There are many ways that we can impact our health and wellbeing, at 11:11 we look at wellness through the lens of eight different elements. From working as a Wellness Coach I have found these to be the most impactful elements for the majority of people. However, everyone an is individual and will place different priority on elements depending on lifestyle and personal needs. There is flexibility in our model to add or remove elements and lots of different options to improve wellness within each element.
- Food – the fuel we give our body, the necessary energy and nutrition we need to sustain us.
- Drink – hydration for our cells, our bodies are more than 60% water.
- Move – our bodies were not made to sit down all day, this includes walking, standing, exercise and strength training.
- Mind/Mood – strategies that support mental health and boost our mood.
- Sleep and Rest – time for our body and mind to rest, replenish and restore.
- Play – how we have fun, doing things that bring us joy.
- Relationships – the connections and support that we get from others.
- Self-care – this catches all the other things we need to do to support our health and wellbeing, including appointments, screenings and medication.
Knowing that you can impact your wellness through any one of these elements brings choice and flexibility into your wellness journey. For many years, there was a belief that if you ate well and exercised that you would be healthy, but we now know it is much more than that. Physical health is just one part of the story, you need mental and emotional health to be truly well.
These elements are not definitive, they are interrelated and making a change in one element may lead to changes or benefits in others. For example, to move more you may choose to join a local sports team which leads to new relationships or a sense of play.
So where do you start? Anywhere that you wish to. You can start where it is easiest for you, or where you are most motivated or interested. It really doesn’t matter, it is better just to start where you want to and take small steps to gain momentum and confidence to make larger or more impactful change.
Importantly, when making changes or looking to improve your wellness, you first need to consider your own personal preferences, your needs and your lifestyle. There is no point doing what you think you should do or what works for others if it does not fit your needs. I am not a morning person, so setting a goal to get up early to exercise before breakfast just will not work and potentially leave me feeling worse and less motivated.
By looking at wellness from different perspectives gives you more options and flexibility to explore and find what works best for you, remembering that your needs change over time, so what worked for you in the past may no longer serve you. We are going to explore each of these elements individually in a series of blogs over the next couple of months.
This wellness wheel is also part of our Wellness Workshops and Programs that we get to share in workplaces and in one-on-one Wellness Coaching sessions. It is through these sessions I get to see just how varied individuals’ needs are and collect inspiration and new ideas from those who join in these sessions.
I’d love to hear where you will start and what changes you will make to support your wellness.
XO