What does Healthy mean?

Healthy means having good health. Is the opposite of sick, but also can mean “doing

well” in a general sense. Each of us strive to be healthy.

But many of us have illnesses, chronic disease, auto-immune disorders or just

symptoms that appear out of nowhere and don’t know where they came from. So, you

call your Dr. to evaluate what’s going on and he/she prescribes you medication to treat

the “symptom”. Not considering what is causing the symptom in the first place.  And of

course, we all know there are side effects to medications, which in some cases can be

worse than the actual symptom itself.

The Wheel of Life; Wellness 360

Wellness 360 is a Holistic perspective.  Each of the tabs on the wheel interconnect

between all parts of ourselves. Each person has unique circumstances and needs.

Creating balance by making small changes – when we make changes in one area of our

life, we often notice it changes other areas….interconnected.

In considering your Core foods (inner layer) and what areas might be out of balance, you

may find that there are many things affecting your imbalance.  It can be overwhelming

to look at all the areas where you don’t feel that you are achieving exactly what you want

to or realizing that each area has some percentage of “unfulfillment”.

The Wheel of Life is a way to take a closer look at the whole picture, to really drill

down into what specific things are in or out of balance.

The Inner Wheel

Represents activities and things that affect you DIRECTLY. The food you take in or the

fresh air you breathe.

 Water

 Sunshine

 Air

 Food

 Movement

 Sleep

The Outer Wheel

Consists of indirect things that affect a person’s health and well-being.

 Relationships

 Careers

 Finances

 Mindset

 Spirituality

 Purpose

Let’s take a closer look at the inner layers (CORE) to see how they directly affect us.

Wellness 360 Food

Most conversations about taking good care of your body includes the emphasis on the

food you eat. At YOU Wellness, we know that our nutrition is a significant foundational

part of our wellness practice. Healthy eating is crucial if we want to feel and look the

best we possibly can.

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Talking about the element of Food is important when it comes to wellness for many

reasons. First, of course, is that nutrition is one of the hottest topics when it comes to

being healthy.

What we eat directly impacts how we look, how we feel, and how we do a lot of things.

It’s also one of the most confusing and ever-changing elements. When you use the

Wellness 360-wheel, Food becomes an element that is simpler than you think.

There are several aspects that make up the element of Wellness 360 Food.

These include things like:

 The specific types of foods that we put into our mouths.

 The amount and quality of the food.

 How we eat that food, such as in a hurry or at a peaceful, slow pace.

 Noticing whether the food gives us energy or makes us feel tired.

 Checking in to see whether the food feels nourishing.

 Paying attention to whether the food makes us feel good after eating it.

Healthy Eating Is as Unique as You Are

Every person on the planet has specific biochemistry, environment, and lifestyle. When

combined, we are each quite unique. That means that each diet and nutrition plan out

there isn’t good for every person. It’s not a one diet-fits all. The food you eat needs to be

as unique as you are. Each person has specific individual needs. There are many factors

that influence which foods are best for you as an individual.

Wellness 360 Rest

Generally, it’s hard to improve your physical wellness for life when other parts of your

life might be under stress or unhealthy  One of the elements that can support you to gain

perspective on your life and see the connections between all the Wellness 360 elements

is the element of Rest.

The first reason it’s so important is that rest and sleep affect us on so many levels. When

we initially think of rest, we tend to think of sleep. And sleep is one of the biggest health

challenges that people in our culture face today.

Rest as a Wellness 360 element encompasses more than sleep, of course. The overall

American and western attitude toward rest is to try to minimize it as much as possible.

We put value on getting more done, being more productive, and being more efficient.

But we’ve lost our value for rest in our culture. Our quality and quantity of rest has

decreased, causing many problems ranging from minor health issues to major

challenges.

