Wellness Program Blog

In the contemporary workplace human resources are highly valued. Employers understand, employees make or break the success of a company and therefore seek to ensure employees are able to maintain a consistent level of productivity. The health and well-being of employees is important to the modern employer. Wellness programs are becoming commonplace within working environments.

Wellness programs are implemented by a third party company that takes care of the health and well-being of employees within the company. Employee wellness programs vary from health screening and nutritional advice to fitness programs and education.

Companies employ these third party agencies to try to offset the cost of rising medical cover for their employees. Wellness programs are designed to ensure the physical well being of employees is being looked after however these kinds of programs have benefits for both the employer and the employee. Employer benefits include a reduction in sickness related absenteeism and a reduction in the time employees take off in general. Other benefits for the company are reduced medical cover costs and a more educated and healthy work force. Ensuring the health of employees within a company is highly contusive to a happy and productive work place.

Employee wellness programs also have a lot of benefits for employees. Wellness programs often involve some form of education. From smoking cessation programs to weight loss to biometric testing and diabetes screening these programs at the very least raise awareness around important health issues. This awareness can have a drastic effect on employee health and lifestyle. Employee wellness programs aim to improve family health in order to improve the overall wellness of the individual employee.

The basic idea behind employee wellness programs is to align the needs of the company with those of the individual in order to implement a more cost effective solution to health care. The programs education focuses on reducing the need for health care in the future by preventing health problems through education and training. This benefits both the employer and the employee as while the company reduces its outlay in medical cover the employee reaps the benefits of these programs.

There are many resources online that will greatly aid in your Wellness Program search. Employee Wellness Programs Quotes is a fast and easy way to get quotes from many of the nation’s largest, most reputable Wellness Programs.

While there has been no hard numerical evidence as to the value of employee wellness programs the qualitative substantiation is very apparent. Workplace wellness programs increase the productivity of the employee as well as contributing to their overall lifestyle. A happy and health workplace has proven to be a productive and effective one.

Charles Christian is a freelance writer specializing in a variety of industries.

The following tips are my personal recipe for successful and lifetime personal wellness. These are the strategies I have employed for the last 25 years that have kept me motivated to continue to try to improve my overall wellness. For the record, wellness encompasses the following three key components: Fitness, Nutrition and Stress Management. These tips apply to all these categories and can be considered as my personal benchmark recommendations for success.

Battle vs. War

When we identify that changes in our wellness are necessary the tendency is to want to change every aspect of our lives and to do so instantly. We decide that starting January 1, you pick the year, our New Years resolution is going to include starting a daily 2-hour workout program, starting a 100% vegan nutrition program, and starting to meditate 4-hours a day. We set the clock for 4am and plan to get started by popping out of bed and hitting the gym for 6-hours, right after drinking 32 ounces of vitamin water, but not before we face East and bowing to Mecca! Cut to the real world and we see that alarm going off at 4:00am and our fist smashing it into the next life as we go back to sleep for another 3 hours. Oh well….there’s always next year!

Sound familiar? I know a lot of people who have had good intentions to get going, but they are ill prepared to make a shift of such drastic proportions. It’s like the beginning of a war and they want to win the war that day. Forget about it! We need to focus on a smaller piece of the war and win one battle at a time. Anything more than that can be potentially dangerous to our health and mental well being, and failure is virtually guaranteed. Starting slow and having a positive experience is far more likely to generate a lifelong wellness program. Win small battles and you will win the war!

Set Realistic Goals

A better plan is to take on small changes that make sense for you. For example, if you are looking to begin a wellness program for the first time, after you get some direction from your doctor on where it is medically safe to begin, you could start your fitness plan by beginning a walking program. You could change your eating habits by adding a fruit or vegetable to each meal rather than depriving yourself of the things you like. You could start a stress management program by sitting quietly for 10 minutes every morning and evening. The truth is, small, realistic changes are something you can do without shocking your system. Small changes are generally safe and they accomplish the goal of getting you started on a lifelong journey. Lifetime wellness should always be our goal. Remember, you did not get out of shape overnight. This was a decline that potentially has occurred over years or even decades. It takes time to make positive changes and change should be slow, realistic and steady if you want to be successful.

