Showing posts with label Wellness. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Wellness. Show all posts

Wednesday, December 8, 2010

Perfect Wellness

Want to know why most of you have already forsaken your New Years resolutions? It is because you failed to embrace one of the most critical and elemental concepts when it comes to improving your wellness. I must warn you, this is not very exciting. It's not very sexy. In fact, most people would perceive this advice as down right boring! So, if you want something that really floats your boat, gets you pumped up, hyped and jazzed about reaching your dream of perfect health, then go to one of those self-help gurus for your fix of false hope destined to be dashed on the rocks of reality. However, if you're really interested in a formula for success that will help you meet your goals of improving your fitness, nutrition and stress management, then I've got some solid advice for you. Are you ready? Are you sitting down? OK, here it goes...embrace moderation.
Yep, that's it! I told you it wasn't very exciting, but when it comes to a strategy that can lead to lifetime wellness, embracing moderation is without a doubt the single most important concept for you to implement. The major problem for most people is their approach to wellness. Many people decide at the first of the year to rid themselves of their past bad habits and neglectful practices. Many people decide to start a fitness program by hitting the gym for a two-hour workout starting at 4:00 am. This is followed by going from a diet rich in meat and fat to a one-hundred percent raw food Vegan diet. And, what the hell, we might as well throw in some deeply spiritual mediation practices twice a day for at least a couple of hours to ensure you are also enlightened within a couple of weeks. Recipe for success? I think not! This fantasy will end the second their fist crashes down on the alarm clock ringing at 4:00 am. Oh well, there's always next year!
I know, this is an extreme example, but in truth it's not really that far off. Many people start something at the beginning of the New Year with really good intentions. The problem is they are typically trying to erase years, if not decades, of abuse and decline. Many people really think they can get in shape in just a few weeks and rarely do they think in terms of something they can stick with for the rest of their lives. We all want that quick fix and the thought of having to spend a lifetime busting butt, eating sticks and leaves and sitting on the right hand of God is simply unrealistic.
This is where moderation comes in. Moderation in our fitness goals means we are just starting out we should set reasonable and, more importantly, reachable goals. For example, a beginning fitness program could start with walking 15 minutes a day, 3 times a week. Moderation in nutrition means we start by simply eating smaller portions. The truth is by the end of the day if your calorie consumption is higher than your calorie expenditure you will gain weight no matter what you are eating. Moderation in stress management means maybe we start by just sitting still experiencing gratitude for all the positive things in our lives for 10 minutes each day. Get the picture? Make an honest assessment of what you CAN do and then just start to build gently from there.
Being reasonable, setting realistic and obtainable goals, being kind and patient with ourselves is truly the path to success. Just remember that one key word when you are tempted to get carried away...moderation.

Monday, November 29, 2010

Buy Natural Health Supplements - Natural Tonics for Health and Wellness

Buy natural health supplements? When looking to buy natural health supplements and natural tonics for health and wellness, chances are you'll find your options are limited in local stores. Online, there are many possibilities. However, an important question is -- how to know which natural tonics for health and wellness are legitimate ones that provide specific health benefits?

Ideally, vitamin and nutrient requirements would come totally from your diet. The problem is -- many people make poor food choices every day. And even with a well-balanced diet, studies find that nutrient values of foods have been declining for decades because of soil depletion.

When looking to buy natural health supplements, leading the list should be the daily vitamin/mineral/nutrient supplement that is the basis of your supplement program. And all daily supplements are not created equal. Two important natural tonics for health and wellness should be considered these:

o High-Quality Daily Vitamin/Mineral/Nutrient Supplements - a daily high-quality, broad-spectrum anti-aging natural supplement helps fill in the dietary gaps that everyone will have. Few persons obtain the minimum recommended servings of 5-9 cups of vegetables and fruits per day, for example, and thus do not obtain the health benefits associated with these vital foods.

And taking one of the cheap one-a-day vitamins is probably a waste of time and money. When considering to buy natural health supplements, vitamins and minerals are just the beginning. The body needs and will use a wide array of anti-aging natural tonics for health and wellness substances -- amino acids, antioxidants, bioflavanoids, neuronutrients, herbal extracts, enzymes and other nutrients such as L-Carnosine, alpha lipoic acid and acetyl L-Carnitine and so on. And these nutrients must be in the correct proportions to each other based on the latest research.

o Omega 3 Supplements - from heart and brain health to depression treatment to pregnancy health, Omega 3 benefits are too good to ignore if you are interested in health. Three of the top Omega 3 food sources are cold-water fish, grass-fed (not grain-fed) meat and eggs. Omega 3 oils provide DHA and EPA in a natural form that your body can easily assimilate. No conversion is required by the body as is required for flax oil, for example. Most of the clinical studies on Omega 3 benefits are based on fish oils from consuming fish and fish oil supplements.

In addition, other natural tonics for health and wellness to consider when you buy natural health supplements with specific health benefits proven by clinical studies are:

o Natural Cholesterol Lowering Supplements - the most effective is policosanol which comes from sugar cane. Its cholesterol-lowering abilities are published in over 80 clinical studies, which are more studies than for most prescription drugs. Policosanol significantly lowers total cholesterol and low-density lipoprotein (LDL) cholesterol and increases high-density lipoprotein (HDL) cholesterol without the side affects associated with the statin drugs.

o Arthritis Supplements - there are nutrients that have been shown to reduce inflammation, swelling and stiffness. Aiming to achieve long term pain relief by targeting the cause, not just the arthritis symptoms, should be the goal of arthritis natural tonics for health and wellness.

o Sexual Enhancement Supplements - many sexual problems (and health problems) are related to nutrient deficiencies. In men, for example, men with impotency problems also suffer from cardiovascular disease, Type 2 diabetes or are taking prescription drugs which commonly cause sexual dysfunction problems. Restore your general health and your sexual health will automatically follow.

Is it possible when you buy natural health supplements that you can slow the aging process? Yes! Numerous clinical studies have shown and are still finding the health benefits of many of these nutrients. You can try to come up with your own supplement plan and take many different supplements individually. However, to buy natural health supplements and design your own supplement program is not the best way. It's easy to end up with a dozen or more individual substances to take daily, which is both a hassle and expensive. And if certain substances are out of balance, they can combine to produce other unwanted compounds that can be harmful.

There are manufacturers that provide advanced nutritional products in one broad high-quality daily supplement. Nutrient quantities are combined according to the latest research, and individual ingredients are linked to relevant clinical studies and benefits. Learn as much as you can before you buy natural health supplements about the natural tonics for health and wellness you'll be taking every day.

Copyright 2005 InfoSearch Publishing

Read more about women's vitamins and supplements and vitamins for men. David Buster is VP of InfoSearch Publishing and webmaster of http://www.safemenopausesolutions.com - a website of natural health articles, reliable sources of natural health supplements and related resources.

Sunday, November 28, 2010

Has Wellness Been Hijacked?

Wellness is a great concept. It brings happiness into health and encourages a truly holistic approach to life. Wikipedia defines wellness as a healthy balance of the mind-body and spirit that results in an overall feeling of well-being. It sounds like exactly what every one is looking for. But when you start to talk about corporate wellness, or workplace wellness, all life goes out of the concept. Total solutions, disease management and health screening do not inspire visions of enjoying life and living it to the full. They start from the assumption that sickness is here to stay and needs to be discovered, managed and controlled but can never be healed.

The wellness industry is growing phenomenally fast. Wellness guru, Paul Zane Pilzer, has labeled it the next trillion dollar industry. But wellness has two different faces. On the one hand there are the small businesses - people working from home or in small centers selling all kinds of wellness products and services at a speed of growth that is escalating rapidly. On the other hand corporate wellness is also exploding but in a very different direction.

The baby boomers who are driving the popular wellness revolution have been described as the first generation to refuse to accept the inevitability of death. They are actively looking for ways to prevent aging, stay healthy into old age and enjoy themselves more than ever before after retirement. This is a radical departure from current notions of old age, which are often dominated by pictures of sickness, frailty and suffering.

The corporations have been largely forced to take on wellness. This is partly through legislative pressure, with many countries introducing laws to make companies liable for stress-related sickness in their employees. It is also financially motivated, as research has repeatedly shown the enormous costs of absenteeism (and increasingly of presenteeism as well).

Whereas the baby boomers are actively looking for new solutions and new lifestyles the companies are struggling to organize largely traditional and mainstream health systems, such as doctors, nurses, insurance and screening systems. The problem is that the traditional health system does not have solutions for the problems that people are handling.

Nobody ever went to see a doctor to get happy, because a doctor doesn't have any clue how to make people happy. And many stress-related health problems are described as chronic diseases, which means that they last for a very long time - or maybe for the rest of your life - because there is no medical cure. Counseling is a common offering in companies for emotional problems, but whilst it may provide a useful pressure valve it is not a powerful treatment for stress, unhappiness or depression.

Imagine walking into a company where the employees are happy, healthy, full of inspiration, fit, love working, have meaningful family lives, active social lives, and enjoyable relationships at work and in their community. That kind of company would be a pleasure to work in and bound to be successful because people would be working to their optimum capacity.

So can we create a system of true wellness that will serve the development of the companies and their employees and will pay for itself because of the benefits that both sides will gain?

First of all we have to face the fact that we can't place all the responsibility into the hands of the current health system. Absenteeism, stress, depression, the very roots of the wellness revolution, have not been solved by the current system. If they had been we wouldn't have this revolution, we would all be much more well. So we need to look elsewhere for solutions.

