The Novice Guide to Wellness by Alicia Kirschenheiter

The concept of wellness is to be self centered. I realize that sounds like such a bad thing. However, wellness is about being selfish in all the right ways in order to obtain and remain fit, healthy, happy and centered. Only by filling our cups first, can we fill the cups of others. A wise man once told me that, it’s not my saying, I am not that wise, but I think it specifically speaks to the need for wellness. So without further ado…and with the Fall season on our heels, it is time to shake off the summer sun and sand and to take back yourself!

So first things first... What exactly is wellness you ask? Well, no pun intended, the word wellness has been thrown about pretty often lately. Wellness seems to be the new fitness. Simply put, wellness is the connection between the body and mind. It is the process of becoming aware of and making choices toward a more successful existence for both your physical and mental wellbeing. If we really want to complicate things we can add in your spiritual health as well. Clear as mud right?
   
In my life and in my wellness practice, wellness is simply peace.  Peace for my body, peace for my mind and ultimately peace for my spirit. I think that’s simpler than along winded technical explanation. With my clients, I try to make things simple but there are a few key points we focus on:

State of Body – Wellness for the body is truly a focus on improving and maintaining your machine to its best functioning capacity. I say machine because the truth is that our bodies only really need the proper environment to perform. Our bodies need fuel, rest and activity. We are well created, designed & engineered. We adapt, persevere and outperform our deepest limitations. In general, the pitfalls we sustain to our physical beings are our own creation. Mind made if you will. Stress, over indulgence and self punishment for example are all mind made things that we allow to impact our machines. Our bodies wouldn’t react if our minds didn’t first. Appreciate your physical abilities, whatever they are. Keeping yourself active and physical challenged to new depths will keep your machine in top working condition.
    
State of Mind – We are as humans a complex cornucopia of thoughts, knowledge, feelings and emotions. So many things going on at once. Wellness of the mind involves balance. We will never ignore those things that make us human but rather need to recognize them and create a counterbalance of stress relievers and coping mechanisms. My clients focus on moments of positive attitude, gratitude and reflection. Very Zen, I know. Actually, it truly is just a shift from focusing on all the negative things to giving proper accolades to the good in life. As we can take notice in the positive, the negative seems smaller.  This becomes rather a chain reaction in the mind. The moments that we take to calm our minds to the state where we can focus on positive practice helps us reset and recharge.  

State of Spirit – Spirit is harder to define. Spirit implies belief. Thing of it is, not everyone believes in something. Most people don’t really even believe in themselves. Spirit for me and my clients, simply, is the combination of the positive energy generated from the practice of wellness of the body and mind.  It is the end result of feeling energized and alive. It is a state of emotional uplift and peace.
     
Lastly there is the Journey. I left this out earlier on purpose. To understand wellness is to understand the items above but most importantly, it is to understand that wellness and the pursuit of all those things we previously discussed, is a lifelong journey. While there may be a noted beginning as the day you recognize the need for change, there is no end. This September, when it seems the world starts up again after the summer madness, make a firm commitment to begin the journey.

Wellness is an ever developing, ever changing path but a path very worth stepping on to.

Be Well and Enjoy the Journey,

Alicia Kirschenheiter

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