What does wellness mean to you? Is it about continued good health, being fit and looking your best, having the ability to enjoy life to the fullest? In this article, we’ll be taking a closer look at wellness, how you can obtain it and what the advantages and benefits are of this extremely important physical and mental state.
What Is a Typical Definition Of Wellness?
Generally, when someone refers to being healthy, they are often talking about the physical being, about being free from disease, injury and illness. Wellness, on the other hand, is more of a general term that refers to an individual’s state of being overall, including physical health, physical fitness, mental health, mood, state of mind and more.
Wellness, therefore, is all-encompassing of the physical, intellectual and emotional being. This is a general definition, of course, as an individual may have their own description of what wellness means to them.
Let’s now look at some typical ways to attain wellness.
Stick To a Nutritious Meal Plan
As being healthy is an integral part of overall wellness, one of the most important ways to get healthy or to remain healthy is to be mindful of what you eat. If you can stick to a meal plan that is nutritious and keep fast food and junk food consumption to a minimum, there’s no reason why you shouldn’t remain in very good health most of the time.
Basically, the five essential food groups you’ll be wanting to eat regularly include:
- Protein
- Carbohydrates and starch
- Fruits and vegetables
- Healthy fats and oils
- Dairy products
A good balance of these food groups will give you all the vitamins, minerals and fuel your body needs to not only remain healthy, but to function at an optimal level. This includes brain function just as much as the rest of the body.
Get Regular Daily Exercise
Of course, no wellness program would be truly complete without embarking on a regular exercise routine. How much exercise you require will largely depend on your current lifestyle and your current state of physical fitness, including your weight. If you’re overweight and need to drop some kilos, you’ll likely need to do more exercise than someone who is already in shape.
Even if your lifestyle dictates a busy schedule, it’s worth finding twenty or thirty minutes per day where you can get some exercise in. You can even be a little creative with this. For example, if you’re working an office job and the building has elevators and stairs, take the stairs from time to time. Maybe even consider walking to and from work if the distance is not too far.
Exercise doesn’t mean you have to find time to spend in a gym. All forms of exercise offer benefits, both physically and mentally. Just going for regular walks can make a world of difference to your physical fitness and appearance, as well as your emotional frame of mind.
Take Time To Chill Out and Wind Down
Your state of mind is just as important to your wellness as anything else. Therefore, it’s vital that you find time regularly to just chill out, wind down and clear your head. Some people like to indulge in meditation to achieve this. Others feel the need to get out among nature or be near water to relieve stress and clear their head.
Do whatever works best for you. What’s important is to find some time to do it regularly. Maintaining your mood and your sanity is an integral part of any wellness plan.
Can Negative Thinking Affect Your State Of Wellness?
It most certainly can. Thinking negatively creates a state of stress and worry. This changes your mood and makes for feel bad overall. The more that negative thoughts creep into your mind to put you in a stressful state, eventually this can also take a toll on your physical wellbeing too.
What you think is really just as important as eating a nutritious diet and getting regular exercise. How you think has a direct affect on your mental health, and ultimately your physical health.
The Benefits Of a State Of Wellness
Some of the benefits and plusses of overall wellness are quite obvious. Remaining free from serious illness and disease is one obvious benefit achieved through wellness. This also includes things like reducing your likelihood of getting cancer, having a heart attack and other critical health issues.
As far as injuries and broken bones go, a combination of a good diet and regular exercise leads to a body that is more resilient and resistant to muscular injuries, joint problems and results in a stronger bone structure and increased bone density.
The psychological benefits of wellness are just as important as any of the physical advantages. Without a brain that functions at its best and a mind that is happy and full of positive, healthy thoughts, the physical body is going to suffer. Mental health and mood are largely affected by our thoughts, but also by what we choose to eat and whether we get enough exercise.
Wellness also leads to increased productivity, improved interpersonal relationships, an ability to hold down a job, career advancement, personal development and so much more.
The Takeaway
Wellness is all-encompassing. What does it mean for you? Likely, all of the above mentioned in this article and more. We are nothing without our health and wellbeing, so focusing on wellness should be something that becomes a part of our everyday lives.
Sources:
https://occmed.sanfordhealth.org/resources/article-library/the-difference-between-health-and-wellness
https://oneyouleeds.co.uk/blog/the-five-food-groups/
