Last week we started to talk about seven aspects of wellness as described on the University of California at Riverside website. We briefly discussed social, emotional and spiritual dimensions in the previous article and now we will look at environmental, occupational, intellectual and physical wellness.
Environmental Wellness is the ability to recognize, take responsibility for and make a positive impact on the quality of our environment. Our personal environment includes our homes, our communities and our planet. Being aware of this contributes to our Environmental Wellness.
Environmental wellness involves a number of different aspects of personal and societal responsibilities, including an awareness of the limitations of the earth’s natural resources and living an environmentally responsible life. To assess where you stand on the environmental wellness continuum, the questions you would want to ask are: 1) Do I recycle? 2) If I see a safety hazard, do I take the steps to fix the problem? 3) Do I volunteer time to worthy causes? And, 4) Am I aware of my surroundings at all times? Assessing these things will help you to see if you have a good sense of environmental wellness.
The fifth area is Occupational Wellness. It is the ability to get personal fulfillment from our jobs or our chosen career fields while still maintaining balance in our lives. Our desire to make positive contributions to our careers, to the organizations we work in, and to society as a whole, leads to Occupational Wellness. Because what we do for a living encompasses so much of our time, it's important for our overall well-being to do what we love and love what we do. When people are doing what they were meant to do, they deepen their sense of meaning and purpose.
Ask these questions to check your level of Occupational Wellness? Do I enjoy going to work most days? Do I have a manageable workload? Do I feel that I can talk to my boss and co-workers when problems arise? If not, then you might want to rethink your occupational situation.
The next aspect is Intellectual Wellness. This is the ability to open our minds to new ideas and experiences that can be applied to our lives. The desire to learn new concepts, improve skills and seek challenges in pursuit of lifelong learning contributes to our Intellectual Wellness. An intellectually well person seeks mental growth and stimulation through cultural activities and exploring new ideas.
Finally, Physical Wellness is the ability to maintain a healthy quality of life that allows us to get through our daily activities without undue fatigue or physical stress. The ability to recognize that our behaviors have a significant impact on our wellness and adopting healthful habits (routine check-ups, a balanced diet, exercise, etc.) while avoiding destructive habits (tobacco, drugs, alcohol, etc.) will lead to optimal Physical Wellness.
Physical wellness involves aspects of life that are necessary to keep yourself in top condition. Optimal physical wellness is developed through the combination of beneficial physical activity/exercise and healthy eating habits. Elemental components of physical wellness include building muscular strength and endurance, cardiovascular strength and endurance and flexibility.
Physical wellness is also concerned with developing personal responsibility for your own health care. This would include such things as caring for minor illnesses on your own and knowing when professional medical attention is needed. Developing physical wellness empowers you to be able to monitor and understand your body's warning signs. You'll understand and appreciate the relationship between sound nutrition and how your body performs. The physical benefits of looking good and feeling terrific most often lead to the psychological benefits of enhanced self-esteem, self-control, determination and a sense of direction.
If you are Physically Well, you will be able to answer “yes” to the following questions. Do I know important health numbers, like my cholesterol, weight, blood pressure, and blood sugar levels? Do I get annual physical exams? Do I avoid using tobacco products and keep alcohol use in check? Do I avoid illegal drug use? Do I get sufficient amount of sleep? Do I have an established exercise routine?
While the Canton Fitness Center mainly deals with the physical aspect of wellness, it is amazing how they all overlap and intertwine to create “YOU” the person. Also amazing is that being out of balance in one or two areas can cause stress. Get to know where you stand in the 7 areas of wellness and make an effort to be as well balanced as possible – your health depends on it. As always, Believe in your health; We do!