Maintaining balance for a long voyage.

This article introduces cultural aspects of health, using Hokule'a, the voyaging canoe, as a model for maintaining balance on a long voyage through life. Maintaining balance encompasses physical, nutritional and mental health. This triangle is crucial for the well-being of a person. In the stress of the modern world we often disregard the basics in an effort to become more efficient and more productive, neglecting physical activity, eating fast foods instead of healthy meals, and forgetting our mental well-being. Eventually, this can lead to devastating co-morbidities. We discuss balanced nutrition, physical activity, and mental health, relating to living on the canoe, with lessons that can be applied to daily living.