Are You Well? By Dana Jefferson, C.Ht., Ph.D., CAHA “Wellness encompasses a healthy body, a sound mind, and a tranquil spirit. Enjoy the journey as you strive for wellness.” - Laurette Gagnon Beaulieu
I don’t know about you, but I spent a majority of my life thinking wellness was about being fit, healthy, and thin. Maybe not understanding the essence of wellness led us to hours of goat yoga, using a “Shake Weight”, and participating in aerobics classes wearing truly ugly outfits. Wellness is about much more than health, fitness, and thinness.
You can be healthy, thin, and fit and still not be a portrait of wellness. There are individuals with perfect body-mass indexes, and even those who are skinny, who are not healthy. Depending on what they eat, they are sometimes malnourished. You can eat a small number of calories a day, but if those calories are coming from junk foods, then you have not mastered wellness. There is a reason that cable TV is peppered with commercials about fruit and vegetable supplements. Eating healthy foods in moderation (especially those multi-colored fruits and vegetables) is essential. Exercise is also important. Some
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