Wellness

By Dr. William Seder

Wellness is an interesting concept and is misinterpreted in many settings. Many may look at the idea of turning back the clock (anti-aging), living to the biblical age of 120 or just not being or getting sick.  Now there is a big difference between not being sick and being well. Wellness should be looked at as adding years to your life and life to your years. In my opinion there are several basic categories to consider in helping people enjoy the wellness lifestyle and these are not particularly in order of importance.

Lifestyle Modification:  Knowledge is power. It is impossible to have simple lifetime health if you don't know how. Stress management coupled with postural strains need to be addressed if you ever hope to achieve lifetime health.  Many do not realize the effects that emotional stress can have on our overall health. We need to manage our stress and maintain good posture. Simply striving to drink more water in place of multiple sodas or coffees is a step in the right direction. Sleep deprivation is also an underrated attributer to ill health.

Neuromusculoskeletal Health:  What difference does it make if you live longer, but you can't move? You must take care of your spine, joints and range of motion so you can still play and enjoy life no matter what your age. Lifetime health means increasing and maintaining mobility and flexibility. We are taught at very young ages to have our eyes, ears, teeth, blood, etc. checked... but, not our spines. Is our nervous system sending the right messages to our body?  Our spines often times have a great story to tell. Additionally, I suggest you go out and enjoy a therapeutic massage.

Foundational Nutrition:  Your body reproduces itself every year. What you feed your body is important to replacing your body parts with younger and stronger ones. Eating the wrong foods, the wrong balance of foods or amounts of food rebuilds a weaker and older body. To age proof your body you must give it the proper BALANCE. The rule of thumb is to eat foods in moderation and stay balanced by making healthy choices.  After all, you are what you eat, and garbage in equals garbage out.

Supplemental Nutrition:  It is very difficult to know if the foods that you eat maintained their nutritional value by the time they've reached your plate. Vitamins, minerals and supplements are your source of insurance for supplying the nutrients you need to age-proof your body.

Exercise:  A sedentary life is more harmful than smoking. Studies show that 30 minutes of aerobic activity three days a week will build your heart. You also must concern yourself with retaining the muscle mass you had in your youth through the lifestyle of weight resistance. The motivation for weight loss isn't to look like a body builder, but to maintain a metabolism that enables you to live and maintain proper weight. A healthy heart is essential since you need a good heart to be healthy for life. Get outside and go for walks multiple times per week. Your body will thank you for it!

Healthy Work Lifestyle:  Are the demands of your career killing you? Employee training in proper lifting techniques and ergonomics can reduce the aches and pains of every day life preventing the loss of wages, future earnings, and complications with disability. Injury prevention is one of the foundations of wellness and lifetime health. Do you do all the right things?

This is by no means an all inclusive list, but definitely some things to consider.  The problem is that many people don't do the right things long enough to enjoy the benefits. They do what is right for a day or week and sometimes even a month. But, what would happen if you could "get it all together" for an entire year? EVERYBODY would see the results. You would look better, feel better, and live longer. You would never go back.