WELLNESS - What does wellness mean to you?

One simple question, 12 different answers

Wellness. It’s one of those words that seems to be everywhere at the moment. Wellness classes, wellness drinks, wellness cruises – everyone’s jumped on the W-word bandwagon. But ask someone to define it, and you’ll most likely get blank eyes and several attempts to finish a sentence that encompasses everything it means.

As the Global Wellness Institute reported late last year, the world wellness market grew 12.8% in just the last two years: from a $3.7 trillion industry in 2015 to $4.2 trillion in 2017, making the consumer spend on wellness more than half as much as total global health expenditures ($7.3 trillion). Clearly the demand for anything wellness related is huge, so we asked beauty and wellness experts to share with us their thoughts on the buzz word and what it means to them personally.

Nicole Manning, Owner/Director Tribe Natural Beauty

“Wellness to me means enjoying a life in balance. I love what I do and find it incredibly fulfilling, however at times it can be tiring. It’s important to me to take a holistic approach to wellness; not only keeping my skin healthy, but taking care of my body, inside and out, and my mind. This means achieving what I set out to do each day with enough energy, vibrancy and presence to practice my personal self care rituals with an enthusiasm that helps me to feel well. I do my best to create personally meaningful moments throughout the day, no matter what I may be doing or where I am. I begin each morning by making my bed, sipping a glass of warm water with lemon and apple cider vinegar and taking a dip in the ocean to get in touch with nature. Approaching wellness in this way has become a useful signal for me when I may be pushing myself too hard and perhaps need to take a step back and find more balance. And for me, it’s a more relaxing way to think about living a healthy life.”

Laura Soszynski , Owner/Director Willow Spa

“When talking about wellness from the point of view of a skin specialist, I think that wellness is so much more than making choices towards an active or healthy life. I think that wellness is a state of complete physical, mental and social wellbeing. When treating our guests' concerns we are always conscious about what they are putting into their body and around their body, just as much as what they’re using on their body. I think it is important to take the time to really understand all of these contributing factors when treating our guests, as, if they truly want to find results in you, you first need to find out where their concerns may be feeding from, which is not always limiting to what they’re putting onto skin. When I talk about wellness I believe we also need to consider the mental state of mind, this to me can include spiritual well-being.”

Melanie Gleeson, CEO/Founder endota spa

“Wellness is not just about physical rejuvenation but also about spiritual and emotional invigoration. This is what became the guiding principle of endota, to help women be their ‘best me’, to show them the benefits of taking time out for themselves to replenish body, mind and spirit so they can give back to family and loved ones – to disconnect in order to reconnect. endota is a curated place for women to replenish, rejuvenate and take some time out for themselves. Myself and the whole team at endota believe that having spa treatments should be accessible and not limited to being a ‘treat’ but rather a regular part of your wellness routine.”

Andrea Moss, Co-Founder and CEO Liberty Belle Skin Centre

“Wellness to me means a clear mind that can focus, being content and happy, taking care of yourself by monitoring your health and hopefully preventing illness. I turned 50 in July so I can no longer take for granted good health and I encourage everyone to visit their GP at least once a year. I’ve had phases in my life of high stress but now with the wisdom of age I don’t get so worried. The only thing I really care about is the health and happiness of my family and friends.”

Melanie Grant, Celebrity Facialist and Founder Melanie Grant

“Wellness for me is not only about having a healthy lifestyle, it’s a state of mind. I’ve always believed that our skin is a true reflection of everything that is going on within us; that also takes into consideration not only our physical state, but our emotional and spiritual health as well. I approach my work and my life holistically - I feel it’s really important to maintain an attitude for self improvement that isn’t just about one's outward appearance, but rather about striving for balance in all areas of our lives, as best we can.”

Jocelyn Petroni, Founder/Director Jocelyn Petroni

“Wellness means an holistic approach to how we live our life and being kind to ourselves in the process. Wellness is about finding balance in our work, rest and play so that we give ourselves enough nurturing and time out from our hectic schedules and daily stresses we face in life. Wellness to me is exercising and eating a healthy diet as well as making the time for my family and friends and also meditation every day.”

Katherine Millar-Shannon, Cosmetic Nurse/Director Duquessa

“Wellness to me means waking up from a good night’s sleep with the energy I need for the day ahead. It’s setting aside time, no matter how busy I am to move my body and/or clear my mind with a form of meditation. It is also knowing when a great slice of cake is a better tonic for the soul than a salad. Busyness and stress are the greatest factors that are affecting my wellness at the moment. While I know it is temporary and I have lots of personal strength and resources and could “carry on”, I found getting professional help was valuable and helped my mental wellbeing almost immediately.”

Kristin Fisher, Owner/Director Kristin Fisher

“Wellness to me is the ability to maintain a balance in all areas of my life. Being the owner of busy salon and a mother of two little ones, I can often feel pulled in many different directions! I always take the time to prioritise the most important roles I perform, but I also know and value the importance of “me” time. Having a diary where I can clearly visualise my week ahead really helps, and I schedule in absolutely everything! Wellness to me is physical, mental and emotional so as well as keeping up with my fitness, skin care and beauty regime, I like to keep some time free to recharge my mind. I would desperately love to get more sleep as I know how vital it is- at the moment that is my biggest struggle!”

Monika Radulovic, ‘HIVITA Health and Beauty Ambassador

“I’ve found that the meaning of wellness has evolved over the years to include not only our physical health, but also our mental and emotional wellbeing. It’s important to feel good on the inside, as well as the outside. This can be achieved by taking small steps in our health journey to reach our ultimate wellness goals. Take care of your skin, consume healthy foods, exercise regularly, balance work and social commitments, and most importantly, spend quality time with the people closest to you.”

Victoria Fox, Self Care Advocate and Director MISS FOX

“For me, “wellness” is a feeling created through self care. It means experiencing life from a place of health and abundance, able to give to yourself and others from the overflow of goodness within. Self care is how you cultivate wellness — it’s how you fill your “well”. By prioritising your needs and aligning your life with what you truly value, you increase the flow of energy to you, and stop draining it. Wellness is our birth right — take care of yourself so that you can access and enjoy it every day.”

Magdalena Roze, Oil Garden Ambassador

“For me, wellness is about taking a holistic and gentle approach to my health with the idea of attaining strength, positivity, energy and balance in all facets: body, mind and soul. It’s a lifestyle choice that focuses on living in a more natural way, doing things that make me feel good, and being intuitive. Sometimes we’ll crave a certain food or jump in the ocean; and other times it will be an aromatherapy massage or comforting soup. I think the key to feeling well is listening to our bodies, they tell us exactly what we need.”

Brooke Benson Campbell, Clinical Nutritionist and Bookwell Health and Wellness Expert

“When it comes to the word ‘​wellness’, I would personally define it as the integration of the physical, emotional and spiritual wellbeing. It’s about striking a balance between mind and body, and employing the art of self-care to create a stronger and more resilient self.

Of course, achieving this balance in wellness is easier said than done, which is why beauty and wellness booking platforms such as Bookwell’s are so helpful for me and others. You can maintain your physical wellbeing through exercise, chiropractic care and nutrition, whilst also harnessing the power of relaxation through a calming massage or facial - many treatments help both physical and mental wellbeing.”