We also cannot rely on makeshift feel-good wellness offerings, such as the on-site massage team which visits the office once a month or the wellness day that raises awareness for a little while but leaves most people unaffected. They are easy to organize but have little or no real effect on employee wellness.

Corporate needs are different than individual needs and many of the new small wellness businesses that are springing up simply don't have the capacity to serve the corporate market. However it is in the best interest of both companies and employees to find and develop systems of health and wellness that really work - that benefit people to be happy, handle stress, love working, and to have enough energy to go home at the end of the day and enjoy their family and social life. So far the corporate world has hijacked the concept of wellness and turned it into a modern version of occupational health. It is time to raise the vision and find out how to make truly healthy, happy workplaces where people thrive.

Sarah McCrum

Sarah McCrum is Director of the Academy of Potential Education, with a special interest in developing education to prepare people for a future that is likely to be very different from today.
sarah@potentialeducation.org
http://www.therejuvenationcentre.com/
http://www.potentialeducation.org

Health And Wellness

Achieving a state of good health and wellness means living a higher quality of life and experiencing a peace that goes beyond what material wealth and external situations can offer. The state of health and wellness is priceless yet available to rich and poor alike. Health and wellness is the food for a complete life. Only materialistic gains don't determine peace and consistency in life. A proper health and wellness is attained when you relinquish all your needless qualms and achieve serenity. Wellness cannot be achieved superficially neither can it be tagged. A healthy life helps human to achieve wellness which is the real wealth of life. Good health and wellness inspires you to lead a hale and hearty life and thereby encourages you to leave all your anxiety, tragedy and disease behind you. Health and wellness encourages you to get geared up to accept every altercation sportingly that our prolific life offers. Achieve presence and peace of mind with a good cognitive and mind-body health. Take care of your health with natural diet, exercise, prevention, natural remedies, soothing sleep and other relaxation tools.

The main criterion to accomplish a good health is to have a balanced diet. An alarming survey has shown that in America, obesity is rampant, diabetes is epidemic and chronic disease is sky rocketing. This is caused due to excess intake of calorie consuming food like soft drinks, desserts, sweets, alcoholic beverages and salty snacks. Americans get plenty of calories but less of nutrition. No magic formula will trim away the extra pounds and keep them off. A balanced healthy diet can only do the wonder. Think smart, eat right and move more- these are the three plans of actions to be emulated if you wish to maintain a fitness regime. A healthy diet which means eating right recommends substituting fat-free or low fat milk with whole milk and save about 65 calories for each 8 ounce serving. Sometimes products labeled low fat can be high in calories. For example, low fat yoghurt can be high in calories. You can opt for fat free, low sugar added yoghurt instead for a fraction of calories. Don't forget including high fiber food in your diet. Eating right will not only keep your health sculpted like a star but will also ingrain oodles of vigor in you. All of us today had to undergo heaps of anxiety in our professional as well as personal life and this inevitable stress eventually trims down our health thereby affecting our mind. To lead a healthy life and acquire wellness, a good health which comes from an impeccable diet is the basic requirement. High fiber foods such as whole grains, fruits and vegetables take some time to digest but this makes you feel fuller for long and will combat you from indulging into any unhealthy junk food. Include plenty of fruits in your diet since they add volumes to your health and also prevents you from taking any other calorie consuming drinks. Cut your favorite candy bar into bite-sized pieces. Buy that candy bar, slice it into pieces and then freeze it for sometime before you eat. This will dilute the surfeit sugar consumed by those candies and will make it a healthy food. While eating out, consider having two low calorie appetizers instead of an entrée. Eating right will help you feel contented and occupied without splurging on calories. Make your own diet chart and keep those palatable items in individual fresh packs. It is a time saving as well as a handy formula to keep up a good health.

Good health determines a balanced mind, body and soul. Foods those are rich in fiber throws in to a good health ardently. It helps your colon work better, reduces the risk of heart disease and cancer and it is associated with low cholesterol levels. Men over 50 years of age should intake 30 grams of fiber per day and women above 50 years should have 21 grams per day. Good health is not always about eating right. It has a wider meaning. To endorse good health, you need to coddle into some healthy physical exercises along with a proper diet. Exercising not only rejuvenates you inside out but also has a cleansing effect both physically and ethereally. All the waste matters and toxins in our body get eliminated through sweating when we do the exercises. Besides, blood circulation and respiratory system are greatly improved by regular exercises. Yoga, dancing, martial arts, sports, jogging, mountaineering or brisk walking if practiced regularly, will add immense value to your health and wellness. Good health also includes combustion of ill addictions such as tobacco, powerful liquor or any other drugs that can be life-taxing. Certain places are known to be superficially grimy like hospitals, funeral parlors, cemeteries, etc and weak persons are advised to take a shower after they pay a visit to such places. Visiting sea beaches confer a sedative effect on mind which is a significant factor in good health as sea water has a natural cleansing effect on the energy body. Emotional and mental hygiene is also a vital stipulation of good health. An emotional and mental hygiene mean having positive feelings like kindness, happiness, joy and enthusiasm which has a beneficiary impact on one's emotions and thereby contributes a lot to health. Negative thoughts on the other hand lead to some acute health problems like migraine headache, acute sinusitis, hyperthyroidism, cholesterol, infected kidneys, constipation and many more such diseases. Thus, to gain a good health, not only you have to keep up a healthy diet but also a proper health and wellness regime along with good thoughts to keep yourself all geared up to enjoy life freely.

We all are wisely aware of our health and wellness and also how a little vigilance can avert us from getting infected to some malignant diseases like Aids, breast cancer and diabetes. Various health and wellness campaigns are held to make us sentient of the various safety measures to be taken to shun such maladies. Among all these diseases, breast cancer is one of the scariest diseases. It's a malignant tumor in breast. Several breast cancer awareness campaigns are being set up every year to pass on the note of different prevention procedures of breast cancer to women so that they can combat it on the preliminary stage itself. For more than 20 years, National breast cancer awareness month has educated women about early breast cancer detection, diagnosis and treatment. 1st October to 31st October is the national breast cancer awareness month. Mammography screenings are a women's best chance to detect breast cancer early. Combined with a few treatment options, mammography can actually help bring down this virus to a great extent, thereby affirming a healthy life and these issues are elucidated clearly and elaborately in the breast cancer awareness campaigns.

AIDS stands for "acquired immune deficiency syndrome". AIDS destroy the whole immune system in the body of an individual which helps us fight back the ailments that our health endures. But if the immune system is eradicated then it will not kill the individual at the first shot but will make his body nil in resistant power. AIDS usually roots out from physical intimacy if the other person is infected with it, it might get transmitted from sharing similar needles and also any kind of blood transfusion. AIDS awareness campaigns are being set every year to deliver a range of safety measures that should be taken in order to thwart it. All these AIDS awareness campaigns actually notify you as to how you should go about these prevention procedures and claim for a healthy life. Besides, there are many AIDS awareness hotline that help you to fight with all these malignant diseases and save your health and wellness. 1st December is recognized as World's Aids Day.

Other health awareness issues also include lung cancer awareness, vegetarian awareness, diabetic awareness and hypertension awareness series. Separate awareness programs are held to combat all these malignant diseases and with your little endeavor towards your health and wellness, you can keep yourself far away from these nerve wracking maladies and claim for a healthy life along with wellness.

Health and wellness determines the entity of your life. We offer the maximum part of our life to our job, career, family and other attributes but hardly do we confer a good amount of time to ourselves which includes our health and wellness at the result of which we tend to get into this pool of diseases recklessly. And again, apart from taking care of our health and wellness by eating right and maintaining a balanced diet, it is very essential to take care of all this dreadful diseases and it's our liability to obtain our prevention measures. Health and wellness is the food for life and we human cannot actually afford to grant negligence on such matters if we aspire to live a healthy and successful life.

Robert Swayze writes on Encouragement, Inspiration and Motivation. He writes for Inspirational Ecards at 123Greetings.com. He is an active blogger and writes at his blog on Inspirational and Encouragement Wishes

Saturday, November 20, 2010

Understanding the Dimensions of Wellness

If you're looking for a way to develop your own personal wellness, it may be difficult to find a model that fits. You want to feel better physically, mentally, emotionally and spiritually. You want to improve your fitness, your relationships, your career, and your ability to handle stress, anxiety, worry or depression. In short, you want to be the best you that you can be.

There are many dimensions of wellness, and the best way to describe them is using the 7 Aspects of Wellness model. The 7 Aspects of Wellness are these different dimensions-Emotional, Physical, Intellectual, Spiritual, Occupational, Environmental, and Social-that work together to create a whole and complete life. When they are in a state of balance, the 7 Aspects of Wellness build a foundation from which you can accomplish your greatest dreams.

What are the 7 Aspects of Wellness?
Emotional Wellness: Emotional Wellness is the aspect of wellness that deals with our inner worlds. When we're working on our Emotional Wellness, we address self-knowledge, personal feelings, and our ability to handle stress. If we want to truly understand ourselves, our feelings, our behaviors and our motivations, we must focus on Emotional Wellness.
Physical Wellness: Physical Wellness is the aspect that focuses on our physical health habits and obtaining optimum physical well-being. Our Physical Wellness is dependent on our diet, exercise, sleep and hygiene habits and can have a profound affect on how we feel.
Intellectual Wellness: Intellectual Wellness involves learning about and having new experiences with the world around us. It includes creative activities, expanding one's horizons, and discovering new ways of thinking about the world. Intellectual Wellness also means picking up new skills or hobbies along with learning new facts.

