Wellness is a conscious approach to maintain a complete physical, mental, and spiritual well-being. Achieving wellness involves a series of good health decisions that lead to a balance in all aspects of your life. Wellness addresses questions such as “Are you living up to your true potential?” and “Are all areas of your life optimized?”. Achieving wellness is easy to do if you take it a step at a time.
Eating right – Foods that are high in fat and sugar have no place in a wellness plan. Fast food, soda pop, and chips just don’t cut it! Those who seek total wellness should opt for whole grains, fruits and vegetables, fish and lean meats. These are the foods that your body utilizes most effectively and that offer the greatest health benefits.
Exercise – Exercise does not have to be a five day per week gym routine. Simply stated, exercise is moving and breathing. In a wellness plan, focus is on moving more than you are currently moving, and continually making gradual improvements in the quality of your exercise. Many people who begin wellness and exercise plans fail because their goals are not realistic. If you have been a couch potato for the past few years, don’t set yourself up for failure. Instead, begin with a walk around the block every day. The first month will be very challenging for you, but not so challenging that you will fail. If you can only walk to the end of the street and back again, then begin there. Progress is the key to success.
Get enough sleep – Sleep is the time when your body recharges and repairs itself. During sleep, wounds heal, hair grows, and muscles repair themselves. Your body needs about 7 to 8 hours of sleep each night, whether or not you feel that you do. If you have been sustaining on 6 hours per night for years, it will take a few months for your body to adjust to the extra rest time. Even if you are not sleeping the entire time, sit in bed with a good book, write in your journal, or just relax until you fall asleep.
Eliminate poor habits – It is the year 2011. Are you still smoking? Still consuming six beers per week too many? Even if you exercise and eat right, nothing will reverse the effects of smoking, drinking, and poor health habits. Working a 60 hour work week will also counteract any positive effects that you are experiencing in other areas of your life. Think about total wellness as the guiding factor in all your decisions. If it does not enhance your well being, then don’t do it.