Few people really know that the progression of most diseases, including obesity, can actually be halted. Or that many conditions can be reversed through the right diet and lifestyle changes1, 2. A healthy lifestyle can reduce the degree of poor health that most people have to endure at the end of their lives, which will improve quality of life, extend independence and reduce time spent in hospitals or otherwise receiving medical treatment. But there are benefits to reap even before you reach your twilight years. Wellness can help you live a high-quality active life until the very end. We should all want to live a happy life, right? Not suffering from degenerative disease or having to go to doctors’ offices to undergo horrible treatments.
We all have genetic differences that affect our health, but these genetic expressions are outweighed by our health habits. Habits such as diet and lifestyle choices, whether those choices are good or bad, will determine which genetic expression reacts, including “turning on” chronic illnesses. I like to tell people that genetics loads the gun and your environment pulls the trigger! The good news is that, collectively, excellent wellness will translate to overall health, and health has a direct correlation with weight loss!
*Environment: When I say, “your environment pulls the trigger,” I mean the poor-quality foods, biased information and the hustle & bustle society that we are surrounded by.
SORT THROUGH THE CONTRADICTIONS
It can be difficult knowing how best to achieve health and wellness because many companies use aggressive marketing tactics that can make it difficult for the public to separate fact from fiction. It’s difficult even for scientists using the best tools available to discover the truth about good health, and in fact there are often contradictory findings!
As an example, let’s take the “findings” on eggs and the correlation that they have with health. This week it could be that you should be eating eggs every day, and the following week new findings will tell you that the cholesterol in eggs causes heart disease (which is false), and you should stop eating them. What the media doesn’t tell you is what is most important, which is that the quality of eggs that you eat is really what matters. For example, free-range eggs have five times the amount of anti-inflammatory fat compared to conventional eggs3. Both are called “eggs,” but in reality they affect your body drastically differently.
WHAT IS WELLNESS?
Now, let’s get back to this word, “wellness.” What does it mean? The easiest way that I can explain wellness to you is by showing you my “Wellness Wheel” diagram. I call this a Wellness “Wheel” because if there are any imperfections in the perfectly circular shape while it’s rolling, there are going to be problems. Also, no one point is further away from the center compared to another, meaning that each point is just as important as the last. So when you think of wellness, think of it being the center of your circle and everything around it is what’s protecting it.
As you can see, there are four MAIN aspects when it comes to wellness: nutrition, lifestyle, exercise and mindset. In general terms, nutrition represents quality foods, portion control and meal timing. Lifestyle includes sleep hygiene, stress management and social interactions. Exercise includes your physical activities, the amount of daily movement and physical hobbies. Mindset includes your thought patterns, willpower and meditation.
*Physical hobbies: These are less-intense hobbies like gardening, fishing, light yard work, etc.
Like I said before, when we look at wellness, each aspect of this Wellness Wheel remains equally important. If you are eating properly but stressed every day, your results can actually be negated. If you are exercising six days a week, but eating junk food all day and night, you won’t see the results you are expecting. Furthermore, if you are sitting all day and never getting up to move, your body is not going to respond very well.
DO WHAT YOU ARE CAPABLE OF
It’s definitely not going to be easy, but as you practice each of these aspects every day, you are going to get better and better at them until you become your own master of true wellness. Even if that means taking small steps toward mastering these skills, you will achieve lasting results in time.
I have tendinitis in both of my knees and have had severe damage to each of my wrists. Therefore, I am not able to do what I used to, but there are several alternatives that I CAN do, and knowing what I AM capable of doing is a driving factor for me. This knowledge leads me to not only do the activities that I’m still capable of, but to always strive to do them better every single day. Whether I’m meditating, exercising, or increasing productivity at work, my dedication to excellence is immense. And health and wellness is no different because it’s something that you must practice for a long time, and you might not ever master it completely. Just remember that showing up every day is the key. As Aristotle said over a thousand years ago, “We are what we repeatedly do. Excellence, then, is not an act, but a habit.” So do something to contribute to your health and wellness day after day, and then year after year. You will achieve excellence in what you have set out to do!
*The Rant: When it comes to wellness, there are so many factors to keep in mind in order to attain permanent results – the most important part is to implement as many as you can in your life, which will lead you toward ultimate success!
Dominick M Manfredo is co-author of the book, “It’s Fat Loss, Not Weight Loss,” a motivational speaker and Vice President of the wellness company Jack Kunkel’s Revolutionary Wellness.
To book Dominick M Manfredo & his team for motivational live lectures, please visit https://www.itsfatlossnotweightloss.com/need-motivation/
References
1. Rogers, S A – Using organic acids to diagnose and manage recalcitrant patients. Alternative therapy, Jul/Aug 2006, Vol. 12 No4.
2. Perera, F P – molecular epidemiology: insight into cancer susceptibility, risk assessment and prevention. J Natl Cancer Inst. 1996;88(8):496-509, April 17, 1996
3. Samman S etal. Fatty acid composition of certified organic, conventional and omega 3 eggs