Spiritual Wellness: Spiritual Wellness is concerned with our search for meaning and purpose in life and our connection to whatever form of higher power we each decide to believe in. Spiritual Wellness involves discovering what we each believe and how to practice those spiritual principles in everyday life.

Occupational Wellness: Occupational Wellness focuses on finding our calling in life, coping with work stress, progressing toward our career goals, and aligning our work life with our ultimate dreams. It also involves understanding the balance between work and play for ultimate personal as well as professional satisfaction.

Social Wellness: Social Wellness is about creating healthy, intimate connections with others. For some of us, building healthier Social Wellness means overcoming interpersonal issues or social anxiety. It also means creating and maintaining appropriate boundaries in relationships, finding the balance between social life and alone time, and learning to communicate openly and honestly with those around us.

Environmental Wellness: Environmental Wellness focuses on how our environment is connected to the way we feel. Practicing Environmental Wellness means looking at how our immediate environments-our homes, offices, and car interiors-reflect our feelings about ourselves and support our Emotional Wellness. It also involves strengthening our connection to the earth and our natural environments for better spiritual, emotional and physical well-being.

Bringing these 7 Aspects of Wellness into a state of balance helps you feel better in the moment and leads you toward your ultimate wellness goals. The best part is that balancing these 7 Aspects is an individual experience for everybody. The key is to consider ways of supporting all 7 of these major life areas in some way shape or form that moves you forward toward positive change. Lack of awareness is the main reason most of us remain stuck. Learning about the 7 Aspects of Wellness and using that knowledge to cultivate awareness of our actions is the cornerstone leading a life that's both fulfilling and satisfying.

Thursday, November 18, 2010

Types of Health and Wellness Businesses and Their Contribution to Society

The health and wellness market is a booming industry. People are buying health products such as targeted vitamins and minerals and wellness services such as massage and acupuncture so as to ensure physical wholeness and overall good health. The motivation comes from the improved knowledge that the modern man has about his body and environment.
The public has obtained access to health education and promotion through various media, and as a result, there is a rapid transformation on how we have looked at health and wellness these last 30-40 years. A few decades ago, the house-call doctor who had a strong educational background but an equally strong intuitive knowledge went the way of the dodo, to be replaced by institutionalized "Big Health" that has proven over the years to be faceless, uncompassionate, and ridiculously expensive.
In the meantime, we as a people have been exposed to theories of health and wellness from the Far East and our own ancient times, and we've come to recognize that perhaps there's more to staying healthy than popping pills and getting broken bones set.
Health and wellness products have indeed been in demand over the last few years, and this is due in part to the exposure they have received through the media. We see health issues addressed in internet websites, magazines, books, newsletters and even on television, where Oprah's 'Doctor Oz' now has his own show, and 'The Doctors' is a common daytime panel show about health and wellness.
Health journals are cropping up, even major news magazines such as Time, Newsweek and Focus have contributed a lot of articles, editorials and special issues to nutrition and wellness.
Economists in the United States suggest that in the years to come, the wellness business will be one of the leading contributors of economic growth. In fact, in this country, the sales of this industry have already reached $200 million and will soon match the sales of the 'traditional' health care sector!
The health and wellness industry is all about selling wellness products and services which improve the health of their customers. Since there is a wide range of products and services included in this scope, we can divide them into a variety following types of health and wellness businesses. Here's a partial list:
Voluntary medicine - examples under this type are lifestyle drugs and plastic cosmetic surgery.
Wellness resources - these are the information segment of the society, or media informing the people regarding wellness products and services.
Wellness insurance - financial resources for a large number of wellness services and preventative medicines, including chiropractic care and even acupuncture.
Nutritional services and products - including vitamin supplements, nutritionist, local organic food stores, etc.
Fitness services and products - including massage therapists, spas, chiropractor, etc.
Preventative health care - treating, modifying or controlling health risk factors
Alternative health care - this includes meditation, yoga, herbalism, homeopathy, hypnosis, acupuncture, traditional Chinese medicine, naturopathy, etc.
Health and wellness tourism - characterized by customers who would use traveling expenses to look for medical tourism hubs across the globe, offering products and services for these health and wellness seekers.
As you can see, the health and wellness industry has grown significantly, thanks to the huge support it has obtained from several other sectors. New opportunities have opened for health and wellness initiatives, whether it be on the side of selling products and services or in the dissemination of valuable health and wellness information.
The industry is indeed a huge network of products and services, all together with a common theme of being the answer to the sicknesses and diseases that are growing rampant in our society today. Many of these are caused by industries that sell unhealthy goods and commodities. All the types of health and wellness businesses have blossomed in order to come to our rescue.
Because of all of this blooming and blossoming, if you're an entrepreneur looking to start a business, a health and wellness business is an excellent choice -- the competition might look stiff, but it's an industry where the consumer is trained to be suspicious of success and look for the local, 'little guy'...which is exactly where you could fit in!
Chris is a home based entrepreneur in the fields Health and Wellness, Internet Marketing, and Leadership Coaching. He specializes in training people to market on the internet and has a health and wellness business spanning 3 continents.
You can learn more about the Health and Wellness Industry and how you could ride this trend in this article Chris has written here:
Health and Wellness Industry and its Advantages

Monday, November 15, 2010

Enhance Wellness by Doing Something Different

Many people would say that it is absolute madness to keep on doing the same thing, time after time, expecting to get a different result or for something different to happen. Alternatively, many people, especially those in the personal development and wellness fields of varying natures, would describe it as intelligent to have a goal and be wonderfully flexible about how you go about achieving it.

It is this intelligent idea of enhancing wellness that I want to highlight today.

If what you're doing isn't working or increasing your wellness, do something else;

I was working with a corporate client recently and had been working with one of their senior managers. He had wanted his team to carry out a piece of project work in a certain way. He said to me that he had told them again and again (12 times in total), but they still weren't doing what he wanted. I pointed out that if he wanted them to change what they were doing, he might have to change what he was doing; I suggested that he be more flexible. Together, We explored some alternative approaches and things started to change.

If you are fed up with getting the same results to certain things over and over, with whatever it is that you are looking to change, use this notion to begin to disrupt your existing pattern. If you are just following the idea through in some way, by definition you are perceiving it differently and doing yourself lots of favours. You'll be increasing your wellness.

So, firstly, identify an area where you've been doing the same thing over and over hoping to get a different result. Or an area that you want to increase your wellness. It may relate to a behaviour, habit, circumstance or situation; just choose something that you want to change the outcome of.

Then secondly, clarify your goal, that is, clarify what you want to achieve. Do this by asking yourself what you want and how you will know when you have got it.

Thirdly, construct or create a list of the different approaches and behaviours you have tried already in order to achieve this goal or increased wellness. Or note down what it is that you are doing currently.

Finally and most simply, put together a nice list of some alternative behaviours you will use to achieve the goal and increase wellness. Enlist some help ifyou feel it would help. When you have compiled a good list (put stuff down on that list that may well not seem right for you, it is good to explore avenues that in the past made you feel uncomfortable from time to time). Then, of course, look at starting to do the things that are on your list; do them.

What I am wanting to get across here is the idea of being more bendy.

Your mind and your body really are a single system, so it follows that physical flexibility can often lead to greater mental flexibility. There are certain activities which can greatly increase physical flexibility, including things like Yoga, Martial arts, Dancing, Swimming and lots of other general forms of exercise.

Practicing any of these will increase your overall behavioural and mental flexibility and level of wellness. In addition, find opportunities to break habitual patterns. For instance, most mornings when I shave, I do it in a different way. This requires me to stay aware and vary my patterns. The more flexibility you have, the more flexibility you can bring to situations involving others. Often, when people are seeing me for reducing their weight, I might suggest that they look at the doing things like swapping their knife and fork hands around for a week.

So, go ahead and identify a habitual pattern and change it to enhance your wellness. Especially if it is something you are not entirely happy about.

Here is a list of some things that you can do to interrupt your existing patterns and increase your wellness, you can be as creative as you want with these things.

-Eat a food that you never usually eat

-Go for a walk at an early hour in the morning

-Watch a TV show you would never usually watch

-Take a different journey home from work

-Take a cold shower

-Answer your phone with the opposite hand to usual

-Laugh and smile for no reason

The sooner you start doing this, the more fun you'll have with it. Then often, the higher your increase in wellness. So many people I encounter, know all this stuff or read it and still don't do these things and wonder why they are not getting what they want. Do soemthing different today and you'll be amazed how your wellness rockets.

Copyright 2005 Adam Eason. All Rights Reserved.

Adam Eason is an author, consultant, trainer and motivational speaker in the fields of hypnosis, NLP, personal development and human potential. His website is filled with information, stimulating articles, resources and uniques products.

Adam's bi-monthly free ezine is packed with modern, innovative psychological tips, techniques and strategies; all those who sign up receive an instantly downloadable, unique hypnosis session to enjoy in the comfort of your own home.