Make Excuses

That’s right…I want you to make excuses. Make excuses to workout, make excuses to eat better and make excuses to do something to manage your stress! I don’t care where your motivation comes from. The reasons to improve our wellness are infinite! We want to live longer, to play with our children or grand children, to enhance our survival, to look better, to manage our pain, to feel better, to improve the quality of our life, to improve our self-esteem and so on. It simply does not matter what our motivation is, we just have to find the things that matter to us and use those as daily reminders to strive toward our goal of complete wellness. Stop reading right now and make a list of the reasons that support you in stoking your motivation to work on your wellness. Post that list in a place where you will see it everyday.

Visualize Success

Before you go to bed each night spend 60 seconds seeing yourself exactly as you would like to be. See yourself as trim, fit, healthy, relaxed, happy and in perfect health. Tell yourself that when you wake up you will feel fantastic, refreshed and ready to face your day. When you rise that morning make your first thoughts “I feel refreshed, energized and ready for my day!” Sit on the edge of the bed, sit up straight and once again visualize yourself exactly as you want to be. These simply, positive affirmation and visualization techniques are phenomenally powerful. Don’t believe me; try it for 4 – 6 weeks. It works because the mind controls the body, but you have to prove it to yourself first. Don’t take my word for it, but do take my challenge. Anyone, and I mean anyone, can do this simple technique. I don’t care how busy you are, you can spare a few minutes each day for your own self-care!

Get Help

I mean this quite literally. It is very hard to stay on track without help and support. What type of help you decide to enlist is entirely up to you. You can hire a wellness professional to help guide you in every aspect of your personal development. You can make a contract with a friend to provide support for each other. You can have a competition with a group of friends or co-workers to see who can loose the most body fat. You can make a family resolution, list your goals and support each other in achieving those goals. How you go about setting up a support system is unique to your needs, but it is also a critical component to your success. Nothing works better than having someone to help or someone to help you.

Make a Contract

Write up a contract with three sections. These three sections should include fitness, nutrition and stress management. Under each section you will list REALISTIC goals and set a REASONABLE time to achieve those goals. Write this down, sign it, give a copy to a friend or partner so they can check up on your progress and have that person sign your contract to support you. Frame your contract and post it where you will see it every day. This is a real contract and as you will see in the next section, there should be rewards and consequences for sticking with the contract or for breaking it!

Reward Yourself

I very strongly believe that once you set a realistic goal for yourself, and you state those goals in a formal contract, you should also set two other components. Those components include consequences for failing to reach your goals and rewards for reaching your goals. Consequences do not need to be drastic, but they should serve as enough incentive to keep you motivated not to suffer them! Rewards should be something pleasant that you really want to do. No, you can’t go to your local food gorge and order the entire 7 layer chocolate decadence cake! A better choice might be buying some new cloths to fit your new trim body, or treating yourself to a massage or planning a vacation to a special location. Whatever you decide set these rewards and consequences as you go along your journey. Sometimes this added incentive is just the ticket to keep you striving toward lifetime improvement.

Believe in Yourself

Most of the people I see that continue to fail are, as a general rule, people who simply do not believe in themselves. Many people are only content to whine about their situation and they become so mired in this personal created reality that they feel powerless to change. This can be very difficult for some people. Life, people and events can be cruel and leave us scared and unsure of ourselves. Sometimes making positive changes, even small changes, can seem completely overwhelming. This is where believing in ourselves becomes critically important. You must accept the fact that it is OK to fail! Seriously, failure is simply a part of life. We have all heard about seeing glass half-empty or half full. How do you see your glass? We have a choice to fail backward or fail forward. We can acknowledge and accept that life is difficult, challenging and at times overwhelming and we can move forward from there. Believe in the indomitable will of your spirit. See yourself as successful, reaching your goals. Believe!

