How to Develop a Wellness Program in Your Life
It’s important for all of us to take responsibility
for our health and overall wellness in life.
If you want to improve how you feel, how you look, or any other component in
your life, developing a wellness program is the way to do it!
Developing your own personal wellness
program will enable you to fully understand what it means to have a
“life-balance” and give you a plan for achieving it.
Evaluating
Your Life
There are several core areas in your life
that you should review when developing your wellness program. All of these
areas are important, yet some of them are often ignored because of our busy
schedules. These core areas include the following:
·
Diet
·
Exercise
·
Thoughts
·
Leisure Time
·
Feelings
In order to create a program that ensures your
wellness, it’s vital to include all of these areas in your plan.
This is because, ultimately, all of
these key areas have a place in how we feel – both physically and
psychologically.
Elements
of a Wellness Plan
A program that focuses on how “well” you
are, should always start with a diet that includes healthy foods. These include
nutritionally sound foods – foods that are cultivated organically so that you
reduce the amount of toxins that enter your body.
You should focus on consuming fresh plant foods
– like fruits and vegetables – rather than the prepackaged foods in the store.
Eating nuts and drinking lots of water can also be especially helpful.
·
Check out your local health food
store or farmer’s market for the freshest produce.
Some farms even offer co-op memberships in exchange for doing work on the farm.
Exercise is another important element of
success when it comes to developing a wellness program. Not only does exercise
help you lose or maintain your weight, but it also increases the amount of
available oxygen throughout your body.
The cells, muscles, bones, and other
components of the body are heavily dependent upon oxygen and the body’s ability
to properly circulate the blood. A healthy, oxygenated body will have more
energy, which will make you more productive and generally happier.
·
Exercising doesn’t mean spending
lots of money on a gym membership. Walk around your block, take the stairs
instead of the elevator, or walk through a nearby mall and you’ll see the benefits.
·
Invest in a workout DVD to use in the privacy
of your own home and make a commitment to use it four times a week.
The next part of a wellness program is to
ensure that your thoughts and feelings are positive and complimentary to your
life. Having a support group or someone to talk to about issues that concern
you can be very productive.
In addition, learning how to manage stress can
be extremely beneficial to your wellness mission. If certain people or
places cause you to experience stress, depression, or other negative feelings,
then it’s important to pull yourself away from them or find a productive means
for coping with them.
·
Talking to a friend, family member,
priest, or counselor can provide great comfort. These people can offer you
objective advice and other ideas on how to deal with the stressors in your
life.
Remember, you must focus on both the
physical and the psychological aspects of who you are in order to be “well.” By
following these techniques to develop your own wellness program, you’ll enhance
your life well into the future!