Consider a Wellness Program

Are you stuck in a health rut? Do you need some expert advice and support to help you make a breakthrough with your health? If so, you may benefit from taking part in a wellness program. In this article wellness coach Wesley Smith explains how wellness programs work to support you to get over your current health challenges and back onto the path of feeling good. Is it time you made some health supporting changes in your life? If you are ready to make some changes then you may be ready for a wellness program.

What is Wellness

Wellness is feeling healthy and happy. Wellness is having the energy to put into those things that are meaningful in your life. Wellness can mean discovering what brings you meaning and satisfaction. Finding wellness means overcoming chronic health problems and making lifestyle changes that support your health goals.

Set Your Goals

A wellness program starts with helping you to clarify your health goals. Reaching your goals is going to require you to make changes to your current lifestyle and that's why it's important to make the connection between the goals you want to reach and why you want to reach them. This may sound obvious but it is a crucial step to helping you sustain your effort throughout and beyond the program. It's exploring the reasons why we want to do something that creates momentum. Take the goal of having more energy for example, having more energy is a great goal, but the crucial question is what are you going to do with that energy? Would having more energy mean you are no longer exhausted in the evening after work so you can do something you enjoy like an art class or a catch up with friends? Would you like to have more energy so you can keep up with your children or grandchildren? Would you like to go bushwalking, play sport, get fit again? Can you see how it's the activity that is associated with having more energy that you can get excited about. You need to find your own personal examples that speak to and inspire you, so that the effort required to stick with your health supporting choices is able to be sustained. So step one is to define your goals within a time frame (for example 12 weeks) and then elaborate on how each goal will benefit you and use specific examples that really mean something to you and will inspire your sustained commitment to reaching your goals.

Assess Your Health

The next step is to get a clear assessment of your current state of health and what factors are underpinning your current health issues. If you understand what's happened with your health then you have insight into what needs to change. It's also helpful to understand your health strengths and weaknesses, which may include discussions about the state of your nervous system, immune system, endocrine system, the underlying health of your vital organs and your emotional and mental health. At this stage its really helpful to have a good wellness coach who can objectively see your health issues and has the experience to be able to help you prioritise what you have to do next. When you start out in a wellness program, it's important to see progress to sustain your motivation and belief that you can be well. Its the wellness coach's most important role to be able to see where you are stuck and give you relevant and personally meaningful advice that sets you back on track to your goals. Without that insight we can end up wasting a lot of time and effort and without the benefits we're hoping to achieve. In other words, a good wellness coach can see where you are stuck and show you how to get unstuck.

Individual Health Report

In a wellness program, following on from your initial consultation, you will receive a comprehensive individual health report, which sets out your health goals as you have defined them, goes into detail about your current health status, the health issues that need to be address and the changes you need to make to to meet the goals that you have set. The health report allows the wellness coach to cover more than you can cover in a one hour consult, its also beneficial to have all the information in a written for so you can go over it again and again.

Supporting Therapies

A wellness program also involves a number of treatments with specialist practitioners which may include a combination of acupuncture, massage, nutritional and herbal medicine consultations. These session are important to support the changes you are making in your lifestyle. For instance, if you are not sleeping well then the appropriate therapies will re-establish a regular sleep pattern. Change requires effort so having more restful and regular sleep can give you the boost you need to set you on your way. Treatment sessions are the extra support that helps ensure you make progress and don't fall back or get stuck. You have the opportunity to discuss your experiences and to have your questions answered.

Cultivating Wellness

A wellness program also includes learning how to cultivate wellness. A wellness program needs to do more than solve your current health issues, its should set you up for life by teaching you how to continue to improve your health once the program is over. You know the saying about how if you give a mean a fish he has a meal for a day, but if you teach him how to fish he has food for life. The same principle applies to wellness, a good wellness coach will support you through helping you cultivate a healthy lifestyle as well as teaching you specific health promoting activities which may include nutritional principles, breathing practices, relaxation techniques and energy cultivation techniques that are relevant to your needs. That way you have the capacity to sustain your wellbeing beyond the program. The program is designed to help you get well, be well and live well.

I hope this summary has helped you understand what a wellness program is and whether you could benefit from having some support to reach your health goals.

Kind regards,

Wesley Smith

If you would like to find out more about wellness programs please visit http://www.livewellnaturally.com.au/wellness-programs/ or if you would like to talk with a wellness coach you can contact the author at wesley@livewellnaturally.com.au

Wesley Smith is a health educator, wellness coach and the director of the Live Well Natural Wellness Centre in Canberra which brings a range of natural therapies together including Acupuncture, Herbal Medicine and Massage. The centre has a particular focus on providing natural fertility support, solutions for all kinds of pain relief including some of Canberra's best massage therapists as well as health education including wellness programs and seminars. For more information please visit http://www.livewellnaturally.com.au

Saturday, November 6, 2010

Health and Wellness Products for a Healthy Lifestyle

Health and wellness products are aimed to promote a healthy lifestyle by catering to the physical, as well as mental and emotional aspects of health.

Health and wellness products are used to take care of the body and mind by managing stress, aiding healthy eating habits, as well as maintaining a safe environment.

When someone speaks of wellness, they are referring to what is called "alternative medicine," which deals with the state of being healthy and health-conscious.

Well Being

When determining the well being of a person, many factors are taken into consideration. Some of these factors include nutrition, disease prevention, environmental influences, as well as public health issues.

There are health and wellness products on the market that explore and achieve this sense of well-being which alternative medicine offers.

Health and wellness products are based upon the idea and practice that the body as a whole should be taken care of after the basic living necessities are in order. This concept of wellness was developed into a popular concern during the late 19th century. This came at a time when the public began to place emphasis on self-improvement.

Many early health and wellness products were considered simple items like toothpaste, mouthwash and certain cereals, which were marketed as such at that time.

Blood pressure machines, cholesterol tests and glucose meters can also be considered a health and wellness product because they monitor some of the body's overall state of health. Other health and wellness products include vitamins or items which avoid certain food elements that have been proven to lower a person's well being.

Preventive Health Care

There are some people who wish to follow a variety of preventive health care methods, including homeopathy, as well as herbal medicine, which provides an array of different health and wellness product options. These practices are considered alternative because there is no concrete scientific evidence to prove whether these methods are effective.

Jewelry

Some health and wellness products can come in the form of jewelry, such as BalanceBracelets, which are supposed to decrease pain, as well as increase energy.

To ease joint pain, some will turn to the use of copper bracelets, rings and anklets for treating the discomfort caused by arthritis and tendonitis.

Another health and wellness product utilizes magnetic therapy, which can be found in the form of bracelets, rings, necklaces, bangles, as well as magnetic wraps.

Healing Energy

Plenty of health and wellness products can be found on the Internet that embraces the concept of Reiki healing energy. There are items include transformational beeswax ear candles, which are made up of herbs, flower essences and crystals. Some people use this form of alternative medicine to increase the strength of their aura.

Other health and wellness products that are available include:

· Light Therapy Products, such as portable desk lamps that offer a person 10,000 lux of diffused light that can be used to treat seasonal conditions.

· Herbal Supplements, including kava, ginseng, noni juice and energy drinks.

· Gemstone Therapy Products, including jewelry and crystals for the purpose of healing, as well as psychic enhancement purposes.

· Colloidal Silver and Zinc, which comes in the form of a pill, is used as an immune booster.

More health and wellness information and FREE exclusive diet and health magazines, are available on our web site: http://www.net-planet.org

Monday, November 1, 2010

Wellness at Work

Healthier living means making healthy choices, both at home and at work. Many employers recognizing that healthier employees are more productive and place less strain on health insurance premiums have adopted company sponsored wellness programs. These programs include everything from work place fitness centers and health screenings to offering incentives for quitting smoking and losing weight.
If you are fortunate enough to work for an employer that sponsors a wellness program it makes sense to take advantage of the perks that they offer. But, the fact that your company doesn't offer a wellness program does not mean your efforts to get fit, lose weight and live well, have to be put on hold during the work week.
Here are a handful of healthful tips that will support you in living well during your 9-to-5:
Take a Stretch Break -- Pause at least once every two or three hours to get up from your desk and stretch. You can bend over and touch your toes or you can clasp your fingers and raise your arms overhead. Stretching improves flexibility and increases circulation. It is also a good way to clear your mind and relieve any stress that may building up in your neck and shoulders.
Avoid Eating at Your Desk -- One way to reduce your consumption of empty calories is to declare your desk area or work space a food free zone. If you think about the food usually consumed at your desk, it tends not to be healthful. Limiting your intake of unhealthy snacks is critical to achieving your weight loss and wellness goals. The key to limiting your intake is closely monitoring your portions. It is almost impossible to pay attention to how much food you are consuming while you are answering emails and talking on the phone. That's why developing the habit of eating away from your desk can lead to a healthier (and possibly slimmer) you.
Spend More Time at the Water Cooler -- Make it a point to stay hydrated throughout the day. This is important for two reasons. Often times when you think you are hungry you are in fact thirsty. Drinking lots of water is one way to stop the hunger pangs that often derail your weight loss and wellness goals. Secondly, according to F. Batmaghelidj, M.D., author of You're Not Sick, You're Thirsty! , "Water is the main source of energy formation in the body. Even the food that is supposed to be a good source of energy has no value to the body until it is hydrolyzed by water and energized in the process."
Control Clutter - One the biggest threats to our overall health and well-being is stress. And nothing triggers stress like being surrounded by piles of papers and stacks of clutter reminding you of everything you need to do. Pausing periodically throughout your day to organize your desk and tame the paper tiger will go a long way in improving your overall sense of well-being.
Find a Partner - Making a commitment to live well while at work is not easy, and you will need support. Finding a co-worker who has similar goals and is willing to encourage you in staying focused on your goals can be your secret weapon in the battle to adopt a healthier lifestyle at work. You can meet at regular intervals to discuss your progress, offer suggestions in overcoming specific challenges and celebrate your victories. The most important thing you can do is hold each other accountable for doing what needs to be done in order to live a healthier workaday life.
Jacqueline D. Stanley: Author, Speaker, Chief Encouragement Officer at Lettuce Is Not Enough University: The Place to Learn How to Live Well and Lose Weight. http://www.lettuceisnotenough.com

Thursday, October 21, 2010

"The Way to Wellness" It's time to start a Healthy life: your 7 days program

How many times have you gone to sleep at night, swearing you'll go to the gym in the morning, and then changing your mind just eight hours later because when you get up, you don't feel like exercising?