Find Your Thing

When it comes to wellness we are all significantly different. Find things that appeal to you. If you are starting a fitness program and you hate lifting weights, then start with a walking program, or swimming program. If you are going to improve your diet then add some extra fruit and vegetables to every meal and eat them first so you are not so hungry for the other foods that may not be as healthy. Get a book on different stress management techniques like “The Guide to Stress Management” by Dr. L. John Mason and pick a stress management strategy that looks good to you. Try different things and experiment until you find something that really appeals to you. Your thing is your thing and I really don’t care what it is, but until you find it you are not as likely to be successful in making long term, lifelong wellness a success.

Get Off Your Butt!

Ok, when you reach the end of this paragraph stop reading, get off your ass, and go do something to improve your wellness. For example, take a fitness brake. Go for a walk around your building at work, do some pushups or jog in place. I don’t care, just move! Take a nutrition brake and instead of powering down a muffin, scone or donut have a piece of fruit. Take a stress management brake and sit quietly for 10 minutes seeing yourself as happy, healthy and fit! Do it right now!!!!!

Rodger Ruge is a retired police officer, martial artist, and personal trainer. He recently had his first book published, The Warrior’s Mantra, Barricade Books, June 2005. Rodger’s business, Ready Force Inc., specializes in training and consulting in law enforcement weaponless defense and wellness. You can visit Rodger’s website at http://www.readyforce.net.

Most experts agree a balanced diet is the most effective way to accomplish both healthy eating and weight loss goals. Each Zone Diet At Home meal contains a balance of 40% carbohydrates, 30% protein and 30% favorable fats. Plus, Zone Diet At Home takes the drudgery out of your weight loss program, eliminating the need for scales, measuring cups, calorie counting, food shopping, recipes, and your valuable time needed for preparation.

This is how Zone Diet delivery works. Each week you will receive a FedEx delivery of 3 professionally prepared meals per day for a 7 day period. These gourmet meals are prepared according to the Zone Diet program and promote lean body mass, weight loss, decreased carbohydrate cravings, and lowered blood sugar levels. Many Zone dieters report increased energy levels and improved mental clarity.

Zone Diet At Home makes it easy! Each meal is shipped in a temperature-controlled Styrofoam cooler and clearly labeled with the meal name and id number. Each shipment will contain a menu for that weeks’ meals. Simply open your box, match the meals to your menu and you are on your way to the Zone!

When placing your order you may select the “No Signature Required” option or have your meals delivered to a doorman, a building superintendent, or even to your office. Zone Diet At Home can deliver to an alternate address or even to a distant hotel so you can stay with your weight loss program even while traveling on business or visiting relatives for an extended stay.

Zone Diet meals already accommodate people concerned with high cholesterol levels. The cause of the build up of arterial cholesterol is actually due more from the intake of unfavorable carbohydrates that initiate insulin, a pro-inflammatory hormone that causes a cascade of reactions than from eating foods high in cholesterol content.

Zone Diet meals are diabetic friendly. The Zone Diet At Home Program is a wellness as well as a weight loss program. It was originally developed to help people with diabetes and heart disease. The Zone is the perfect diet for someone with Type II diabetes. Accompanying this issue is low HDL’s, hypertension, and high triglycerides, all risk factors concerns to heart disease. Zone Diet At Home programming addresses all of these and is the answer to better health because it is the only program that corrects elevated insulin levels. Type I diabetes sufferers will also benefit from the Zone Diet At Home. As with all diet programs, we encourage you to see your physician regularly and adjust all medications accordingly.

(c) 2006 by Peter Somerville. Peter is a former military officer, attorney, writer, and the creator of The Paratrooper’s Guide To Fitness and Weight Loss. Now anybody can take advantage of the world’s most carefully researched and successful physical fitness and weight loss training program. The Zone Diet At Home can help you meet your wellness and weight loss goals.