But when we’re talking about rest, we mean more than just sleep. Rest is a bigger idea

than that. It’s all about valuing our self-care practices. Rest also includes our downtime

and the ways that we intentionally slow down. It’s all about taking time to enjoy a

hobby, relaxing entertainment, or restful activities. Rest is about the things we can do to

release stress, calm our bodies, and power down our minds for a while.

Pay Attention to Your Energy Levels

You might be one of the lucky ones who sleep well and then wake up energized and

ready to start your day. Or you might wake up dragging from the first moment your feet

hit the floor. Notice your energy levels at the beginning of the day, but also pay close

attention to how they change throughout the day.

Do you feel exhausted by lunchtime? Are you loading up on caffeine just to get through

the day? Are you dragging all day long and then laying in bed wide awake at night? Keep

a journal to track your energy levels, then compare it to other activities and the food

you’re eating to discover patterns and correlations.

Check in With the Wellness 360 Wheel

Oftentimes, our quality of rest is directly affected by other aspects of our lives. If you’re

struggling through a bad patch with your partner, it might be really hard to sleep at

night. Lots of elements can be making it hard to go to sleep and to stay asleep. They can

also make us feel less motivated to engage in self-care, right during a time when we

might need it most.

 

Get Better Rest and Sleep

Taking good care of yourself is essential to achieving wellness. This includes focusing on

resting more, giving yourself better self-care, and ensuring that your sleep each nigh is

restful.

Wellness 360 Water

Water is an incredibly important part of your wellness routine and something to

consider when improving your overall health. There are many ways to look at Water and

ways to consider how it impacts our well-being.

Importance of Water for Health

One of the reasons we should talk about water is the fact that over half of the human

body is made of water. It’s an important element in our organs, our blood, and even our

bones. Water’s job in our bodies ranges from insulating our organs to lubricating our

joints, to forming the building blocks of cells.

Water is also an important part of the elimination system, carrying waste and toxins out

of our bodies. Water for health is always important to create a healthier body and a

more balanced wellness practice.

The simplest understanding of water for health is that we take in water through drinking

and eating. When we drink water, we are contributing a crucial element to our body for

its survival. We want to continually replenish the water in our bodies so it can support

our organs, joints and cells.

Without water, we become dehydrated and when that happens, our bodies can’t

function properly. Our cells become sluggish and too dry to perform their functions

optimally. We depend on water to live, way down to the cellular level. The quality of

water we’re drinking also greatly affects us. Dehydration can have a negative impact on

your wellness, so it’s important to balance water for health and well-being.

Here are a few ways you can get started with balancing your water element.

1. Keep track of your water intake.

Write down when you drink water and how much you’re taking in. Pay attention

to when you feel thirsty and make note of it.

2. Pay attention to the other beverages you’re drinking.

If you’re a big coffee drinker, notice what it does to your thirst and bathroom

visits. Caffeine tends to trick the body into eliminating water, which will leave you

dehydrated. Also, keep a close eye on other things you drink, such as sodas, diet sodas, teas,

juices and alcohol. Some of these liquids are hydrating and others are

dehydrating. Some of them will wreak havoc with your water fluid balance. Water

is always the best thing to drink for your health.

Wellness 360 Sun

It’s vitally important to get about 10 minutes of natural midday sunlight every single day

– and it’s crucial in the winter. This is true even if it’s overcast outside. We spend a

whopping 90% of our time indoors – and that’s where everyone else’s germs are

multiplying! Sunlight boosts the immune system by converting cholesterol to vitamin D.

It stimulates the thyroid gland; ensures sound sleep by triggering melatonin production at

night; and boosts the mood. Get outside for a walk and get your vitamin D for the day.

A minimum of 20 minutes per day when the sun is high in the sky is ideal for optimum

vitamin D intake. You’ll also feel more energized once you soak up some sunlight.

Wellness 360 Air

One of the important elements of Wellness 360 is Air. At the most basic level, our body

is alive because of the air we breathe in. It’s literally our life force and the element that

makes it possible for all the cells in our body to thrive.