While this can happen to the best of us, it doesn't mean you should drop the ball altogether when it comes to staying fit. What people need to realize is that staying active and eating right are critical for long-term health and wellness -- and that an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure. The more you know about how your body responds to your lifestyle choices, the better you can customize a nutrition and exercise plan that is right for you. When you eat well, increase your level of physical activity, and exercise at the proper intensity, you are informing your body that you want to burn a substantial amount of fuel. This translates to burning fat more efficiently for energy.

In other words, proper eating habits plus exercise equals fast metabolism, which, in turn gives you more energy throughout the day and allows you to do more physical work with less effort.

The true purpose of exercise is to send a repetitive message to the body asking for improvement in metabolism, strength, aerobic capacity and overall fitness and health. Each time you exercise, your body responds by upgrading its capabilities to burn fat throughout the day and night, Exercise doesn't have to be intense to work for you, but it does need to be consistent.

I recommend engaging in regular cardiovascular exercise four times per week for 20 to 30 minutes per session, and resistance training four times per week for 20 to 25 minutes per session. This balanced approach provides a one-two punch, incorporating aerobic exercise to burn fat and deliver more oxygen, and resistance training to increase lean body mass and burn more calories around the block.

Here's a sample exercise program that may work for you:

* Warm Up -- seven to eight minutes of light aerobic activity intended to increase blood flow and lubricate and warm-up your tendons and joints.

* Resistance Training -- Train all major muscle groups. One to two sets of each exercise. Rest 45 seconds between sets.

* Aerobic Exercise -- Pick two favorite activities, they could be jogging, rowing, biking or cross-country skiing, whatever fits your lifestyle. Perform 12 to 15 minutes of the first activity and continue with 10 minutes of the second activity. Cool down during the last five minutes.

* Stretching -- Wrap up your exercise session by stretching, breathing deeply, relaxing and meditating.

When starting an exercise program, it is important to have realistic expectations. Depending on your initial fitness level, you should expect the following changes early on.

* From one to eight weeks -- Feel better and have more energy.

* From two to six months -- Lose size and inches while becoming leaner. Clothes begin to fit more loosely. You are gaining muscle and losing fat.

* After six months -- Start losing weight quite rapidly.

Once you make the commitment to exercise several times a week, don't stop there. You should also change your diet and/or eating habits,' says Zwiefel. Counting calories or calculating grams and percentages for certain nutrients is impractical. Instead, I suggest these easy-to-follow guidelines:

* Eat several small meals (optimally four) and a couple of small snacks throughout the day

* Make sure every meal is balanced -- incorporate palm-sized proteins like lean meats, fish, egg whites and dairy products, fist-sized portions of complex carbohydrates like whole-wheat bread and pasta, wild rice, multigrain cereal and potatoes, and fist-sized portions of vegetable and fruits

* Limit your fat intake to only what's necessary for adequate flavor

* Drink at least eight 8-oz. glasses of water throughout the day

* I also recommend that you take a multi-vitamin each day to ensure you are getting all the vitamins and minerals your body needs.

I suppose that's all I can think of for now. I should extend my thanks to a doctor friend of mine. Without him, I wouldn't be able to write this article, or keep my sanity.

Enjoy life, we all deserve it.

Wednesday, October 20, 2010

"Who's the Boss?" 10 ways to start taking control (time management, goal setting, record tracking)

At first glance, it would seem that positive thinking and Attention Deficit Disorder (ADD) have nothing to do with one another. But many of us with ADD develop negative thinking patterns because we become frustrated by our challenges and frequent feelings of being overwhelmed. This negative outlook then makes it even harder for us to manage those challenges and move forward.
Practicing positive thinking allows people with ADD to focus on our strengths and accomplishments, which increases happiness and motivation. This, in turn, allows us to spend more time making progress, and less time feeling down and stuck. The following tips provide practical suggestions that you can use to help you shift into more positive thinking patterns:
1. Take Good Care of Yourself
It's much easier to be positive when you are eating well, exercising, and getting enough rest.
2. Remind Yourself of the Things You Are Grateful For
Stresses and challenges don't seem quite as bad when you are constantly reminding yourself of the things that are right in life. Taking just 60 seconds a day to stop and appreciate the good things will make a huge difference.
3. Look for the Proof Instead of Making Assumptions
A fear of not being liked or accepted sometimes leads us to assume that we know what others are thinking, but our fears are usually not reality. If you have a fear that a friend or family member's bad mood is due to something you did, or that your co-workers are secretly gossiping about you when you turn your back, speak up and ask them. Don't waste time worrying that you did something wrong unless you have proof that there is something to worry about.
4. Refrain from Using Absolutes
Have you ever told a partner "You're ALWAYS late!" or complained to a friend "You NEVER call me!"? Thinking and speaking in absolutes like 'always' and 'never' makes the situation seem worse than it is, and programs your brain into believing that certain people are incapable of delivering.
5. Detach From Negative Thoughts
Your thoughts can't hold any power over you if you don't judge them. If you notice yourself having a negative thought, detach from it, witness it, and don't follow it.
6. Squash the "ANTs"
In his book "Change Your Brain, Change Your Life," Dr. Daniel Amen talks about "ANTs" - Automatic Negative Thoughts. These are the bad thoughts that are usually reactionary, like "Those people are laughing, they must be talking about me," or "The boss wants to see me? It must be bad!" When you notice these thoughts, realize that they are nothing more than ANTs and squash them!
7. Practice Lovin', Touchin' & Squeezin' (Your Friends and Family)
You don't have to be an expert to know the benefits of a good hug. Positive physical contact with friends, loved ones, and even pets, is an instant pick-me-up. One research study on this subject had a waitress touch some of her customers on the arm as she handed them their checks. She received higher tips from these customers than from the ones she didn't touch!
8. Increase Your Social Activity
By increasing social activity, you decrease loneliness. Surround yourself with healthy, happy people, and their positive energy will affect you in a positive way!
9. Volunteer for an Organization, or Help another Person
Everyone feels good after helping. You can volunteer your time, your money, or your resources. The more positive energy you put out into the world, the more you will receive in return.
10. Use Pattern Interrupts to Combat Rumination
If you find yourself ruminating, a great way to stop it is to interrupt the pattern and force yourself to do something completely different. Rumination is like hyper-focus on something negative. It's never productive, because it's not rational or solution-oriented, it's just excessive worry. Try changing your physical environment - go for a walk or sit outside. You could also call a friend, pick up a book, or turn on some music.
When it comes to the corporate world, protocol is pretty much the religion. To know the things needed to do are the basics of productivity, but interaction and having a steady mind makes up the entire thing to true productivity. There are those who seem to work well even under pressure, but they're uncommon ones and we are human and imperfect. To get these little things like stress under our skins won't solve our problems. Sometimes it takes a bit of courage to admit that we're turning to be workaholics than tell ourselves that we're not doing our best.

Tuesday, October 12, 2010

Wellness - de totale concept

Wellness is een term die zeer vaak in onze moderne tijd wordt. Maar wat precies "wellness"? Betekent wellness dat we prima specimens van lichamelijke gezondheid of gaat het verder dan de fysieke? Het is misschien nodig om alle facetten van ons lichaam om te bepalen of we echt goed zijn.

De meeste mensen beschouwen zichzelf als goed als zij geen symptomen van een ernstige ziekte of een ziekte lijden. Ze kunnen worden geplaagd door problemen zoals slapeloosheid of hoofd pijn, maar niets levensbedreigend. Daarom zijn ze relatief goed.Of zijn ze?

Wij worden overspoeld met advies over hoe om gezond te blijven. Dit kan echter leiden tot een overdaad aan informatie, waardoor mensen verward en vaak bij te dragen aan een algemene ontevredenheid met hoe de mensen zich zien. Het wordt gemakkelijk te vinden fout met enen zichzelf als we ziek.We kunnen ons de schuld voor onze ziekten omdat wij weliswaar eten of drinken te veel, niet uit te oefenen of om onszelf te worden benadrukt. Immers, als we dat is afgebeeld in de media geloven, moeten we allemaal kunnen bereiken perfecte gezondheid.

Wanneer we kijken naar de resultaten van de in de moderne geneeskunde in de afgelopen decennia, zijn gezondheids kwesties waarmee fataal vaak nu te behandelen.Gezien deze prestaties lijkt ongelooflijk dat zoiets eenvoudigs als de gewone verkoudheid een dagelijkse probleem blijft.

