Being Healthy Isn’t Just About Looking After Your Body, You Need To Do This As Well..

Being healthy isn’t just about looking after your body, you need to look after a lot more areas of your lifestyle than just your physical body. Today we’re going to take a look at some areas you may have neglected over the years and how you can make a start in changing all aspects of your health.

So many of you look at a healthy lifestyle in the context of
losing weight, but there are many other aspects of being healthy that you need
to be looking at. Being healthy isn’t just about eating right!

I personally think the key to living healthy is to follow a
healthy lifestyle in order to give yourself the best chance of avoiding chronic
disease.

It’s easy to neglect taking care of ourselves because when
we’re busy and overwhelmed, we simply don’t seem to be able to find the time to
take care of ourselves. Self-care prevents “overload burnout” and reduces the
negative effects of stress, so it is essential for your health.

There are no doubts that eating right and exercise are
crucial for your body as is consuming sufficient amount of water.
“Calories in” have to be countered by “calories out” so
making good food choices supported by working out are indeed crucial to take
best care of your body.

You are going to feel better by eating right and exercising,
but to feel good there is more you have to do. Having a full healthy lifestyle
needs to be your priority. Taking care of your body, but also your mind and
general wellbeing.

Having been a personal trainer and now a Life Coach, I urge
my clients to create a good balance between all the important areas of life.

To do this I teach them about the importance of Wellness

According to the World Health Organization, “Health is a
state of complete physical, mental and social well-being and not merely the
absence of disease or infirmity.” In other words, your health is about much
more than physical ailments — it’s about emotional and social fitness, too.

“The natural healing force in each one of us is the greatest force in getting well.” ~Hippocrates

The best way to look at all aspects of a healthy lifestyle
is to consider your Wellness.

Wellness is an active process of becoming aware of and
making choices toward a healthy and fulfilling life. Wellness is more than
being free from illness, it is a dynamic process of change and growth.

Definition of Wellness

“…a state of complete physical, mental, and social
well-being, and not merely the absence of disease or infirmity.” The World
Health Organization

Wellness is a way for us to actively work toward better
health. There are 8 areas that make up wellness and your target needs to get a
good balance between all of them.

Eight Dimensions of Wellness

There are eight dimensions of wellness: occupational,
emotional, spiritual, environmental, financial, physical, social, and
intellectual. Each dimension of wellness is interrelated with another. Each
dimension is equally vital in the pursuit of optimum health.

Emotional Wellness

Emotional wellness relates to understanding your feelings and
coping effectively with stress through self-care, relaxation, stress reduction
and the development of inner resources so you can learn and grow from
experiences.

You need to start with your emotional health. You can’t have
avoided the recent upsurge in the news about mental health. In our stressful
society it has become a seriously big problem. Slowly, we’re coming around to
the fact that mental wellbeing is just as important as physical fitness in
terms of our overall health. Your mental state effects everything from your
blood pressure to hormones and resting heart rate.

We human beings are frequently subjected to emotions, some
positive, others negative. It is essential for your health that you manage your
feelings, dealing with the negative harmful ones as they come up.

How good is your emotional wellness? Check yourself against
these statements:

• I’m able to ask for/seek help when I need it.
• I value self-exploration and self-improvement.
• I am able to recognize and manage the different
  stressors in my life.
• I have a sense of fun and laughter.
• I am able to feel and label my feelings.
• I express my feelings appropriately.
• I have a sense of control in my life and I am
  able to adapt to change.
• I am able to comfort or console myself when I am
  troubled.
• Others would describe me as emotionally stable.

Environmental Wellness

Environmental wellness encourages us to live a lifestyle
that is respectful of our surroundings. This realm encourages us to live in
harmony with the Earth by taking action to protect it. It promotes interaction
with nature and your personal environment.

How good is your environmental wellness? Check yourself
against these statements:

Your environment and the greater global environment play a
role in your wellbeing. How you understand it, interact with it and feel its
impact contribute to how you live. Ask yourself:

• I care for and respect the environment and my
  community.
• I am aware of the risks within my environment
  and adjust my lifestyle accordingly.
• I preserve a calm home environment.
• I enjoy taking care of my living space and
  creating a positive place to be.
• I try to live an eco-friendly lifestyle.
• I make a point to educate myself about issues of
  global environmental significance and do my part to combat these.

