A New Model for Action-centered Wellness

How do we best maintain good health and thrive for as much of our life as we possibly can (and perhaps not need healthcare interventions as much or even at all)? In recent years this question has been at the center of the wellness movement. The Global Wellness Institute in the US suggests that wellness is a modern word with ancient roots and states that the key tenets of wellness as both preventive and holistic can be traced back to ancient civilizations from the East (India, China) to the West (Greece, Rome). In 19th-century Europe and the United States, a variety of intellectual, religious and medical movements developed in parallel with conventional medicine. Today they define wellness as “the active pursuit of activities, choices and lifestyles that lead to a state of holistic health.” The emphasis here is that wellness is not a passive or static state but rather an “active pursuit” that is associated with intentions, choices and actions as we work toward an optimal state of health and wellbeing. In addition, wellness is linked to holistic health—that is, it extends beyond physical health and incorporates many different dimensions that should work in harmony.

Because wellness can and should have many elements that comprise the whole, it is useful to ‘cluster’ it or split the subject up into useful parts. The chart below lists 6 of these clusters and then lists wellness-side actions under each of them:

 Let’s look at how each of the six are defined and what they broadly cover.

1.    Nutritional wellness

Nutritional wellness is all about the food that we eat or the diet that we maintain (which may change greatly at different stages of our life). This category or cluster focuses on improving health through incorporating a balanced diet into your daily life (in food and hydration terms). This includes evolving a better understanding of package labeling and ingredient lists, appreciating food safety, eating properly and healthily, managing eating disorders, addressing special dietary concerns and ensuring a healthy weight is maintained.

2.    Physical wellness

Physical wellness is about maintaining a healthy quality of life that allows individuals to get the most out of their daily activities without undue fatigue or physical stress. Physical wellness also means living responsibly and taking care of the body and recognizing that our daily habits and behaviors and hygiene have a significant impact on our overall health. This category or cluster focuses on maintaining appropriate levels of exercise, fitness, stretching, strength and stamina building. It also includes keeping the body safer by ideally avoiding smoking, drinking or recreational drug-taking.

3.    Mental wellness

Mental wellness includes our emotional and psychological well-being. It affects how we think, feel, and act. The World Health Organization definition here usefully states that it is: “a state of well-being in which the individual realizes his or her own abilities, can cope with the normal stresses of life, can work productively and fruitfully, and is able to make a contribution to his or her community.” This category or cluster focuses on Mood management techniques, Alertness and focus development, How to appreciate personal values/purpose, Listening more and for longer, Finding creative expression pathways and being curious or getting out of a 'comfort zone'

4.    Social wellness

Social wellness is all about a person’s relationship with others and the community around him or her, as well as shaping mental, physical, and emotional health. It is also about the ability to form and maintain relationships with others and interact and promote healthy communication within those relationships. This category or cluster focuses on a range of group-centric activities such as great social and civic participation, Taking up new creative hobbies/pastimes, engaging in regular individual and group learning opportunities and in so doing, build greater emotional and spiritual health and more positivity and optimism about the future.

5.    Rest/Relaxation wellness

Rest/Relaxation wellness is what we do to let stress subside when it needs to do so. Rest at the end of a day, and at the end of a week, therefore, helps each and every one of us to calm down. Taking breaks, walking in nature, Doing fun things that we enjoy, and sleeping well that compensates us for the unpleasant varying levels of stress we may experience in life, bringing balance back into our life. This category or cluster focuses on restful activities such as Meditation and Mindfulness, actively managing Stress and Pressure, Consistently managing relaxation, Engaging in good Breathing quality, Optimizing your chronotype, Taking time to genuinely relax and in general Worrying as little as possible.

6.    Environmental wellness

Environmental wellness is about living a lifestyle that is respectful of our surroundings or being aware of our personal space and wider area/locale in which we operate and then ensuring that it supports our wellness goals. This category or cluster focuses a range of activities such as Optimizing Air and Noise Quality, Engaging in legacy planning, Having Ready Digital Access, Thinking and planning personal finances, De-cluttering our environment/life, Engaging in volunteering and/or community service, Tracking personal health data/using wearables and getting tested and engaging in as much education about your environment as you can.

Individuals can use these clusters to see where most effort is needed to render beneficiary change to increase personal wellness. Once done, the chart affords the opportunity to think about and apply one, two or more actions or activities that are known to benefit overall wellness and help individuals to thrive over the longer term.

No model is ever best applied wholly or in exactly the same way for each individual and there are other wellness-promoting actions not even listed on this chart. However, it is hoped that this chart will be a useful broad way to guide people’s reflections and subsequent actions.

Jon Warner is CEO of Silver Moonshots-www.SilverMoonshots.org, a research and support organization for enterprises interested in the 50+ older adult markets with its own aging focused virtual accelerator. He is also Chapter Ambassador for Aging 2.0 and on the Board of St Barnabas Senior Services (SBSS), in Los Angeles, California.