The Pillars of Health Model

All models are wrong, some models are useful. With that in mind, let's go over a framework that attempts to make sense of the huge and complex topic that is your health. We have named it: The Pillars of Health.

Basically, we're taking "health" and we chop it up into parts. We identified three parts for now, but maybe we'll add to this in the future. This model gives you a way to look at your own situation, dispassionately, and assess where you could start to work on improving your health as a Desk Dweller.

It isn't meant to judge you, or compel you to work on x or y. The only goal is to assess your situation, any subsequent steps you want to take are entirely up to you.

This model is not complete, and can be amended over time. Perhaps you have input that would complement a pillar of the model, or introduce an entirely new one?

The pillars of health

Pillar 1: sleep, relaxation, mental load, mental health

(This pillar seems to do a lot of heavy lifting. )

Do you get enough sleep? It's recommended to sleep at least 7 hours and a maximum of 9 hours per night. Consistently not getting enough sleep (6 hours or less) is associated with certain health risks (source).

Everyone has a bad night occasionally, this is about consistently not getting enough sleep. You are not lazy if you sleep 8 hours a night. This is one of the smartest things you can do for long term health.

Other than sleep, there’s the matter of getting enough relaxation. Your Desk Dweller job probably takes a large chunk of your time, but what do you do in your spare time? Do you have opportunities to do stuff you like to do? Hobbies? Doing those things also plays a large part in how healthy we feel. Work-life balance is important!

And what about your mental load? Does your job give you stress? Do you feel stressed? Long term stress comes with health risks (source). You can tell whether you are too stressed if you can never relax or feel relaxed, if you have headaches regularly, if your stomach feels tense, if you feel chest pain or if you have trouble sleeping. Stress can also take a toll on your mental health. Some people deal with stress in unhealthy manners such as coping with alcohol, cigarettes, drugs… But this only masks the problem and gives you other problems to deal with.

Pillar 2: activity level, sport, exercise

Another pillar in healthy living is this one: your daily activity level, and whether you do any sports or exercise on a daily or weekly basis. This one is very simple for some people and a challenge for others.

It also depends on where you live in the world: most of Europe’s cities are safe, walkable or bike-friendly, whereas large parts of the US are very car-centric.

You might think: why does this matter? Well, if you have to drive your car everywhere, you miss out on what you could call The Gym of Life (source). The Gym of Life is any activity you do that is part of your daily life: walking to the supermarket, walking to the train, cycling to your friends house, etc. This is not really feasible in all parts of the world, but if it is feasible where you live, I highly recommend it.

If you are very sedentary because of your job: what are small things you can change? Can you go for small walks during the day? Because this easily adds up to a couple of thousand extra steps. Perhaps get a walking treadmill? Walk to the coffee machine more frequently?

The recommended activity standards for adults in the UK are a good example to strive for: strength activities twice a week, 150 minutes of moderate cardio or 75 minutes intense cardio and reduce time sitting. Most countries have their own recommended standards, look it up for your country!

Why is activity important for your health? Humans weren't meant to be Desk Dwellers, we were meant to have active lifestyles.

Having a good daily activity level (walking, biking) + exercising twice a week can reduce the risk of heath disease or a stroke. It’s good for your heart! It can also have benefits for your mental health as well. The pillars are connected. It could be that your mental health improves when you start working on your activity level.

Pillar 3: nutrition, food choices, relationship with substances like alcohol

Another part of being healthy is your body weight and body composition. The leading heuristic for calculating whether you have a body weight that is considered healthy is: BMI, the Body Mass Index (online calculator). If your result falls between 18.5-25, you have a healthy body weight.

The only problem with this model is that it is wrong for people with a lot of muscle, so bodybuilders. That is why there is a second check that should also be done, namely waist circumference. Stomach fat is the worst for your health (source), so it’s advisable to get your waist circumference within normal ranges.

Then there’s the matter of your body composition. This means: what is the ratio between your body fat and fat-free mass (calculator). In general, the advice for Desk Dwellers is this: get your body fat level within the recommended range and try to put on some muscle.

Losing weight is done via nutrition, while making sure you mostly lose body fat and are building muscle is done via strength training.

Aside from your weight, you could also look at your food choices. Your food choices matter for more than just your weight. It's about getting the nutrients your body needs: a good distribution of protein, fats and carbohydrates, and getting enough vitamins, minerals, and dietary fiber. Most countries have guidelines for their citizens to help them make better food choices (UK example).

Lastly, this pillar also comprises your relationship with substances like drugs and alcohol. Alcohol in particular is something that is widely accepted in Western society, while there are literally no upsides to consuming it from a health perspective. Going to zero alcohol might not be feasible at once, but it might be worth it to consider your current consumption and think about the long-term effects. Also consider that your alcohol consumption could be a symptom for an underlying problem, which might lead you back to the first pillar.

It's all connected

After reading this, what do you think? Is it obvious to you where your biggest challenge lies? Is that also the thing you feel inclined to work on?

Please note that what you identify as priority number one to work on, doesn't have to be the thing you begin with. That is a wholly different matter and is not captured by the model. The model gives you the "what", but not the "why" and does not mandate what you should start with.

For example, let's say you've studied the model and came to the conclusion that, factually, you'd be best off by working on your weight. However, if that immediately fills you with dread, then....don't start there. It could be easier to not start by focusing on the scale, but to do a small actionable thing like "eat fruit daily". That's a smaller step that is also good for your health because of the vitamins, minerals and fiber. That, in turn, might make you feel good about yourself and set in motion a positive feedback loop that incentivizes you to try even more things.

If there's one thing aside from the model that we'd like you to remember, it's this: you are fine as you are. Whatever your current situation is, health wise, it says nothing about your value as a human being. If you want to change, start gentle. No one has ever successfully gotten themselves to a better lifestyle while being fuelled by self-hatred. It's better to start from a place of acceptance, and, as cheesy as that sounds, self-love.

Do not use food or exercise as a form of punishment, please. That's a dead end.

Work on your health while thinking of future you. What are behaviors that future you can sustain? Starting a 1200 kcal diet to quickly lose weight is not sustainable. Going to the gym 5 times per week while you realistically have time for 2 is not sustainable. Be kind to yourself, commit to things you can actually achieve. Don't sabotage yourself by biting off more than you can chew and then say, "see, this is way too hard for me!".

Reflection task

Using the Pillars of Health model, take some time to reflect on your own situation.

What are you doing well?

What should you improve?

The second step is to consider what you feel like starting with. Like we said earlier, this can be a different thing from what would rationally be the best thing to start with. If you don't want to lose weight and change your food pattern yet, then why not start with adding some more movement to your day? This is totally valid!

If you feel very stressed and don't see options to improve your stress levels right now, why not focus on eating lots of veggies and fruits? This will give your body more nutrients it needs, and that is still an act of kindness for yourself.

If you have questions in regard to your own situation, please mail them to info@deskdwellers.town