live is beautiful

There are many words today associated with wellness.  Many of those terms are new for readers,
and some of the terms are interchangeable between fitness, wellness, and health.  So let’s take a
minute to explain some of the terms you may see from time to time.



Wellness itself is defined as the condition of good physical and mental health, especially when maintained by proper diet, exercise, and habits. Meditation, an exercise recommended for everyone, but especially those of use with hectic, stressful lifestyles, is defined as an engagement in contemplation, especially of a spiritual or
devotional nature.  Meditation has been shown to be an effective method of lowering blood
pressure, relieving stress, and promoting overall good health, by simply reflecting upon our day,
and finding happiness within ourselves.

Fitness refers to the condition of our physical body and mental fitness would of course be
addressing our mental state. Often we will join and participate in fitness centers that provide
personal trainers, and stationary fitness equipment.  There are numerous pieces of equipment
available that perform many different exercises to address specific areas of the body.  The best
time to learn about this equipment is during the orientation session of the fitness center you
have chosen.

Exercise covers a lot of ground.  There are so many forms of exercise that we can only try to
cover some of the more popular and well defined programs.  There are aerobic programs that
focus on heart rate and your cardio health.  There are water aerobics that again focus on your
heart health.  Weight training and free weights are used for building muscle mass, and sculpting
the body.  Walking is one of the best exercises available, as it doesn’t jar our bodies, but uses all
parts for toning and building heart rate.  Running, swimming, jogging, and skiing are all forms of
exercise, but not recommended for the novice.  

Your nutritional needs refer to the physical supplements of vitamins, minerals and calories
needed in order for you to sustain optimum physical health.  Much discussion is centered on this
topic right now, because our nation faces obesity problems of epidemic proportions.
Alternative therapies refer to the alternative medicine options such as chiropractic care,
acupuncture, herbal cures, and holistic medicine.  Of the examples given here, chiropractic and
acupuncture are becoming more widely accepted as complements to the traditional form of
western medicine.  Studies are conducted often that support the evidence that chiropractic care
and acupuncture are effective forms of medicine.

Herbal cleansing and healing are terms used by many of the natural healers to describe what
ingestion of certain herbal combinations can provide for the body in the effort to bring it back to
optimal health, or to sustain optimal health.

Today wellness is used not only in conjunction with health and fitness, but also wellness of the mind, body, and spirit. There is an ever increasing movement among the health conscious citizens, that wellness should include not only our physical being, but our mental and spiritual
health.  The only true form of wellness must include the entire person.