Written by: absherman
Everyone has their own personal interpretation of what ‘healthy living’ is. From the World Health Organization, the word ‘health’ is defined as: ‘A state of complete physical, mental and social well-being, and not merely the absence of disease or infirmity.’ When we set betterment goals, or proclaim, “I want to be healthier!”, the actions taken to achieve these resolutions are interrelated to fitness and wellness. Both modalities of health, fitness is centered around appearance and physicality, whereas, ‘wellness’ is a continuum of conscious choices towards self-care in one’s lifestyle.
When we decide to up our activity by factoring in more exercising, what’s the reason? Sometimes it’s for vanity purposes. People enjoy seeing the hard work they’ve put in at the gym pay off body-wise. For others, the motivation could stem from the desire to be stronger for a particular marathon, to counter medical issues, or improve their overall well-being. Besides increasing visits to the gym, nutrition is a complementing modality to fitness. Encouraging ourselves to re-evaluate eating habits to align more with a well-balanced diet can speed up body results on the outside, but more importantly, on the inside. Being fit is encouraged and vital, but it is not the sole component of ‘healthy living’. This is where wellness comes into play.
Wellness is a major contribution to health and healthy living. Actively choosing to be, or do better in our physical, emotional, and social lives requires mindfulness. If healthy living is the end goal, wellness is the journey of strategies and intentions we take to get there. Progress continues when you stick with it. If there’s no actions taken to motivate personal goals, nothing will be achieved. Self-reflection and discipline support mindfulness. If we declare we want to be less stressed, first we must pinpoint what triggers us and how we respond to it. Be honest and accountable. To make an impact after self-reflecting, curating stress management solutions to support the intention, and actually following through with them takes discipline. Maybe you’ll try yoga for a few weeks to see if it reduces your stress levels, or incorporate a monthly spa day to alleviate body tension. Having a comprehensive betterment plan for each aspect of livelihood, from mental health to physical health, is balancing and motivational. Understanding how to appropriately cope and care for the self through personal development is what wellness is all about.
Healthy living is being fit as a fiddle in mind, body, and soul through fitness and wellness. There is always room for improvement, which is why tasking ourselves with mini goals in pursuit of maintaining ‘good health’ overall is necessary. Challenging yourself to see past how you view your lifestyle by diving deeper and asking, “How does my current lifestyle affect me positively and negatively?”, welcomes analysis of how our habits measure up. Pat yourself on the back for healthy behaviors already implemented in your life, but don’t just stop there! Keep contributing towards your well-being by mindfully encompassing activities that will aid in satisfaction with one’s lifestyle.