Massage Therapy Training

- What should you look for in a massage therapy training program? Most important, say experts, is attending an accredited massage school. Agencies such as the Commission on Massage Therapy Accreditation (COMTA), Accrediting Commission of Career Schools and Colleges of Technology (ACCST), Accrediting Council for Continuing Education and Training (ACCET), Accrediting Bureau of Health Education Schools (ABHES), and the National Accrediting Commission of Cosmetology Arts and Sciences (NACCAS), are recognized by the U.S. Department of Education as specialized accrediting agency for bodywork programs.

- Accredited massage schools are usually eligible for federal financial aid, including loans and grants. The average tuition for massage school is $9-$10 per credit hour. If you are in an unlicensed state, you may be able to complete a short program that will get you 100 hours of training for under $1,000. States that require licensing however, typically require 500 hours of training, with tuition ranging anywhere from $5,000-$9,000. If the school you plan to attend does not supply you with a massage table, plan on spending an additional $500.

All About Acupuncture Courses

- Millions of people turn to acupuncture when traditional medical treatment isn’t resolving the problem, is too expensive, or has significant side effects associated with it. Some conditions recommended for acupuncture by the World Health Organization (W.H.O.) include a variety of ailments from bronchial asthma and gingivitis, to rheumatoid arthritis and migraines.

- The Accreditation Commission for Acupuncture and Oriental Medicine (ACAOM) is the sole accrediting agency for acupuncture courses and Oriental medical education recognized by the U.S. Department of Education and the Council on Higher Education Accreditation to accredit professional programs in the field.

- Several medical schools now include Acupuncture courses. There are currently over 22,671 licensed acupuncture practitioners in the US. Forty-one states and the District of Columbia either license, certify, or register practitioners, thus statutorily recognizing the practice of acupuncture. In the remaining seven states, acupuncture is either unregulated, no determination has been made, or it is determined to be the practice of medicine.

What’s the Oriental Medicine hype?

- Health care providers without an education and licensing in Oriental Medicine are not necessarily qualified to practice Chinese Herbology or may be practicing herbal medicine from a different viewpoint. The requirements vary from state to state. In California, Texas, Nevada, and New Mexico, for example, the state exam tests acupuncturists on proper prescribing of Chinese herbs. In other states, however, herbal certification is voluntary. Ask if your acupuncturist has passed the National Certification Commission for Acupuncture and Oriental Medicine herbal exam.

- Few studies in western journals have measured the effectiveness of Chinese herbal medicine, but you’re likely to get better results by going to an experienced herbalist. The National Institutes of Health (NIH) is now sponsoring research on Chinese herbs and other TCM techniques for treating conditions ranging from depression to cancer.

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Most of us don’t have the choice of whether or not to go to work, so while we are there, we might as well enjoy it. Optimal mental and physical readiness for each day will make not only the work time better, but will carry over to your home and social life as well. Make a few changes in what you do before, during, and after work and you will feel your mood and energy level rise. Whether you choose to call it workplace wellness or coporate wellness it doesn’t really matter. Following these simple steps will make for a healthy work environment for the employee and the employer a like.

Try these daily adjustments:

- Breakfast of Champions is necessary everyday.

Improves concentration and helps clear away & reduce fatigue.
Studies have shown those who tend to skip breakfast more often struggle with weight gain.
- Caffeine gives you a boost, but 1 or 2 hours later, your body undergoes a counter-stimulation that may leave you lethargic & drowsy.
Make 2 cups of coffee or tea per day your maximum.
- Backache at the end of the work day is common. You can avoid most of this pain by following these tips
When standing keep your weight on both feet with knees slightly bent.
When sitting keep your spine upright with back against the chair or cushion.
Faithfully follow a professionally designed exercise program.
- On your break

Put Your Feet Up. Placing your knees higher than your hip relieves strain on the lower back.
Gentle stretching for the entire body will feel great whether you are primarily confined to working at a desk or on your feet. Your body will let you know the most needed areas.
A small snack is not only necessary to keep you on pace for 4-6 small meals each day in a great diet plan, it will also help you maintain energy and concentration throughout the day.
- Afternoon Blahs got you down?