Financial Wellness

Financial Wellness is where you successfully manage
financial expenses. Financial stress is repeatedly found to be a common source
of stress, anxiety and fear for college students.

How good is your financial wellness? Check yourself against
these statements:

• I have developed a financial plan for my future
  and have a balance between spending for the present and saving for the future.
• I budget my spending each month.
• I have enough money to manage my living needs.
• My beliefs/values surrounding money are
  harmonious with my behavior.
• I have a healthy relationship with money.

Occupational Wellness

Occupational wellness is about enjoying your work and
appreciating your contributions. This dimension of wellness encourages personal
satisfaction and enrichment in one’s life through work.

How good is your occupational wellness? Check yourself
against these statements:

• I have a balance between work and the other
  areas of my life.
• My work has a purpose.
• I enjoy my work and am happy doing what I do
• I use my skills and personal talents in the role
  I have at work
• I do the job I want to be doing
• My work doesn’t stress me highly
• I feel optimistic about my current career and my
  career goals.

Intellectual Wellness

Intellectual wellness involves having an open mind when you
encounter new ideas and continuing to expand your knowledge. It encourages
active participation in scholastic, cultural and community activities.

How good is your intellectual wellness? Check yourself
against these statements:

• I seek out new challenges.
• I have specific intellectual goals.
• I pursue mentally stimulating interests or
  hobbies.
• I have positive thoughts (a low degree of
  negativity and cynicism).
• I would describe myself as a lifelong learner.
• I commit time and energy to professional and
  self-development.

Physical Wellness

Physical wellness relates to maintaining a healthy body and
seeking care when needed. The one area you all consider when thinking about a
healthy lifestyle. Physical health is attained through exercise, eating well,
getting enough sleep and paying attention to the signs of illness and getting
help when needed.

How good is your physical wellness? Check yourself against
these statements:

• I get adequate sleep and I wake feeling rested.
• I eat regular nutritious meals that give me the
  energy I need to get through the day.
• I get a total of 150 minutes of moderate to
  vigorous physical activity per week.
• I eat a balanced nutritious diet.
• I practice safe sex.
• I do not use alcohol or use in moderation, am a
  non-smoker and avoid street drugs.
• I am generally free from illness.
• I am a reasonable weight for my height.

Social Wellness

Social wellness helps you perform social roles effectively
and comfortably and create a support network. This dimension of wellness allows
you to not only develop encouraging relationships with peers, but also intimate
relationships with romantic partners.

As important as eating right and exercising are, never
missing an important family event, a night out with your best friends , or a
meal with your family. We are social creatures and whether extroverted or
introverted, investing time and effort into our close social ties is crucial to
our ongoing mental health

How good is your social wellness? Check yourself against
these statements:

• I am able to find the time to maintain healthy
  relationships with friends and family.
• I feel I belong to a group or community and do
  not feel isolated.
• I respect others and their cultural identities.
• I am able to resolve conflicts in all areas of
  my life.
• I am aware of the feelings of others and can
  respond appropriately.
• I have at least three people with whom I have a
  close trusting relationship.
• I am aware of and able to set and respect my own
  and others boundaries.
• I have satisfying social interaction with
  others.

Spiritual Wellness

Your spiritual wellness encompasses your ability to discover
purpose and meaning in your life and looks at how in touch you are with your
values, morals and a higher spiritual power

How good is your spiritual wellness? Check yourself against
these statements:

• I feel an overall sense of peace and wellbeing
  in my life.
• I am aware of my own values and beliefs and
  respect the values and beliefs of others.
• I believe my life is meaningful and has
  direction.
• I practice meditation, pray or engage in some
  type of growth practice.
• I have a general sense of serenity.
• I have faith in a higher power.
• I have a sense of meaning and purpose in my
  life.
• I trust others and am able to forgive others and
  myself and let go.

To be healthy you have to deliberately choose to make sure
each of these areas are in a good place. Making time for each of them will
ensure you are making time for your health.

“There is no one giant step that does it. It’s a lot of little steps.” -Unknown