Op zoek naar alternatieve behandelingen, is het labyrint nog moeilijker om te onderhandelen. Er is een aantal alternatieve therapieën beschikbaar, is het moeilijk om te weten welke is het beste voor onze individuele behoeften.

Het stand punt van de conventionele geneeskunde en alternatieve geneeskunde zijn totaal verschillend. Conventionele geneeskunde maatregelen wellness door het ontbreken van symptomen.Als u geen fysieke tekenen van ziekte, vervolgens u worden beschouwd als goed. Wanneer de ziekte is aanwezig, normaal door externe factoren zoals bacteriën, is de gebruikelijke behandeling medicijnen of een operatie.

Alternatieve geneeskunde of holistische geneeskunde, daarentegen, richt zich op het hele lichaam. De persoon, bestaat geacht in holistische geneeskunde, uit het lichaam, geest, geest en emoties.Het concept van welzijn in holistic geneeskunde is de toestand die ontstaat wanneer al deze aspecten van het zelf efficiënt en in harmonie werkt.

Holistic Therapie zijn als preventieve als curatieve.Zij niet alleen stimuleren van ons systeem wanneer nodig, maar kunnen ook worden gebruikt om goede gezondheid te behouden.In de conventionele geneeskunde, het lijkt erop dat behoud van onze gezondheid wordt gezien als slechts één reeks regels voor iedereen.Echter, holistische geneeskunde, elke persoon wordt gezien als een persoon wiens behoeften voor gezondheid onderhoud zijn iets dat de persoon voor hem of haar zelf kiest.Het is gewoon een geval van het vinden van een evenwichtige levens stijl past binnen onze eigen grenzen.

Het is gebruikelijk om beide soorten medicijnen, echter, zijn er drie belangrijke aspecten aan de uitoefening van en het onderhoud van goede gezondheid. Dit zijn:

1. Voeding,

2. Oefening, en

3. Ontspanning

Dieet

Dieet is uiteraard een zeer belangrijke constituent van wellness. De resultaten van teveel alcohol gebruik en het niet volgen van een voedzaam dieet zijn goed gedocumenteerd.De incidentie van morbide obesitas blijft groeien en dit leidt tot een verscheidenheid van andere problemen met betrekking tot het algemene concept van welzijn.Er kunnen verschillende redenen dat mensen niet te eten van een uitgebalanceerd dieet. Deze redenen kunnen zijn fysieke, psychologische of zelfs economische.

Emotionele problemen kunnen leiden bij het comfort eten of te veel eten of undereating. Er zijn ook ziekten zoals anorexie en boulimie die invloed hebben op de manier waarop die een persoon eet en het daaruit voortvloeiende gebrek aan well ness, dat de persoon ervaart.

Oefening

Oefening is een ander belangrijk onderdeel van wellness. Het die ons lichaam niet in goede staat door middel van fysieke oefening worden gehouden, ze verslechteren. Een fit lichaam niet alleen laat u fysiek goed voelt, maar verbetert ook de psychologische en emotionele gezondheid. Studies in de late jaren 1970 gevonden dat oefening zo succesvol als therapie bij de behandeling van depressie zijn kan.

Holistic Therapie is van mening dat er een blokkade of gebrek aan evenwicht in de energie stroom worden kan en dat de oefening die energie, waardoor de persoon voelt rustig en nieuwe kracht gegeven herstelt. De oefeningen die afkomstig uit het Oosten, zoals tai chi en yoga zijn zijn speciaal ontworpen om te werken aan deze energie. Dit is ook het doel van de shiatsu, reflexologie, acupunctuur, acupressure.

Ontspanning en stress management

Onvermogen om te gaan met de problemen waarmee wij worden geconfronteerd, leidt tot stress.Deze gebeurtenissen kunnen worden gelukkig of verdrietig en volgens velen in de medische wereld, kan deze stress zijn verantwoordelijk voor ongeveer zeventig procent van de ziekte.Dit is toe te schrijven aan het feit dat de spanning leidt tot ons immuunsysteem zwak worden en waardoor we kwetsbaar zijn voor bepaalde ziekten.

De belangrijkste manier om stress te verminderen is door ontspanning.Iedereen ontspant op een andere manier, of het nu door het luisteren naar muziek, schilderkunst, of gaan voor een wandeling.

Lichamelijke ontspanning is net zo belangrijk als geestelijke ontspanning en dit kan worden bereikt door middel van yoga of zelfs door zelfhypnose.

Psychotherapie of counseling kan helpen ons te vinden van manieren om beter omgaan met stress situaties en te meer betekenis geven aan ons leven.Het kan ook helpen identificeren en aanpakken van eventuele onopgeloste conflicten in verband met ons leven.

Dus, het concept van wellness is een combinatie van een scala aan behandelingen, die belangrijk zijn in hun eigen manier.In feite, nemen ze elk een verschillende lijn van de aanval terwijl om te werken op alle niveaus.Psychotherapie en hypnotherapie concentreren op de emoties, de geest en de geest.Homeopathie is gericht op de lichamelijke en geestelijke aspecten, evenals massage, voeding en kruiden genees middelen.Conventionele geneeskunde concentreert zich voornamelijk op fysieke symptomen van ziekte en advies over dieet en andere dingen die invloed hebben op het fysieke lichaam.

Uiteraard zijn er verschillende aspecten aan het concept van welzijn.Wat werkt voor een persoon kan niet altijd werken voor een ander.Het gaat dus wat werkt voor u te vinden en verzorgen van alle facetten van je zelf.

Anne Wolski heeft gewerkt in de industrie van de gezondheid en het welzijn van meer dan 30 jaar.Ze is een co-directeur van http://www.magnetic-health-online.com en http://www.betterhealthshoppe.com, die beide informatie portalen met vele interessante medische artikelen.Ze is ook een partner van http://www.timzbiz.com, die beschikt over vele artikelen over internet marketing en middelen.