The air you breathe contains a lot of oxygen, which is an essential element for life. Every

one of your cells needs it in order to carry out their functions and keep you moving.

When you breathe in, air moves into your lungs, then oxygen travels to all the places it

needs to go through the bloodstream.

 

Understanding the Air Element

The element of Air focuses on the actual air coming into our lungs when we breathe in.

Since air is such a vital part of our life force, it’s important to consider the quality as it

will affect our physical health. Improving our wellness isn’t complete until we’ve

addressed the ways in which we take in air.

Air as Nature and Outdoors

As a Wellness 360 element, Air also represents the air outside and nature. This includes

our environment and how we treat it. That includes how the environment impacts our

air quality, which then affects our health. An environment that is treated poorly and has

become unhealthy will have negative effects on our health. On the flip side, when we

lovingly care for our environments, it can have a hugely positive effect on our mental

and physical health.

When we are exposed to air pollution for any length of time, it can harm our respiratory

system, lungs, and cardiovascular system (our heart). Long exposures to pollution can

lead to serious diseases and health effects that can be devastating.

Air as Indoor Environment

Your indoor environment is also important. The air quality of our homes has a huge

impact on the air we breathe in and our overall physical health. Our homes are our safe

havens, away from the outdoor environments that surround us. The quality of the air we

take in within our homes is an important consideration when balancing wellness and

health.

Air as Breath

While the quality of the air you breathe in is super important, it’s also crucial to consider

how you are doing the physical breathing.

Most people breathe in using just their upper chest, taking in very short and shallow

breaths. For ultimate health, we need to be breathing in deeper ways. Air should move

in your nose, down into your lungs, filling up so fully that your belly rises. It should

then make its way back out, leaving through your nose or mouth fully. Intentional

breathing brings in the most efficient levels of oxygen, bringing vitality and true

oxygenation to every cell in the body.

Learning how to breathe properly impacts our well-being at a deep level. Deep breathing

helps to calm our nervous system, and slower breathing can de-escalate panic and

anxiety.

Wellness 360 Body

Wellness 360 is a holistic philosophy that supports the integration of all areas of our

well-being. But it’s not just one-dimensional. It’s a three-dimensional, layered system

that supports the whole person. Each layer of Wellness 360 can be used to change your

health and life on different levels. Going beyond just our external health, Wellness 360

takes us to the inner layer of ourselves and can help us define and evolve our whole

being.

On the first layer – the physical, external layer, Wellness 360 continues to provide a

holistic framework for balancing our lives in the 12 elements of life we originally created.

On the second layer – the internal, inner layer, Wellness 360 goes to the next level by

integrating both the external and internal. We are not just physical bodies; we have an

internal world that plays a huge role with our health. What’s happening on the inside is

often as important as what is happening on the outside.

And finally, on the third layer – the symbolic, more “energetic” layer or that hidden

layer you can’t see – Wellness 360 provides greater meaning to the areas of our life that

are out of balance and provides a deeper understanding of our individual journeys.

I encourage you to really look at the Wellness 360 wheel and see what areas are out of

balance. Then rate them from 1-10. 1 being the lowest, 10 being the highest. If you rate

any areas at 7 or below then those areas are the main and biggest that need to be focused

on and fixed. As they are interconnected with other areas of your life and is not whole.

Empowering You To Be More Healthy

I am a Master Certified Holistic Health and Wellness Coach, founder of YOU Wellness

and creator of The MS Energy Blueprint. On Facebook, I’m known as The MS Wellness

Coach. I specialize in empowering women with MS to combat fatigue and increase energy

levels naturally so that you can transform from existing to living life with vitality and

abundance.I am also an author of Blue Fingers Brass Knuckles – self-help book for those newly

diagnosed with MS.

If you would like to learn how to improve your overall health and manage your MS

symptoms naturally, click HERE to schedule your FREE strategy session with me!