We are on the cusp of a revolution, something so powerful that it will change the path that mankind is taking. This groundswell of change is coming about because we are waking up to the fact that health means more than just an absence of disease.

What does wellness mean and how can it help us?

Wellness is much more than simply an absence of illness and/or disease. Wellness is a proactive and preventative approach that’s designed to provide optimum levels of health, physical, mental, emotional and social functioning.

Wellness involves our recognition that we have physical, psychological, spiritual and social needs that are necessary for us to have higher levels of functioning.

Wellness emphasizes the whole individual. It’s the integration of the body and the mind; and the understanding that everything we do, feel, think and believe has a direct impact on your state of health.

The emerging wellness revolution means becoming proactive with our own health and well-being. People will voluntarily take steps to exercise regularly and to eat better – to feel healthier, to reduce the effects of aging, improve the quality of their lives and to avoid becoming customers of the sickness system.

Without our health, little else can be accomplished. But health is not a given right – it is a responsibility we each need to step up and accept as our own.

It will be about making a choice – you can either seek out solutions to improve your health and work at preventing ill health and disease or you can remain passive about the potential perils lurking around, gradually losing the energy of life until sickness finally catches up with you.

The emerging wellness industry is as much a reaction to changing the sickness and the food industries control over our health as it is to every person’s desire to reach their full potential and enjoyment out of this special gift of life. Wellness means taking positive steps to living a lifestyle that promotes health, strength, fitness, vigor, energy and a longer happier life.

This also means preparing so our health span equals our life span and not risking spending the last 10 – 20 years of our life in a disability zone where the burden of our care falls on others. Our families, our friends, our communities and ultimately our world.

If you aren’t sure whether you have been proactive enough with your health goals, reflect on the following questions:

1.      Do you wait for an injury, illness or other ailments before you take measures to protect your health?

2.      Do you hold a black-and-white view of health, thinking about it only in terms of disease or lack of disease?

3.      Are you taking a proactive role in disease prevention by educating yourself about nutrition and what proper exercise really is?

4.      Have you reflected on the more holistic elements of health, such as happiness, stress reduction, quality sleep, accessing adequate sunlight, the expression of creativity, being productive, enjoying the moment, utilizing your senses and sharing love?

If you answered yes to the first two questions, you may need to redefine what it means to be healthy. Rather than thinking about two poles – healthy versus sick – consider the many different degrees of health and wellness in between.

Even when you are not suffering physical symptoms, there are still things you can do to feel even better and measures you can take to safeguard your future health. Likewise, a quick fix to address an illness or ailment may not be the only thing worth focusing on.

The third and fourth questions examine different ways you can take control of and evaluate your health. If you answered yes to these, you are on your way to better long-term wellness. You know that your health is not just about the physical manifestations and conditions that exist at one moment in time, but, mental and emotional wellness along with overall quality of life.

Should we expect our “health” care system to keep us well?

No, because it is becoming more evident that our current “health” care system is nothing more than an “illness treatment system” and this sickness-based system does not provide or promote health, but slowly destroys it. Statistics show our health has steadily declined since World War II with over 50 percent of us suffering one chronic illness or condition and many suffering multiple conditions. Almost three quarters of us are overweight or obese which is a huge threat to our health.

This is about commerce, not health care and this system is by far our biggest killer yet, but where is the outrage? World governments are hell-bent on fighting terrorism and ongoing conflict between countries while a silent epidemic of obesity and other “lifestyle” diseases are killing millions of people right on our own doorstep, right in our own backyard.  Yet we do nothing.

The bottom line is that our society fosters a culture of sickness. With few exceptions, our governments, medical professionals, media, insurers, food producers etc tolerate and even promote our worsening health. This is both a global disgrace and an individual one.

This sickness system need a constant supply of sick people to keep the money flowing in so it helps this process along with mercury-laced vaccinations, damaging, mostly toxic drugs and medications and supermarkets full of pretty boxes of  “look-a-like” food made with dirt cheap ingredients that have little to no nutritional value whatsoever.

But the great news is, this is all slowly changing as a greater awareness is being created that recognizes the powerful social and economic arguments for wellness. Fully 80 percent of disease and illness can be prevented with simple lifestyle changes like proper exercise, healthy eating (REAL unprocessed food), adequate sunlight, quality sleep and stress management.

These things are just the most basic self-care but many people do not seem to believe they are necessary as they rush along at warp speed in our busy, stressful, sedentary, modern world. But unless you want a shortened life or one filled with preventable disease that can wreck your life, self-care is vital for wellness.

We do have the power to prevent and change this situation and we cannot afford to wait as our lives, and our children’s lives, are at stake. The global, communal, individual and family importance is clear and urgent.

I hope you grasp the concept now that true health is not merely the absence of disease and that it’s a reflection of the state of your body, mind and spirit. Use this description as inspiration, and I invite you to explore programs on my website to start living your optimal life.

True wellness is the next natural step forward in our destiny and in the advancement of humankind. So, come hop on the fast moving train and join the wellness revolution with me and let me lead the way.

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Carolyn Hansen Fitness