Health and wellness. What does that mean to you? Most would say the picture on the right is a healthy woman but without the picture on the left. The right would not be possible.
There is so much more to being healthy than being physically fit. Your entire body is one. Mind, body, spirit. It may sound cliche to some but it is a fact. You need a balance of all three to produce the picture, not the right.
It takes mental fortitude to stay on a fixed healthy eating, lifting, and sleeping regimen. It takes a strong spirit of faith to keep progressing when no results are visible. The physical perseverance to keep pushing and not cutting yourself short.
The ability to withstand the pressure from people you know and loved ones not understanding that it is a lifestyle choice. Not a rejection of anyone just a love of the overall lifestyle of growth inside and out.
Not to mention the overall well-being of self to get on a stage to be judged, ON PURPOSE against others to showcase all your hard work. To know you are a winner for making it to the stage regardless of the outcome.
Full body nutrition
The most common aspect of health and wellness that immediately comes to mind for most people is the need to eat right and exercise. Focusing on your health would include exercise and also a healthy diet. Full of nutrient-rich foods that nourish you for optimal mental and physical functionality. Some foods fuel your body, while others fuel brain health and the immune system. Learning how to eat for an overall healthier lifestyle can serve you in many ways.
Along with fueling your body with the correct amount of nourishment comes taking the time to get the appropriate amount of sleep. Your body and mind require optimal amounts of sleep. Each person is different on the exact amount that is needed but overall 7-9 hours is a good place to start.
The quality of your sleep is just as important as the amount. Your body and brain need time to rejuvenate and repair while you rest. The brain uses the time to reorganize and file away your thoughts and memories from the day.
Not eating right or getting enough sleep can lead to physical overload and high anxiety and stress as your body struggles to keep up with daily demands. Over time the stress and anxiety can become detrimental in and of themselves.
Exercise with Purpose
Does the word exercise make you smile or cringe? For most, it is considered a necessity that is not enjoyable. Yes, exercise is a necessity but how you choose to view it may come from the approach you take toward the goal.
What if you chose to listen to a good book while working through a stretching series? Exercise your mind and body. Flexibility is extremely important for overall health. From static stretching to mayo facial release are essential to your workout plans. You may choose to do Yoga instead and work full mind, body, and spirit in one.
Building and maintaining core strength is important for all movement starting within the core or “trunk” of the body. It is the foundation for all movement and it will help prevent injuries. It is essential to maintain the balance of movement.
Weight training is important to build muscle density. Muscle density can lead to less body fat, a stronger immune system, improved energy levels, and reduced stress. As cited in Whiting’s article How muscle mass shapes your health.
There are multiple options for building muscle mass. The gym setting is not a necessity. For those strong-willed many exercise routines are online now. For those who need more accountability in their lives, I have 2 openings going into the holidays for only training. Drop me a note on my contact page.
Mind, Body, Spirit
The aspect of wellness most do not consider is the spirit or inner being. Without the strength of the spirit, true wellness is not possible. You must consider all three, the Mind, body, and spirit to be a well-balanced individual. It takes all three working together to accomplish overall health and wellness.
When you know who you are and what you want in life you can work toward it or maintain it. When you do not have a clear picture of who you are it can be difficult to make a plan of action. If you are in this phase now you can watch a free video to guide you through here: “Who am I?”
Maintaining a balance in who you are and what you believe is in a state of constant change. As you are out in the world every experience you have is weighed against your values and beliefs. Sometimes they cause you to question your beliefs. This is where true balance comes in harmony.
When you are in balance you have the ability to look at life events and assess them against your beliefs and values and stay true to who you are. Yes sometimes events lead to us changing our beliefs but only when you truly know who you are can you be sure it is by your personal choice.
The struggle to find balance shows up in many ways. It is not always the junk food binge that is the problem to weight releasing but the reason for the binge. Somewhere there is an incongruence in your beliefs and values. Looking for what is triggering the binge is a great place to start.
Wellness begins Within
Often times it can be fear. What if I released the weight? What if I fail? My success would mean changes in my life, what are they? All of these cause anxiety and fear. Knowing what is triggering them is essential to finding balance. Are you struggling to find answers? There are multiple ways I can help you if you would like to work with me.
Taking time daily to develop mental awareness will strengthen you. Knowing who you are and what your values are is important. In today’s world, there is a push for social wellness to be a component of emotional wellness. In the desire to be socially accepted, it can become too easy to lose oneself in a desire to fit in.
Having the perception that being able to fit into your social scene means you are socially healthy has actually led many to adjust their beliefs to fit their surroundings rather than changing their surroundings to fit with their values. This can cause a huge imbalance in the spirit of the “self” aspect.
You do not have to change who you are to have healthy social relationships. The key to a truly healthy relationship is the ability to be an individual and accept others as individuals. To be open to learning about new concepts even if they do not fit your values.
The misconception that a healthy relationship means you need to be the “same” has many struggling with the need to conform to fit in and be accepted. When this goes against one’s own sense of self and personal values it can lead to anxiety and stress.
Know Thy Self
Knowing who you are and what your values are is a great way to stay congruent with yourself and not fall to the whim of social winds. As you become more aware of who you are you will also become more confident.
Knowing who you are and what you believe allows you to act with more confidence. That confidence will grow more as you learn to move through life with more balance in who you are overall.
Have a blessed day, Y’all,
Peggie Sue | The Midlife Dream Life Coach
