If you*re anything like me, then you*ve got a certain picture in your mind of what *holistic* is supposed to be. For me, it*s conjured up pictures of holy men, or shaman, doing a ritual dance while chanting mantras, and rubbing *energy crystals* in an effort to remove evil spirits from your life. It wasn*t until I started doing research for my new book, *5 Keys To Health: A Holistic Approach* when I realized that my preconceptions couldn*t have been more further from the truth.

I had originally planned to write a book on fitness. I know that*s a pretty general term, but I intended it to be about how one can achieve health through physical fitness. It wasn*t going to be anything fancy. It was going to be a guide for the busy person, and how they can get fit, and stay that way while still being able to live a busy lifestyle.

I've always been interested in health and fitness. As a matter of fact, I think I'm in pretty good shape. I work out with weights at least 3 days per week, and I engage in some sort of cardio- vascular activity at least 2 days per week. I eat right; I stretch after every work out. I don't smoke or drink excessively. I thought I was doing pretty well.

That is, until through the course of my research I came to realize that there's a lot more to being healthy than being physically fit, and eating right. That's when I ran into the word *holistic.* In the past, it's always had a negative connotation for me. I've always thought of it as something used by metaphysical crackpots trying to sell snake-oil. As it turns out, holistic is not what I thought it was.

The real meaning of holistic is looking at the whole system rather than just concentrating on individual components. So, when it comes to being healthy, it looks at every aspect of health instead of just the physical. Do you realize that when we consider health, we usually look to see if our diet is right, or how often we exercise? There's so much more to

I found out that there are several aspects you must work on in order to consider yourself truly healthy. Among them are the obvious physical, but there's also the mental and the spiritual to consider. If any of these is deficient, it could have serious repercussions in your life.

Ask yourself this, *Am I really healthy?*

Yes, you work out religiously. Yes, you eat chicken breasts, and egg whites, and you take your vitamins, and do everything else a *healthy* person is supposed to. But is there anything you're missing?

Let me ask you this: how often do work on relieving stress from your life? How often do you work on building positive relationships? How often do you seek to build spirituality in your life?

These are just some of the aspects you must work on if you're searching for true, and total health. Holistic doesn't have to have a negative meaning. It can simply mean a philosophy of well- being that considers the physical, mental and spiritual aspects of life as being closely interconnected and balanced. I cover all of these points, and several more in my book, *5 Keys To Health: A Holistic Approach.*

I show you how to apply the holistic approach to health without any of the metaphysical mumbo jumbo. You can check it out at http://5keystohealth.com .

Take it from me, a one-time skeptic. *Holistic* doesn't have to be a four-lettered word. It can be something positive that will help you create a fuller, healthier life.

Edgar Cisneros is a health and fitness author. His articles and ebooks can help you achieve your personal fitness, and health goals faster and more efficiently. He can be reached by sending an email to mailto:echealth@5keystohealth.com, or by visiting his website at http://5keystohealth.com.