Sunday, October 3, 2010

The Wellness Generation of Chiropractic

Chiropractic
'Wellness' is a regular term in the chiropractic lexicon. It's commonly used by today's chiropractor in naming clinics, advertising services and the theme of countless chiropractic websites, many of which are templates for chiropractors to plug-in their pedigree information.
So, what exactly is wellness?
Wikipedia defines wellness as being generally used to mean a healthy balance of the mind, body and spirit that results in an overall feeling of well-being, and has been used in the context of alternative medicine since Halbert L. Dunn, M.D. began using the phrase 'high level wellness' in the 1950s. The modern concept of wellness (becoming popular in the 1970s) is a view of health emphasizing the state of the entire being and its ongoing development, and the constant, conscious pursuit of living life to its fullest potential. Alternative approaches to wellness are often denoted by the use of two different phrases - health & wellness and wellness programs. Whether these techniques actually improve physical health is controversial and is an unsettled subject.
D.D. Palmer, the founder of chiropractic, believed that spinal misalignments ('vertebral subluxations') were the cause of most health problems, ailments and diseases that were corrected by adjusting misaligned spinal bones to alleviate disturbances of nerve supplies to tissues and organs to allow 'Innate Intelligence' (inborn within the body) to act by way of the nervous system to heal disease within the body. Early chiropractic included palpation, a heat-sensing device ('neurocalometer') and x-rays to help diagnose subluxations. Today, palpation and x-rays are still used. Many chiropractors, primarily in spinal screenings, also use computerized testing devices incorporating Thermography and surface EMG to generate reports that purportedly show the locations of subluxations. The allied health sciences, and many chiropractors, contend Palmer's vertebral subluxation theory is not supported by scientific and clinical evidence.
Whose wellness is it? Is it the patient's health or the chiropractor's wealth that is the goal of the treatment?
Many chiropractors turn to practice building consultants for assistance with practice development and growth. Doctors find consultants waiting in line, proclaiming to have the answers for practice success. These consultants include individuals who purport to be specialist in multi-disciplinary practices, marketing whizzes, rehab specialists, as well as those gurus promoting "wellness practices." One may simply Google the term "chiropractic wellness" to observe the pervasiveness of this phenomenon.
On 10/9/09, a Department of Justice, Northern District of Georgia, press release announced the health care fraud indictment of Chiropractors Andrew Sokol and Julie Weisberg (owner - operators of "WellnessOne" clinics in Marietta, Buckhead, Duluth, Vinings, and other Atlanta locations) for allegedly billing insurers over $11 million in fraudulent services.
Guess which wellness guru these doctors used
- Wellness Guru 1 (WG1) Reports that subluxations are not structural (spinal misalignments) but neurologically based. Coaches' chiropractors on using a subluxation based wellness practice model to arouse the innate and build high volume wellness based practices. Offers the 'Million Dollar Report-of-Findings' course, which instructs on; Scripting for shifting back pain patients to wellness patients; Getting yearly commitments for care; Motivating new patients to choose lifetime care. Declares the very best marketing tool on the planet - Community Lectures & Wellness Screenings with the Insight Subluxation Station that allegedly results in new patients making appointments to have a nervous system check for unhealthy neurological patterns.
- Midwest Clinic applying WG1 protocols claims 525-770 patient visits per week; and over 90% of new patients come for care of unhealthy neurological patterns.
- Wellness Guru 2 (WG2) Reports to have the tools to create a system of wellness from the inside out, a total revolution in mind and body wellness, combining the latest scientific technology with the most advanced measurement and motivational program ever developed. Offers a never before achieved multi-dimensional (physical, bio-chemical and psychological) assessment of the positive and negative stresses in daily life.
- Southeast & Midwest Clinics applying WG2 protocols purports to be a modern boutique offering spinal adjustments, personal wellness programs, surface EMG and thermal scans to monitor the nervous system, computer postural assessments of spinal stress, custom orthotics, and pillows. On-line certificates for $175.00 off price of a health screening (consultation, x-rays and surface EMG/thermal scan) and aqua massage, reportedly valued at $250.00.
- Wellness Guru 3 (WG3) Reports the easiest, most cost effective solution to transform a chiropractor's identity from a (back) specialist to a wellness doctor, and a practice's identity from one patients go to for relief into a wellness center they go to for life.
- Southeast Clinic applying WG3 protocols alleges better health by teaching and practicing the true principles of chiropractic wellness care; the finest quality of care through modern chiropractic equipment and technology, including bio-impedence analysis, neuro and orthopedic exam and total health scan.
- Wellness Guru 4 (WG4) Reports to have a team of 12 coaches with a mission to maximize the lives of millions of people by helping them achieve god-given potential through health centers, chiropractic coaching, wellness programs, wellness products and foundation.
- Midwest Clinics applying WG4 protocols use a whole person approach to wellness looking for underlying causes of neurological disturbances. Internet users get initial consult, exam & x-rays for $20 - standard fee is $250 to $300. Claim better exam than a traditional medical doctor through use of latest technology, best scientific research and proven methods to help restore body to a state of vitality and wellness. Remove obstacles to wellness rather than treat symptoms. Free comprehensive wellness inventory (valued at over $200) that includes a biostructural evaluation, thermography neuro assessment, cellular nutrition consult, and radiological screen.
- Wellness Guru 5 (WG5) Reports to have an all-inclusive, upscale program to provide tools, expertise and coaching for building a chain of million-dollar offices. Claims superiority over traditional medical community by offering Real Healthcare and not Sicknesscare. Provides patients points to reward them for visits to and purchases from member clinics, which can be redeemed for merchandise, services and more, even travel.
- Clinics throughout the U.S. applying WG5 protocols claim: Free Consult / Exam / X-rays and spinal & posture screenings. Treat ADHD, allergies, asthma, auto accidents, back/neck pain, bedwetting, carpal tunnel, colic, ear infections, Fibromyalgia, headaches, pinched nerve, PMS, pregnancy, sciatica, scoliosis, slipped disc, stress, whiplash, wellness. Provide DRX9000, chiropractic, physiotherapy, massage.
One might conclude, from researching chiropractic wellness offerings that some chiropractors, in their quest to build the million dollar practice, participate in the chiropractic wellness generation by following a blueprint:
1. Combine chiropractic with wellness services & products into business plan for accessing healthcare dollars from healthcare consumers;
2. Repackage chiropractor from a 'back doctor' to a 'wellness doctor';
3. Redefine subluxations from spinal misalignments to unhealthy neurological patterns to facilitate apparent care for every condition under-the-sun;
4. Use dubious marketing, spinal screenings and workshops to identify consumers with a ready payment-source (e.g., insurance or cash) for future chiropractic services;
5. Offer free exams and other free services (e.g., massage) to get consumers in clinic for patient conversion;
6. Incorporate putative diagnostic devices intended to persuade consumers to participate as by providing printouts depicting the elusive chiropractic subluxation;
7. Emphasize that "wellness" chiropractors enhance quality of life, eliminate pain, lower stress, make one feel good, make one more active, enables the brain to communicate with the body to fight sickness and disease...;
8. Attack non-participating peers and other healthcare disciplines by alleging that they don't provide real healthcare or use latest technological advances; and
9. Increase patient retention by offering incentives (e.g., redeemable rewards) for continuing care, and by having patients sign-on for year-long care plans, and commit to lifetime chiropractic care.
So, what say you?
Daniel J. Osborne, M.S., is a renowned expert on health care fraud issues and recognized authority on health care compliance. He can be contacted at Provider Fraud Consultants, Inc. dba Chiropractic Compliance Consultants, Inc., 18065 238th Street,Tonganoxie, Kansas 66086, 913-669-6987, http://www.cccpfc.com

The Connection Between Self-esteem and Wellness

Self-esteem and Wellness
Did you ever wonder how feeling good about yourself can affect your health in a positive way? Did you ever think about how NOT feeling good about yourself can also affect your health -in a negative way!
To have self-esteem is a lifelong need and from infancy through old age. Its beginnings are reflected in the smile between mother and infant, as it is manifested in the 50-year old who has just mastered her new computer..
Self-esteem begins with our bodies. Since mind and body are one entity, the smooth, interrelated functioning of our body parts and our brain chemistry provide the foundation for an inherent sense of wellness.
An Individual with high self-esteem has these qualities:
oPerceives himself in a positive way
oIs aware of his own abilities, potential and limitations
oFeels competent that he is in control of his own life
oIs confident and tends to deal with demands and stress in an assertive and effective way
oFeels loved and respected by others
An individual with low self-esteem has these qualities:
oIs more passive and dependent in reacting to stress and demands
oFeels he is not in control of his life
oIs more likely to conform to peer pressure
oIs pessimistic about his abilities
oTends to be shy
oTends to be depressed and anxious about the future
oTends to experience difficulties in relationships
oRarely assume positions of leadership
The well-established relationship between self-esteem and psychological well-being (e.g., depression, social anxiety, loneliness, alienation; may be an important factor in understanding the self-esteem/health relationship, according to research.
Life experiences produce emotional responses in all of us.. We are capable of a broad range of feelings and all of these feelings have implications for how we view ourselves, our relationships to others, and to the broader world. To best cultivate a philosophy of emotional wellness, it is important to develop an awareness of who you are and how you gain acceptance and understanding of your feelings and ways of expressing your feelings that are respectful to yourself and others. This process begins by realizing that you are a special, unique being worthy of respect and love.
SO WHAT CAN YOU DO?
Ask yourself questions..
How do you see yourself?
----Stressed, confused, excited, lonely, sad, angry, or peaceful.
How long have you felt this way?
Is that feeling likely to change?
Are you okay with how you are feeling?
SELF-ESTEEM SUGGESTIONS:
1. Set healthy goals, take enthusiastic steps, and accumulate meaningful accomplishments. Take control of your actions and lifestyle.
2. Cultivate the habit of looking at the positive sides of your self, people, and things in life.
3.Take deliberate steps to develop skills and talents to greater levels.
4. Take life's changes as challenges - opportunities for personal growth, rather than as problems which burden you.
5. Imagine successful events, even if you feel under-confident. Utilize meditation and/ or visualization.
6. Be realistic about your abilities; be optimistic about your possibilities. Accept yourself as a growing, ever-evolving being that is not 'stuck' in the past or present. Realize the power you have to develop in the way in which you choose.
7. Practice unconditional acceptance for your self and for others.
8. Work towards satisfying your needs in all eight wellness dimensions.
You have the power to feel in balance and be well and healthy. No matter how challenging life becomes, you can feel connected to yourself and others.
Joyce M. Knudsen, Ph.D., AICI, CIM
Originator of Distance Learning Programs for AICI
Distance Learning Examiner for DETC.
Dr.Joyce M. Knudsen is known for two specialties: (1) International Home Study Certification Program for Image Consultants, Worldwide. (2) As a Certified Behavioral and Values Analyst she provides assessments on personal lifestyle development, DiSC Classic, DiSC General Characteristics, Time Mastery, Indra, Team Dimensions and so much more.
Dr. Knudsen is the author of six books on the subject of self-image, a distinguished IMMIE Recipient, honored with the Award of Excellence for Education and was the very first Master Status Member (highest level of achievement) of The Association of Image Consultants, International.
Experience powerful new skills in dressing for success, business etiquette and social skills. You can read more about Dr. Knudsen on her web site at http://www.imagemaker1.com and you can test yourself to excellence on [http://www.testingforexcellence.com]

