What is Wellness?

The word, “Wellness” seems to be everywhere these days. It's the new buzzword. It’s often thrown in with anything having to do with health, fitness, or nutrition. But how many people know what “Wellness” really means? As a Health and Wellness Coach, I have a fear that this word is being misrepresented and may soon become just a trendy term. Legitimately, it does have a relationship with health, fitness and nutrition, but it is more than that.

So what is wellness? According to the World Health Organization, “Wellness is the optimal state of health. The realization of the fullest potential of an individual physically, psychologically, socially, spiritually and economically.”  Wellness isn’t just about your physical health, but about your emotional health. This includes your energy, your ability to be mindful, your ability to deal with stress, and your ability to enjoy your work and life.

A lot of individuals have the physical fitness, or nutrition part down, but ignore these other aspects of wellness. Some people think they lead a healthy lifestyle, but forget to take care of themselves emotionally. Others have visions of changing their health and outlook on life, but don’t know how or where to begin. So let’s say you want to work on your overall health and wellness.  Or you’re contemplating a big life change, but can’t make that leap, or cross that bridge on your own. You could probably benefit from working with a Wellness Coach.  Now, just to be clear, this isn’t a plug for coaching. I’m writing this particular blog because many people can benefit from Wellness Coaching, but don’t have a clue what it’s about.

You hear the term ‘life coach’ quite often. This might conjure up images of someone telling you what to do, or how to organize your life. A Wellness Coach is NOT the same as a Life Coach. It’s also not therapy. This is what Wellness Coaching is (in my opinion):

Think about all the things you want to accomplish in life. Now, think about who you truly want to be. It may seem like too much to do on your own. You might be scared and hesitant to make a change, or might not know where to start. That’s where Wellness Coaching can help you. 

Coaching is a way to work through all these ideas, dreams, goals and visions that you may have and make sense of them. Being coached is an eye-opening experience that provides you with a ‘safe-place’ to explore what you want in life; it provides accountability and support without judgment or demands.  Coaching offers you the chance to see yourself, and ALL your potential, in a new light.

No matter what aspect of your life you want to work on (health, fitness, work/life balance, stress management), a Wellness Coach is there to support and guide you. This may seem like a luxury to some, but in my opinion, it’s not. With the demands of today’s way of life, we have put many things on the  , including ourselves. It’s essential for us to learn to not only be physically healthy, but also to detach ourselves from the toxicity of stress, live in the moment, relax, enjoy life and realize our FULL POTENTIAL.