 |
|
For many women, a definition of wellness is what they achieve
from eating nutritiously, and from taking regular physical
exercise.
While healthy eating and physical exercise are important aspects of wellness, I am going to share with you a definition of wellness that is far more than merely taking care of your nutrition and physical fitness (physical dimension).
The focus throughout this site has primarily been on
one dimension of
womens health and wellness; that is, your 'physical health'. My aim has been to
show that this single dimension of health and wellness isn't
just about your physical or medical conditions but that it is
equally about all the other important aspects that come under the
umbrella of your womens health and well-being.
To offer a true definition of wellness necessitate looking at the six other dimensions of your health and wellness that must now also be given your priority.
So, what are these six other dimensions? If you consider the 4 segments of the Health Womens Wheel as a whole, you will see that it represents just one of seven dimensions of a woman's wellness. A definition of wellness in the 'physical health' dimension has already been extensively covered throughout this site and include various categories and sub-categories. These are:
Although Mental Health is listed as a category in the 'physical health' dimension, it really is a dimension in its own right;
since mental health is a broad subject with various categories and
sub-categories that cover emotional, psychological, intellectual
aspects as well as spiritual health and wellness etc., Accordingly, from here on it will be treated as such.
To arrive at a definition of wellness and what it means for you personally, we need to explore the other important dimensions of your life and the fundamental role each play in the bigger picture of your holistic womens health and wellness.
Wellness can best be described as a process that involve a degree of Health and Wellness Skills for improving and maintaining a degree of harmony and balance across all the key areas of your life. These are:
When all of the above 7 dimensions of wellness are in harmony, you achieve a greater degree of balance that enables you to live and enjoy your life to the optimum. This is the true definition of wellness.
By applying the same Health Womens health principles and Goalsetting Guidance provided throughout this web site, you can achieve the very same positive results across these other six areas of your life. When you use the knowledge and skills you have already applied to your health womens health area, you will create movement and positive change that all come together to give an overall feeling of wellness and optimum health life balance.
Since one woman's definition of wellness and optimum balance will however differ from another, for simplicity, if you over-prioritise one dimension of your wellness at the expense of another, this will have a negative impact on the other areas. (For example, prioritising your career over your family life may lead to the latter suffering). Conversely, if you experience improvements in one or more of your health dimension areas, you will also see positive changes in the remaining areas.
Here's an example of what I mean; when you exercise and improve your level of physical fitness and well-being, this will in turn make a positive impact on your psychological, social, and spiritual areas, thus raising your fitness and wellness quotient in these areas too. If on the other hand you're experiencing emotional or psychological issues, then your physical, social network and/or spiritual dimensions will be adversely affected.
Each dimension of your wellness will have a number of categories. If we use 'health' for example - the dimension on which this web site is based, you will see that it has already been categorised into four main areas. That is, physical, food, (mental/emotional/ psychological - in part) and beauty health. Before we move on to categorising one of the other dimensions though, let's do a quick recap on the ' health' dimension to clarify one or two of the categories and what each refers to.
A definition of wellness
in physical health
A definition of wellness in the physical health dimension, relates to how your body function, as follows:
This refers to the extent of, and ease to which you are able to access a range of physical activities or exercise that include womens fitness exercise to enhance cardiovascular endurance, muscular endurance, muscular strength, flexibility, along with healthy weight maintenance and body weight control.
As well as the benefit of exercise for health and overall wellness, your physical health area will also include taking care of yourself in other ways such as recognising the signals that alert you to the stresses and strains of every day life and in ensuring you get sufficient rest and sleep.
Although the above are important criteria, they are not exclusive of other physical factors to which you are exposed within your physical dimension. For instance, other factors might include activities you engage in that will directly affect your health and safety, such as hazardous activities, accidents, smoking or drug use and abuse, or allergies arising from pollution.
A definition of wellness in this category refers to your Food Health Nutrition. It is also about your Healthy Or Un-Healthy Eating Habits and the choices you make as to what or how much you eat, with the intention of improving or maintaining good health. The ultimate aim is to ensure an adequate intake of food health vitamin for nutrition and wellness.
As in the case of the physical aspect of your wellness, your food health and nutrition will also involve additional self-care. For instance, as well as relying on your own internal wellness monitor that alerts you to when you're unwell and need to take better care of yourself, or even when you're in need of medical advice, you will also need some form of external wellness monitor such as medical check-ups to reassure you or inform you when something might be going wrong.
Whether your wellness monitoring is down to your own physical cues, (unusual loss of appetite for example), or is a result of your using a specific wellness monitor product, or it is more medical-oriented, taking the necessary preventative steps such as regular self- appraisals, medical check-ups and appropriately prescribed Wellness Products or Health and Wellness Solution is a fundamental part of your overall womens health and wellness.
Putting your definition of
wellness into practice
The above example is but one of seven dimensions that contribute to your optimum womens health life balance. Yet, they are all interconnected and can even be viewed as being interdependent, they will each have an influence on the other. Factors and/or events in your life will dictate whether you move toward the higher end of the 'wellness' spectrum or toward the lower 'illness' end. Naturally, now that you're armed with a clear definition of wellness, you will of course do your utmost in striving toward the higher end. Try this effective health skill for wellness exercise to help you.
It is your efforts and your commitment to your wellness that will make all the difference. Your approach will necessitate a careful balancing of each dimension against the other to get a degree of equilibrium across all these important areas of your life.
I will be covering each of the additional 6 dimensions of your wellness in the coming weeks so do check back regularly or alternatively you can subscribe to my blog, which will keep you updated when new material is added to the web site.
"Live with intention. Walk to the
edge. Listen hard. Practice wellness. Play with abandon. Laugh.
Choose with no regret. Continue to learn. Appreciate your friends.
Do what you love. Live as if this is all there is.".
(Mary Anne Roadacher-Hershey)
The information on this site is purely of educational value and is not intended to replace your seeking medical advice. You must consult your doctor over all your health concerns.
Return From Definition Of Wellness To Health Womens Healthy Living Goals Home Page
