How Do You Define Health?
- Aug 16, 2024
- 4 min read
Written by Anna Choi, Energy Master
Anna Choi is an Energy Master, Qigong Tai Chi Instructor, and Taekwondo Black Belt. After burning out from her wealth management and event consulting business, she hit rock bottom. She met her two enlightened energy masters transforming her life into a singer songwriter performance artist, 2x TEDx speaker, & Amazon No.1 International Best Selling Author as Founder of SolJoy with Anna Choi SPC.
Why aren’t more business leaders, entrepreneurs, and CEO’s able to be healthy?
“The real problem of humanity is the following: We have Paleolithic emotions, medieval institutions and godlike technology.” – EO Wilson
This conversation was 100 years ago. What’s changed since?
While technology’s god like powers have accelerated exponentially, our ancient, paleolithic brain impulses have barely evolved from survival.
We live in an age of brain overload and attention deficit economy where the new resource extraction isn’t water, or air, it’s our brain’s attention.
How does this relate to your health as a CEO?
Burnout has become a new normal. High stress “hustle” environments have become the status quo. Many high achieving clients fail to recognize they’re even in burnout.
Until a crisis forces you to pay attention. Perhaps it’s being rushed to the ER for high blood pressure. Or you receive an unexpected diagnosis with a life threatening tumor or disease. Perhaps someone close passes away that has you stop and question the meaning of your life.
Rather than wait for a crisis to give you a message to wake up, you can redefine what health looks like to you. Then commit to actions that will create that level of health you desire.
How do you define health?
The dictionary states how health is “the state of being free from illness or injury.” It goes further to say it’s “a person’s mental or physical condition.”
Yet, this definition hardly accounts for aging. Or recovery from unexpected injuries or accidents. Or being able to play with your kids or grandkids.
You can be sick or injury free, yet 20 pounds overweight not fitting in your workout. You might look healthy but drained by the end of each day unable to get a deep sleep.
Some examples of more holistic definitions of health
Complete well-being of one’s mind, body, heart, and spirit
Your body’s cells are in harmony
You live to 120 years old with a high quality of life and healthspan
Just as each person has their own metrics for success, the same is true for your definition of health. What is your unique definition?
I define health as wellbeing, full power, and energy vitality of your body, mind, heart, and soul. Where you “youth” instead of “age” as you get older.
Few real-life examples of youthing “seniors” to inspire you
A 96-year-old yoga instructor who began yoga for her first time in her 80’s more flexible than even many children
A 105-year-old cyclist wins a race, can touch his toes, with the body of someone in their 50’s
A woman in her late 80’s had a stroke. She recovered in 3 weeks from no drugs but yoga qigong-based exercises, good diet, and is able to drive again
What would you do with this kind of energy? What would be possible?
The kind of health I am talking about is totally possible and happening all around the world.
What’s Possible for Your Health
What if living to 120 years old with a high quality of living was the norm?
What if you got healthier as you get older?
I personally am more healthy at 40 years old than in my early 20’s now training 3x/week in taekwondo as a black belt with young teens.
It wasn’t always that way. Between 20-35 years old I stopped being active and focused solely on business. I went to the doctor thinking I had torn an ACL only to learn my knee muscles were weakened and had atrophied. I couldn’t do a sit up after water birthing my son.
Health is a choice you make each moment. Each time you don’t eat the chocolate cake. Each time you choose to workout when you’re tired–your cells respond and reward you with more vitality.
Health is also a mind-body connection. Our mental health plays a large part in our physical health and vice versa. Somatic Mindfulness is an example of how bodywork and movement emphasizes internal perception and experience.
Knowing what’s possible for your health, now it’s your turn. What is your personal definition of health?
What does vibrant health look like for you? How do you define health?
Read more from Anna Choi
Anna Choi, Energy Master
Anna Choi is an Energy Master, Qigong Tai Chi Instructor, and Taekwondo Black Belt. After burning out from her wealth management and event consulting business, she hit rock bottom. She met her two enlightened energy masters transforming her life into a singer songwriter performance artist, 2x TEDx speaker, & Amazon No.1 International Best Selling Author as Founder of SolJoy with Anna Choi SPC.
SolJoy servies high-achieving, impact driven, mindful community leaders, entrepreneurs and executives to shift from burnout to brilliance, unleashing their soul's joy. Serving thousands of students, SolJoy specializes in somatic mindfulness, moving meditations, and healing martial arts to tap into boundless energy for more health, happiness, and peace.