Try eating a power lunch. One with low-fat protein (like turkey or fish) and mixed with unrefined carb’s (fruit, vegetables, & whole grains). Avoid energy robbing sweets, alcohol, or caffeine.
Again, do not forget another small late afternoon snack to help mentally and physically.
- Exercise at any time does a body good.

Be sure your routine incorporates elements for cardiovascular, strength, and flexibility training. Do not be afraid to join in on a mind/body (yoga type) class a couple times each week as well.
Be sure to adjust your frequency, intensity, and type of exercise at least every 4-6 weeks to prevent overuse injuries and continue to make efficient steps towards your exercise goals.
Utilize a certified fitness trainer to design a program that is specific to, and functional for your work and leisure activities.
Before work, at lunch, or after work… the best time of day to exercise has more to do with your life schedule and your preference than anything else.
- Sleep and Rest are required for body and mind repair and preparation.

Adults need about 8 hours of sleep each night. This will vary from person to person a bit, so listen to your body during the day to know how you are doing.
Teenagers and adolescence require 9-10 hours of sleep each night.
Lack of sleep may produce: reduced alertness, slower reaction time, poorer judgment, poorer memory, moodiness, loss of motivation, and more.
At the end of the day, put your work thoughts on hold. Shift your attention to the pleasant events of the evening, such as family, friends, or a book. The wind down and detachment from work is a significant component in the mental recharging that will prepare you for the next day. Now, get rested up so you are raring to go and able to whistle while you work.

Tom is a health and wellness professional, certified as a strength and conditioning specialist and member of the National Strength and Conditioning Association. He provides Fitness Professional business, education, and travel opportunities through his company (http://www.fitlaunch.com) FIT Launch, Inc.

Have a Certified Fitness Professional explain these and other wellness principles, all free, through the Healthy Gatherings Program

You can view quality related strength, conditioning, and nutritional products through (http://www.healthygatherings.com) Healthy Gatherings website.

Wellness includes your mind, your body and your soul. Happy people are usually healthy people. People who are stressed and worried, or angry or complacent become unhealthy. No matter what they eat or drink. The science of health is internally connected to the science of the mind and attitudes to life. We approach health from a holistic angle in order to remain young and vital in love. There is no value in blaming ourselves for our state of health. But we can empower ourselves to be as healthy as possible.

Wellness also includes the connection between our emotional body and our physical body. This is where the real empowerment comes from. Insights can come through body mind science as a natural way of understanding the total health of the body. In this ancient art we believe the mind and the body to be one, and that the body’s health is the most accurate measure of the health of the mind. The body is natures bible. Constitutional Analysis at work Ebook

Wellness is a very spiritual thing. Simply put, happiness in mind and body causes us the confidence to do what we are born to do and this is a very spiritual experience. Finding youthful vitality comes through wellness. This is not a new science. 6,000 years ago Ayurvedic scientists found that people who lived in tune with the unique combination of these elements that is their constitution, found health and happiness easily. And those who defied – or lived out of balance, suffered disease and struggle.

Wellness in the mind means to expect the best from life. This is not to be confused with greed, sex, emotional instability and excess eating. Many overweight people are simply replacing love for life, with food for life, diets therefore, are rarely the answer. What is extraordinary, is the application of this amazing study to relationships and business. Choosing staff, creating productive environments, aligning healthy job descriptions with natural talents has the potential to increase the effectiveness of the business world, while reducing stress.

