What Is Wellness?

There are many words today associated with wellness.  Many of those terms are new for readers, and some of the terms are interchangeable between fitness, wellness, and health.  So, let’s take a minute to explain some of the terms you may see from time to time.

Wellness itself is defined as the condition of good physical and mental health, especially when maintained by proper diet, exercise, and habits. Well-Being is one of our top values at Somatic Synergies. We see well being as the balance of all the parts of life in alignment with each other and when one area comes out of balance that steps are being taken to bring back into harmony. These areas can include our physical, mental, emotional, relational and energetic needs. 

Meditation, an exercise recommended for everyone, but especially those of us with hectic, stressful lifestyles, is defined as an engagement in contemplation, especially of a spiritual or devotional nature.  Meditation has been shown to be an effective method of lowering blood pressure, relieving stress, and promoting overall good health, by simply reflecting upon our day, and finding happiness within ourselves. The benefits have been widely studied and proven, and it is a wonderful compliment to any practice to promote mental and emotional health. 

Fitness refers to the condition of our physical body and mental fitness would of course be addressing our mental state. Many fitness centers provide personal trainers, and stationary fitness equipment that can be used with or without guidance to maintain a level of physical fitness. There are numerous pieces of equipment available that perform many different exercises to address specific areas of the body.  There are so many forms of exercise that we can only try to cover some of the more popular and well-defined programs. There are aerobic programs that focus on heart rate and your cardiac health. Cardio activities like running, swimming and cycling are great for our aerobic fitness.  Weight training and free weights are used for building muscle mass and body-sculpting.  Even just simply walking is one of the best exercises available, as it doesn’t jar our bodies, but uses all parts for toning and building heart rate.

Nutrition refers to all the things you choose to consume. This can be the foods and drinks or supplements like  vitamins and minerals needed in order for you to sustain optimum physical health.  Much discussion is centered on this topic right now, because our nation faces obesity problems of epidemic proportions. Almost all nutrition specialists would agree that a well balanced diet of proteins, complex carbs and good fats can help maintain a healthy physique and prevent many diseases. 

Alternative therapies refer to the care options such as chiropractic care, acupuncture, herbal cures, and holistic medicine.  Of the examples given here, chiropractic and acupuncture are more widely accepted as complements to the traditional form of western medicine.

Herbal cleansing and healing are terms used by many of the natural healers to describe what ingestion of certain herbal combinations can provide for the body in the effort to bring it back to optimal health, or to sustain optimal health. Things like juice cleanses and The Master Cleanse are very popular for resetting your gut health and metabolism. The Master Cleanse is a combination of Lemon Juice or Apple Cider Vinegar, Maple Syrup and Cayenne Pepper in water. You consume if for 24 to 72 hours to clean everything out.
​
Today, wellness is used not only in conjunction with health and fitness, but also wellness of the mind, body, and spirit. There is an ever-increasing movement among the health-conscious citizens, that wellness should include not only our physical being, but our mental and spiritual health.  The only true form of wellness must include the entire person.

Our focus is to help people bring their wellness back into balance between body, mind, emotions and spirit. We do this by using hands on massage techniques for pain and nurturing of the body, guided meditations and breath practices for the mind and emotions, and energy techniques and breathwork for integration of all. Many of us face imbalances due to injuries, past traumas, and beliefs about our behavior patterns that can keep us out of balance. Wellness in these areas is about creating presence and awareness in how we interact with each of them in our lives. Let us know if we can help you find that harmony!!

---