Thursday, November 17, 2011

The Wheel of Life: Wellness

Author's Note: This is the second in a series of eight articles that focus on the eight elements in the Wheel of Life, which I discuss in my book, 10,000 Days: The Rest of Your Life, the Best of Your Life. The 8 elements are: Spirituality, Relationships, Environment, Career, Money, Wellness, Romance, and Fun & Recreation. Last week I began the series with Environment. This week I focus on Wellness.

When facilitating The Course of 10,000 Days retreats, I ask participants to define their state of Wellness. Interestingly, nearly every participant responds in terms of their physical state of well-being. Some will tell me they need to lose weight. Others will advise me that they are recuperating from an operation, a serious illness or fighting an addiction. But, oddly enough, very few people ever mention their mental, emotional or spiritual well-being as part of their Wellness formula.

In an era when health care is dominated by our physical concerns, we tend to forget that Wellness involves much more. The Course of 10,000 Days defines Wellness as "a multi-dimensional state of well-being in which you enjoy a positive physical, mental, emotional and spiritual balance, thus allowing you to live your life to its fullest." Using this definition, the significance of Wellness becomes much more apparent in how we achieve purpose, peace and happiness in our life.

Not only is Wellness multi-dimensional, but it is also sub-dimensional. The National Wellness Institute, which has done an excellent job in researching this topic, advocates six sub-areas of Wellness. They are: Social, Occupational, Spiritual, Physical, Intellectual and Emotional Wellness. I encourage you to visit their website to read the definitions of each of these six sub-areas. It is: http://www.nationalwellness.org

The Course of 10,000 Days encourages us to take Wellness seriously. Many of us know family members or close friends who have died prematurely, or their quality of life is suffering because they did not take care of themselves physically or mentally. These are the two dominant dimensions of Wellness. But, in order to achieve a state of Wellness in accordance with the definition used by The Course of 10,000 Days, it's vital that we pay attention to all six sub-dimensions of Wellness. As the Wellness Institute suggests, "We may not all be physically fit or free from disease; we can, however, strive for increased wellness by working with what we've been dealt."

Dr. Leif Livingheart, the brilliant physician who guides people through life transformation retreats in Spain, tells us, "Wellness is not merely the absence of illness. It is also your ability to create a positive physical, mental, emotional and spiritual balance, thus allowing you to live your life to its fullest." I agree with Dr. Livingheart's assessment because our life-systems are inter-connected and, therefore, sustain or disrupt each other. For example, if we're emotionally distraught, that will affect our physical and mental disposition. So, this is why we believe it's important for people to make the mental transition from "avoiding illness" to "living life to its fullest!"

Here are a few ways to practice Wellness.

• BAG It. Every morning as you awake, practice the "BAG It" exercise. Think of three Blessings in your life. Next, identify three Accomplishments you've achieved in the past 24 hours. Finally, set three Goals you will accomplish in the next 24 hours. Then, when you awake tomorrow, those Goals you set today become tomorrow's Accomplishments! It's very powerful and easy to do!

• Move. It's tough to exercise every day unless you're a dedicated gym rat, but you can get some exercise by parking farther away from your office, taking the stairs instead of the building elevator, or enjoying a lunchtime stroll around the block. If you sit all day at a desk, you need to counter that by moving at least 20-30 minutes every work day. And, if you work on a keyboard, be sure to stop and stretch your hands, palms and forearms at least 5 minutes every hour to avoid carpal tunnel syndrome.

• Eat Less. For most people, losing weight is a matter of moving more and eating less. That's very difficult for most of us, so we need to consciously choose to eat less and simply change what we eat. Losing weight is all about exercise and reducing your calories as well as adjusting the types of food you eat. So, here are a few ideas we gathered from weight-losers at The Course of 10,000 Days Weekend Retreat: skip breakfast; no "whites [salt, bread, sugar, dairy] during the work week; eat salads three times a week with light dressings; eat fish twice a week; include vegetables at least three times a week instead of French fries or chips; eat boiled food instead of fried foods; drink sparkling water or ice tea, and avoid sodas and juices that are loaded with sugar. Do this and you'll shed pounds!

• Meditate. Don't confuse meditation with prayer or having to go to church. Meditation is simply lying down and closing your eyes for 20-30 minutes a few times each week and allowing you mind to rest. Sometimes, spa music can help you enter that state of calm and relaxation. This will quiet your mind and help you relax, let go of today's problems and reduce your stress levels.

• Set Goals. Set a few small goals for yourself every day. This could be part of your BAG It exercise mentioned above. But, it helps to continuously push yourself forward by aiming at something you want to accomplish in life. In this way, you'll always be striving to accomplish the goals you set.

I can guarantee you that if you'll do these simple things, your state of Wellness will improve. And, the healthier you are, the happier you will be. As always I look forward to your feedback. Let me know what works for you.

About the Author. Tom Hinton is the author of 10,000 Days: The Rest of Your Life, the Best of Your Life! that is now available as an eBook or paperback at: www.Amazon.com Tom is a popular speaker Work-Life Balance and Personal Growth topics. He also facilitates The Course of 10,000 Days retreat workshops. Contact: tom@tomhinton.com