Wellness is a state of mind that causes health. False expectations, unrealistic goals, unfinished business from past experiences all attack our mind and cause ill health. It is the job of any wellness program to address these issues and clear them – permanently. Constitutional Analysis is based on your body type. Your body can tell us more about your mind, than your mind can tell about your body. The beauty of it is that, you can read these simple signs spontaneously. So, not only do you understand yourself better, but you understand others equally well.

Wellness also requires a good perspective on life. Many people are so judgmental and yet, they fail to see the effect of those judgments on their own health. How we treat others is how we treat ourselves. So, we teach people, that instead of dividing the world into demographics (locations), or psychographics (thoughts), constitutions will be a far more honest and accurate grouping of behavioural traits. Earth people act that way universally while Air people are the same the world over. Their buying patterns are identical and their product hopes the same with highly predicable needs and values. With this, the opportunity to serve clients and their requirements becomes more honest, accurate and spontaneous.

Wellness also comes from self respect. Valuing your body mind through constitutional analysis will reveal information right from the food you eat, the cause of your moods, identify the colours that calm you and the music that can inspire you. It makes being you, so much easier. It’s a simple way to be conscious and unique.

Wellness, at the end of the day, is energy. Energetically you feel different when you are healthy and well. This requires a balanced approach to mind, body and spirit development. Youthful people are clear and balanced people. Constitutional analysis is a great gift for youth as well. For decades, a normal child has been forced to live the way his society, family, race or country wants him to live. Nobody wants to know what is in him. The child goes through molding or reshaping of various kinds. By time he is an adult there is a big, thick, concrete wall between his True Nature and body. This wall comprising of patterns, beliefs, personalities, habits and so on, does not have anything to do with him. His Pre Nature is dying inside so a life built on or based on these ‘non-constitutional’ patterns will never give fulfillment.

http://www.chriswalker.com.au Chris Walker is a world leading change agent, an environmentalist and author of more than 20 books. Born and bred in Australia, he consults to people and organisations throughout the world on improved relationships, health and lifestyle through the application of the Universal laws of Nature. The result he offers is that we stay balanced, share loving relationships, work with passion, enjoy success, and live our personal truth. To learn more about Chris’s work and journeys to Nepal, visit http://www.chriswalker.com.au — http://www.chriswalker.com.au

Recently I was involved in assisting in the curriculum development for a wellness program for indivuals with chronic medical conditions at a Chicago area clinic. The process was a marvelous opportunity for me to distill 25 years of work in the fields of healthcare, coaching, martial arts, yoga, meditation, psychology and philosophy into a cohesive package. As so many individuals are interested in the issue of wellness, I thought I would share my thoughts with you as well. While the early parts of this article speak to those with medical conditions, the latter parts outline my model of wellness independent of medical status.

What do health care professionals define as wellness?

It may come as a surprise to you, but with volumes of criteria established to diagnose medical and psychological illnesses there is no uniform working model of wellness! If you are not content to define health and wellness simply as the absence of disease (or pain), I could not agree with you more. No doubt you have met many individuals in your life who have no apparent disease condition but who are not living balanced, healthy lives. Similarly, there are many examples of individuals with chronic medical conditions who appear to have transcended their disease state to embody what many of us would identify as wellness.

Can I achieve wellness if I have a chronic medical condition?

Wellness does not require that you be free of all medical conditions. That is good news for those of us with bodies! In addition to the reality that accidents and illnesses can impact us profoundly, we are all aging and, of course, we do eventually die. While at least the last two are natural processes, we are not always comfortable discussing these issues in our culture. You may even be wondering why I would bring this up in a discussion on wellness!

Wellness is about embracing the natural unfolding of life.

The author, Byron Katie, states, “When I argue with reality, reality wins, but only 100% of the time.”

If you have a medical condition, it IS a part of your life. Understandably, you have likely spent a good deal of time on a quest to return to “your” life, the life you recall and identified with before your physical condition changed. Your physical condition was a misplaced chapter, maybe accidentally put in your life from someone else’s book! Now, if you could just find the editor-in-chief to take it out so that YOUR story can continue as you were writing it…

Wellness is about embracing YOUR life as it unfolds.

