One of the new trends in healthcare is toward “wellness”, but really what does that mean? Some of the definitions on the internet include: a healthy state of being free from disease; or the quality or state of being in good health; or a healthy balance of mind body and spirit that results in an overall feeling of well-being.
Just because you are free from disease, doesn’t necessarily mean that you are well or that you are healthy. By the same token, just because you have a condition or disease, doesn’t mean you can’t be healthy or well.
Really, what people are talking about is doing the things that allow your body to become healthier. Nutrition, exercise, body alignment, and the way you handle stress are all integral elements to making your body stronger, thus allowing you to be able to participate in things you enjoy. A good wellness program will include several major aspects – an exercise component (strength, aerobic, and core), a nutritional component, chiropractic (correct alignment and balance of the body) component, and stress reduction/meditation components.
A good wellness program will include all four of these components to varying degrees, partially based on the patient’s current health, eating habits, and exercise habits.
The goal of the wellness program should be to first teach and help you incorporate good habits into your lifestyle. It doesn’t mean you have to be a nutrition or an exercise fanatic. There are many simple things you can do to improve your own health, such as adding 2 glasses of water a day to your regimen, or if you are sedentary – walking just 10 minutes a day.
The end result of a good wellness program is to make you healthier, for you to feel better, to feel better about yourself, and most importantly to allow you to do more of the things you want to do.