The Balance in Wellness

Wellness is about having balance in life. Make sure to spend time on each of the dimensions of wellness.

Hettler's seven dimensions of wellness

• Intellectual
• Interpersonal
• Physical
• Cultural
• Spirital
• Occupational
• Financial

Wellness wheels usually contain at least four domains: physical, psychological, spiritual, and social. Other parts of the wellness wheel are sometimes added: financial, emotional, environmental, etc. achieving balance between all of these is the key to wellness. If one of the domains is neglected, the rest of the wheel becomes out of balance as well.

"'The Medicine Wheel,' sometimes known as the Sacred Hoop, has been used by generations of various Native American tribes for health and healing. It embodies the Four Directions, as well as Father Sky, Mother Earth, and Spirit Tree—all of which symbolize dimensions of health and the cycles of life." –Native Voices

The medicine wheel also contains four domains: north, east, south, and west. Balance in these four domains is also the key to wellness.

The Wellness Continuum

The important thing about the wellness continuum is that it shows both sides of wellness: 'high level wellness' and 'low level wellness'. A high level of wellness leads to a meaningful and fulfilled life.

A deeper look at the wellness continuum

Here you can see that all of the dimension of wellness are intertwined with each other.

Where to start?

There is so much to look at, and so many starting points. The truth is that it is really up to you... however, for the sake of this article, let's start with Physical Wellness.

Components of Physical Wellness

1. Cardiorespiratory Endurance
2. Muscular Strength
3. Muscular Endurance
4. Flexibility
5. Body Composition

Skill-Related Components of Fitness

• Speed
• Power
• Agility
• Balance
• Coordination
• Reaction time

Target Heart Rate

The target heart rate (THR) is between 55-85 percent of your maximum heart rate (MHR), and the formula to calculate it is pretty complicated.

The F.I.T.T. Formula

• Frequency—frequency of the exercise undertaken or how often you exercise.
• Intensity—intensity of the exercise undertaken or how hard you exercise.
• Time—time you spend exercising or how long you exercise for
• Type—type of exercise undertaken or what kind of exercise you do.

How do you practice wellness?

It's easier than you might think. Practicing wellness, for the most part, is about practising daily disciplines that improve quality of life.

• Floss everyday
• Eat more slowly
• De-clutter your work and personal life
• Read more
• Take responsibility for your actions
• Perform spiritual practices
• Take up a new hobby
• Journal
• Go for a walk on your lunch break
• Watch less TV
• Recycle
• Volunteer

Personal Inventory - Physical Wellness

How much of the list below do you do on a regular basis? What do you need to improve on?

• I exercise aerobically (vigorous, continuous) for 20 to 30 minutes at least three times per week.
• I eat fruits, vegetables, and whole grains every day.
• I avoid tobacco products.
• I wear a seat belt while riding in and driving a car.
• I deliberately minimize my intake of cholesterol, dietary fats, and oils.
• I avoid drinking alcoholic beverages, or I consume no more than one drink per day.
• I get an adequate amount of sleep.
• I have adequate coping mechanisms for dealing with stress.
• I maintain a regular schedule of immunizations, physicals, dental checkups and self-exams.
• I maintain a reasonable weight, avoiding the extremes of being overweight and underweight.

Get started now! 'I personally need to...'

Make a list of the top three things that you can do to improve your wellness from either the list above or some ideas of your own.

Here an example of this:

• Exercise aerobically (vigorous, continuous) for 20 to 30 minutes at least three times per week.
• Deliberately minimize my intake of cholesterol, dietary fats, and oils.
• Eat fruits and vegetables, every day.

Hello. Nice to meet you! How are you? Hmm... this feels like a really one sided conversation... why don't you follow me on social media, so I can get to know you too!

About the Author

I started blogging about two years ago, and my collection of blogs and articles is getting pretty impressive. I’ve taken online classes for writing, and even some classes about the art of blogging itself. It would be really awesome if you join the adventure, and maybe even help me think of what to write about next. If you would like to submit some feedback or ideas, you can always tweet me on twitter.

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Work Cited

English name of the content author / Nom en anglais de l'auteur du contenu. “Social Determinants of Health.” CBPP, 26 Sept. 2016.

“The Medicine Wheel and the Four Directions - Medicine Ways: Traditional Healers and Healing—Healing Ways—Exhibition—Native Voices.” U.S. National Library of Medicine, National Institutes of Health.