That doesn’t mean that you should become passive or give up. You may be familiar with the Serenity Prayer:

God give me the courage to change what I can

The strength to accept what I cannot

And the wisdom to know the difference.

Wellness is about learning the difference between what you can change and what you cannot and focusing your energies wisely.

You are so much more than the story of your medical condition. Whatever you are experiencing now IS your life. How you relate, or don’t, to your body’s condition and how you embrace or reject exploration your experience will determine the quality and richness of your life, regardless of the state of your body at any given time.

Even if a cure is not possible, healing is always within your reach!

Toward a Model of Wellness:

Most simply, wellness brings a sense of wholeness. Medical conditions are not a uni-dimensional phenomenon. Chronic medical conditions affect an individual physically, socially, psychologically and spiritually. Wellness is an integration of mind, body and spirit so that one has a sense of balance and harmony in life.

Wellness is a lifestyle. As you know, the world appears to be getting more complex every year. Developing a wellness lifestyle will allow you to revitalize and re-energize yourself so that you can continue to thrive in the face of the ongoing external demands of life, preparing you to cope with the changes that tomorrow inevitably brings.

Wellness is more than developing self-soothing techniques to get you through a rough day. You may have heard about or been taught self-help or stress management techniques that focus you internally and teach you ways to improve your self-care. Some people commit to taking hot baths or listening to music regularly to relax. Others write affirmations and stick them on their mirrors to promote positive thinking. Others may take up journaling. While these types of techniques are useful and certainly have their place in decreasing stress they can fall short for many people. First, new habits are hard to maintain. Just look at how many New Year’s Resolutions end up abandoned in 3 weeks time! Secondly, too often these techniques are used in isolation and don’t seem to relate to how a person is living day to day in relation to their family, their workplace or their circle of friends. The techniques then become little more than bandages for larger problems in a person’s life.

Wellness promotes self-understanding. You are not your body. You are not your thoughts. You are not your emotions. One key aspect of wellness is to learn how to control your thoughts and emotions. This does not mean that you stop having them, but that you stop being controlled by them. Being able to stand outside yourself and gain understanding of your life situation and your reactions to it is a critical piece of gaining control in your life.

Wellness promotes a sense of flow. In our “GO GO GO” culture, we tend to over-emphasize external productivity. Many people identify themselves as “Type A” and take pride in that. As a result, learning how to pace is a big challenge for many people. Another component of wellness is to be aware, respectful of and in tune with your flow between external productivity and rest periods. A well-paced life allows for a sustainable level of productivity so that surges of effort followed by extended “crashes” no longer define one’s life.

Wellness creates a sense of connection and meaning in life. Self-care and self-understanding alone do not define wellness. You are part of a larger system. You may have a family, friends, co-workers, a church or other community. Beyond our human connections, we also have connections with nature and you may also have a sense of spiritual connection to something greater than yourself.

Wellness is mind-body-spirit integration that promotes self-care and self-understanding and connects your life to the larger world. It is a state of being joyfully and enthusiastically engaged with your life, even when it doesn’t turn out exactly as you had planned.

Laura Young, M.A. is a life coach and owner of Wellspring Coaching. A contributing author to several books including 101 Great Ways to Improve Your Life with Jack Canfield, John Gray and Bob Proctor, coming in September, Laura specializes in working with individuals facing midlife transitions (personal and career), as well as those seeking relationship improvement, individuals coping with grief and loss and those seeking high level personal development. With doctoral training in counseling psychology, Laura has written extensively on such topics as stress management, motivation, finding one’s life purpose, creativity,achieving life balance, cultivating a healthy lifestyle and improving communication in personal and professional relationships .Visit her website to learn more about her coaching services. Visit her blog, Adventures of a Dragon Slayer to view her extensive resource base.