The Wellness Dimensions Explained

What is "wellness" per se? There are many definitions, and 20 years ago, wellness didn't exist. But today, the industry is growing fast, and the term "wellness" is being overused, abused and it is not being used in its appropriate context. Wellness is achieving one's full potential; it is self-directed and an ever-evolving process. Wellness has seven dimensions: occupational, spiritual, intellectual, emotional, environmental and physical. When all of these dimensions are met, then we are considered whole or complete. Wellness is more than just products to make us feel good or be physically fit.
Here is what each of the seven dimensions mean:
1. Social Wellness. This is how a person contributes to their environment and community and how he or she builds better living spaces and social networks. The social dimension encourages contributing to one's environment and community.
2. Occupational Wellness. Occupational development is related to one's attitude about one's work, and recognizes personal satisfaction and enrichment in one's life through work. The choice of profession, job satisfaction, career ambitions and personal performance are all important components of this dimension. To be occupationally well, a person is ultimately doing exactly with what they want to do in life and are comfortable with their future plans.
3. Spiritual Wellness. The spiritual dimension recognizes our search for meaning and purpose in human existence. It does not mean one is religious, but that it is better to ponder the meaning of life and be tolerant of the beliefs of others than to close our minds and become intolerant. Spiritually well people take time out of their day for spiritual growth and learning. They have a clear sense of right and wrong, and they act accordingly.
4. Intellectual Wellness. This dimension recognizes one's creative and stimulating mental activities as well as expands knowledge and skills while sharing his or her gifts with others. The intellectually well person is open to new ideas, thinks critically and seeks out new challenges. These people will stretch and challenge their minds with intellectual and creative pursuits instead of becoming self-satisfied and unproductive.
5. Emotional Wellness: Emotional Wellness. This dimension includes the capacity to manage one's feelings and related behaviors, including the realistic assessment of one's limitations, development of autonomy and the ability to cope effectively with stress. Emotionally well people have the ability to express feelings freely and manage feelings effectively. They are also aware of and accept a wide range of feelings in themselves and others.
6. Environmental Wellness. This includes the ability to promote health measures that improve the standard of living and quality of life in the community, including laws and agencies that safeguard the physical environment. The environmentally well person is aware of the earth's natural resources, conserves energy, buys organic foods and products, and enjoys and appreciates spending time in natural settings.
7. Physical Wellness. This is what we all do well in our health clubs. It is met through the combination of good exercise and eating habits, taking precautions for self-care and receiving appropriate health screenings throughout our lives. It also means taking personal responsibility and care for minor illnesses and knowing when professional medical attention is needed. Physically well people understand and appreciate the relationship between sound nutrition and how their body performs. The physical benefits of looking good and feeling terrific most often lead to the psychological benefits of enhanced self-esteem, self-control, determination and a sense of direction. Integrating Wellness into Your Facility
What are you doing in your programming to promote wellness? First, you have to decide what will wellness mean in your facility. Does your facility have spa amenities, dietitians, offer corporate wellness programs, physical therapists/chiropractors or a recycling program? Wellness is more than just going to the gym to work out these days. It means getting a sports massage, attending a health seminar or seeking the expertise of a registered dietitian. It is helping the member to relieve stress and educate health through other means besides physical fitness.
It is predicted that the wellness industry will be the next trillion-dollar industry, and in the next 10 years, an additional $1 trillion dollars of the U.S economy will be focused on getting Americans healthy through programming and treating the whole person.
Americans are already spending more than $200 billion in the industry, including $150 billion per year in the nutrition industry (of which $19.8 billion are on supplements) and $24 billion for fitness clubs. The need for personal, customized care is growing because people are willing to spend the money to safeguard their youth and be well. It is time to shift our focus, get creative and develop wellness-based programs for our members.
Jasmine Jafferali, MPH, is the Program Coordinator and an instructor for Educational Fitness Solutions, Inc., Professional Certificate in Women's Personal Exercise Training and Wellness. She has a diverse fitness background with over ten years of industry experience in campus recreation, corporate wellness, and the commercial health club setting. To learn more about her program, visit: http://www.efslibrary.net

Top 5 Things Wellness Seekers Know

At a certain point our lives don't change much. We're moving around on automatic pilot and don't notice the sameness that has taken over--sometimes for many years. We've gotten used to very little occurring in our lives beyond our daily routine, and many people become comfortable with that, or just accept it. Somewhere along the way our lives got stale. We're stuck in a rut. But don't despair; being in control of your own life is being in control of your wellness!

More and more people are regaining control of their lives and changing their futures. They're setting goals and reaching them, they're feeling better, being happier, getting healthier and spending more time and energy on what matters to them. Their outlook on life has improved dramatically.

As you know, the concept of wellness covers a broad range--with different definitions depending on where you look. But for starters, let's use the following--wellness is the belief that improvement is possible throughout our lives. We're continuously seeking information on how we can improve. We're choosing options and making decisions that support our best interests. Everything we think, feel and believe impacts our whole being. You are in command of all aspects of your life--physical, career, relationships, finances, spiritual, environment, and emotional well-being, and so on. You can break free and take charge of your life. Try these simple ways to discover how you can start moving towards taking control of your life and wellness.

1. Turn lack of time into more time.

"I don't have the time," that's what John, a corporate attorney, constantly told himself and others. He knew he wasn't alone. Lack of time was a concern for nearly every person he knew. John really wanted to be happier and healthier, but he just didn't have free time to date, visit family, exercise, or any of the other things that made him happy. When John decided he had to take control of his wellness, the first thing he did was regain ownership of his time. He examined how he spent his time on an average day. By jotting down his daily activities and realigning his priorities, John found opportunities to include the things he really cared about in his daily life.

2. Reclaim your energy.

Megan, a wife, mom and marketing executive, was always tired. She had no energy to meet the demands of her job, do housework, run errands, cook, take care of her children, or the other priorities that made up her day. Megan desperately needed to reclaim her energy--but instead, she let people drain it, steal it and suck it away. To begin, Megan examined the areas of her life that needed more attention and focus. She also drew new boundaries to protect herself, by declaring what she would and wouldn't allow. Instead of working 12 hours, Megan cut her workday to no more than nine hours. She stuck to her plan, reclaimed her energy, and is there for her family and job with a new, revitalized energy.

3. Make lasting changes.

"Our resistance to making lasting changes is innate," says Jeff, a mortgage loan officer. "It's such a big challenge for everybody." He constantly told himself that his inner resistance to making changes would stay with him forever. Jeff's first step was to recognize that resistance is always the initial barrier to making changes. For example, losing the 70 pounds his doctor recommended would offset having to take daily medication for his Type II diabetes. Jeff started by being open to seeing the positive side of change--i.e., first making a decision to change, and then enlisting help in doing so. He joined the YMCA, and now participates in Tai Chi and walks five days a week. He's also met with a nutritionist who has helped him gain a better understanding of what to eat in order to maintain his overall health and well-being. Jeff has lost 30 pounds and continues to maintain a healthy, balanced diet.

4. Set boundaries around your life.

What's one of the shortest words--yet so difficult for many people to utter? If you guessed "No," you're right on the money. Sidney, a customer service supervisor was so afraid of saying no that when someone asked her to do something, she felt queasy inside because she wanted to say no, but felt uncomfortable actually doing it. The first thing she needed to do was learn her limits. She realized that learning to say no to the things that she didn't want to do would help her reduce the stress of excessive demands on her time and energy. Sidney could say no in a way that was comfortable to her, yet respectful to the other person. Many people believe when someone makes a request of you, you must say yes, but saying no isn't that horrible! When Sidney began saying no, it changed her whole life; she found her "to do" list shrinking. She recognized that it was her choice to either overload her schedule or only accept requests to do something when she wanted to.

5. Take excellent care of yourself.

Eden, an emergency room specialist, wanted to improve her quality of life. She was bored with her daily routine, and her social life was nonexistent. Eden began making changes for the better by putting her needs first. She focused on what she wanted, instead of others' desires. She began scheduling two social activities on her calendar each month, in order to create a social life. Eden never really enjoyed living in the suburbs, but she was close to her job. She put together an action plan for re-inventing her life. The first thing she did was sell her house in the suburbs and move to a more urban environment in which she always dreamed. She could walk to quaint café's, visit bookstores, shops and attend local festivals and art fairs right in her neighborhood. She started networking and began to meet new people on a regular basis. Eden's life has become more satisfying and fulfilling.

It's certainly a personal choice to get on the road to feeling better, being happier and getting healthier. It's a choice you should consider making. For those of you reading this article, I challenge you to take a few moments to assess how you're feeling. How's your energy level? How much "me" time do you take on a daily basis? How's your overall self-care? Consider how much better you know you could be with some effort, commitment, and support. Now is the time to make time in your schedule for you.

Diane Randall is a Certified Wellness Coach who works primarily with adults over 30 to help them reclaim their zest and drive for life. Randall began her wellness journey over fifteen years ago when an unexplained health crisis forced her to adopt a better way of living, and has since used her education and experiences to help countless others. Randall speaks and writes about a variety of health and wellness related topics affecting the adult community.

Friday, October 1, 2010

Wellness Achieved Through Meditation

The process of mediation used to calm your mind and lead to inner-peace is centuries old. The driving force behind meditation is that if one can attain a peaceful mind, they will be free from anxiety, worries and negative forces. Ideally, they will be in complete control of their mind - controlling thoughts, feelings and anxieties.

One of the most important aspects of meditation is breathing. For beginners, control and focus on breathing does not come easy. Many let their minds wander to things that preoccupy their days and lose focus. Mastering your breathing pattern is the first step towards mental wellness as it helps lay the groundwork for a calm mind.

A good seat and comfortable posture are ideal for meditation. Certain aspects to aim for include: straight (but not tense) back, head floating naturally above the shoulders, chin turned slightly down and pelvis tilted slightly forward. Most meditate while sitting down; sitting cross-legged is the most popular positioning. If you cannot get comfortable with these positions, try shifting around, but the main keys are to be relaxed with a straight back.

Many will often try to meditate while lying down. Be wary of this as it is easy to fall asleep. Though that can be relaxing in its own right, it does nothing in the process of bringing inner peace as you will find yourself waking up to the same mental disarray.

Meditation is a great way to promote personal wellness. Stress and anxiety derive from thoughts (usually negative) racing through the mind, destroying any sense of relaxation of contentment. Take time to meditate whenever you can. It doesn't need to be everyday, or for long periods at a time. But every chance you get to clear your thoughts and focus on your inner-self will clear your goals and ambitions and put you on your way towards mental wellness.

Greg Mauro is a staff author at Health and Wellness Facts [http://www.healthandwellnessfacts.com] as well as Help For Health and its conglomerate sites.