I love the dictionary definition of “wellness”:
“the state of being in good health, especially as an actively pursued goal.”
It’s kind of crazy, because everyone seems to define wellness in their own way. I have friends who eat an extremely clean diet, but couldn’t run a mile. I have friends who can run a full marathon but don’t use any natural products for anything. I know people who are active AND use all clean/natural products, but who are unhappy and stressed out about every little thing.
Personally, I tend to put wellness into those three categories- physical fitness, clean/natural health of the body/environment, and contentment/happiness. And when I look at my life, I realize that I’ve got all three things going, but I always wish that I was doing better in all three areas. Anyone else?
I am going to share what I do in those three categories, but I’m also going to share what I wish I would do in those categories. I would love to hear from you- how do you approach wellness in these categories? What do you wish you did more of in these categories?
Physical Fitness
- I typically run 2-3x a week. I run at least one half marathon each year
- I keep myself very active by keeping up with my kids and our farm/homestead chores. I can lift a 50 pound bag of feed and repeatedly buy 10 or so bags at a time, so that feels like a workout! Farm muscles might be different from gym muscles, but farm muscles are a real thing!
- I wish that I had better arm strength and I have been trying to do pull-ups every day. Honestly? I can’t even do one pull-up.
- I wish that I cared more about strength building exercise by using weights. Every time I have 20 minutes to exercise, I would much rather run than do weights, so I’m terrible at this.
- I get decently good sleep- I usually go to sleep by 10 and wake up around 6.
Clean/Natural Wellness – I am “scrunchy”- I have a few crunchy things I do (like unmedicated birth and cooking from scratch), but for most part I think I lean towards being-non crunchy as I’m not afraid to give my kids Tylenol or use a little bleach when I’m cleaning haha .
- I take a multivitamin with Calcium/Magnesium/Zinc on a regular basis. I know these things are good for me, but the thing they help me with the most is my mood! I notice a huge change when I’m taking my vitamins consistently
- I cook pretty much everything from scratch, we raise our own meat, and eat our own home-layed eggs. However, you can also find Cheez-Its and Oreos in our pantry 😉
- I’m a huge fan of being outside as much as possible, and letting our bodies adjust to the seasons without being inside climate controlled environments 24/7. I know it sounds kooky, but having the windows open as much as possible and living by the seasonal temps (letting the house be cool in winter and warm in summer) helps my body stay healthy.
- I try to use natural medicines when possible, and I have some on hand. But I also have Tylenol on hand and each of my kids has had antibiotics at least once.
- I don’t buy organic or honestly read the labels all that often. I know this is something I should do, but I also prioritize saving money and think that can also be a key factor in wellness.
- I would love to lean more crunchy, and I feel guilty often when I’m using conventional meds or buying convenience food. In the circles I run this, this seems like the “wrong” thing to do, but I’m often just overwhelmed by the all the options, prices, needs, and changing information that I can’t keep up with the crunchy lifestyle!
Contentment/Joy in Life – I have a strong opinion that we can be doing all the “right” things for wellness, but it can be causing so much stress that it ends up being unhealthy.
- I try to remember that we have one life to live, and it’s not going to help me if I get it all perfectly healthy but don’t have a sense of adventure or fun. I try to say yes to my kids and do things that help build up our family.
- I’ve learned recently that we are way too busy, and this doesn’t help our family feel “well”. While we aren’t sick all the time, we just feel like we are operating on some level of crazy and I’m not a fan of all that. Once this sports cycle is done, I think we are going to try to slow it way down. Kids need downtime. Parents need downtime. Families need downtime.
- Learning to be content with what God has given me is a huge lesson I’m learning about general wellness in life. Having a God who loves, cares and gives us good gifts- and also walks us through hard times, I think knowing that is truly the key to wellness. Our physical health, mental health and any part of our wellness could be awful, but God is still in control. Of course, knowing this and actually applying it to my life is a completely different matter!
What would you add to your wellness “list”? Do you agree with my three categories, or would you add any other categories?
I can relate to so much of this! My lower body- strong as can be due to running. My upper body- weak as can be due to no strength training. My husband is after me about this due to how we naturally lose muscle mass as we age. I´m also with you on many of the other items that you mentioned and your attitudes/reasons behind what you do and don´t do.
OH yes, I often feel like if I have a great handle on one area (like eating really cleanly) then another is off the charts (like my stress level!). Then when I’m eating rather junky (usually on vacation) my stress level is fabulous. It’s hard to find that perfect balance in all areas at the same time. I too am always thinking about how I should be lifting weights to gain muscle mass but I’d much rather focus on cardio or pilates/stretching.