affects how we feel in our bodies. Career and financial stress can impact our sleep, and poor sleep impacts… well, everything. If even just one piece of our well-being is neglected, the other aspects of our health start to feel the effects.
“Health is not a single goal or a checklist, it’s a collection of choices we make every day that touch every corner of our lives.“
So lately, I’ve found myself redefining what it means to be healthy. It isn’t just what I’m eating, how much water I’m drinking, or how many steps I take in a day. Of course, those things matter too, but they aren’t the whole picture. A friend recently explained to me the three-legged stool principle regarding her mental health. A stool needs at least three supports to keep it sturdy and standing. For my friend, these supports are diet, exercise, and therapy. If one of these supports is compromised or neglected, it can cause her to feel out of whack or unstable, just like a stool with only two legs would be. We need multiple areas of life to feel sturdy and supported. When one part is shaky, it affects the whole structure.
The older I get, the more I realize that adulthood requires us to balance many different “healths” all at once-our physical needs, emotional needs, financial responsibilities, and relationships. When we focus on only one of these areas, it’s easy to feel like something is wrong with us when we’re still tired, anxious, or overwhelmed. What I’m learning is that nothing is wrong, we’re just complex human beings with interconnected needs, all of which deserve their own care and attention.
Maybe this year, focusing on health doesn’t look like going all-in on a workout plan or preparing perfectly balanced meals every night. Maybe it looks like budgeting for expenses, establishing a consistent bedtime, or choosing to spend more intentional time with someone you care about. Maybe it looks like therapy, decluttering your home, or deleting one distracting app from your phone. Whatever the supports are that help you feel healthy, focus on those.
As you think about your own goals moving into 2026, I encourage you to consider health in this broader sense-not just as something physical, but also as something related to your mind, your relationships, your time, and even your finances. All of these pieces make up who you are and how you move through your days.
Health is not a single goal or a checklist. It’s a collection of choices we make every day that touch every corner of our lives.
