Wellness101

1. Health is a state of complete physical, mental and social well-being and not merely the absence of disease or infirmity. World Health Organisation 1948
2. Fit is not necessarily well; ask any athlete.
3. Wellness is the core of Being the Very Best version of ourselves.
4. Wellness means:
5. -Focused
6. -Passionate
7. -Decisive
8. -Energetic
9. -Resourceful
10. -Sexy
11. -Inclined to Act
12. -Balanced
13. -Creative
14. –Confident
15. Phew? Possible?! Sure!
16. It’s the default, natural state for us humans.
17. Wellness is not (necessarily):
18. -An ability to run a marathon;
19. -A bench-press metric;
20. -A particular diet;
21. -A certain body-shape,
22. –A certain body mass or bio-indicator.
23. MEDS is a good place to start; it’s a very simple methodology.
24. M is Meditation;
25. M is remarkably easy;
26. M can be simply data deprivation: 10 mins (or more) a day with no data input. No conversation/TV/screen work/newspaper/shopping. Just sitting, walking or being;
27. M or it can be a more formal breathing mediation: sit comfortably and quietly where you won’t get disturbed. Close your eyes and be aware of your breathing. 10-20 mins is ideal. AM and PM, most days;.
28. M is not emptying your head of thoughts! That’s not possible!
29. E is exercise. Simple CV. A little resistance;
30. E is not the gym if you hate the gym…;
31. E benefits hugely from Pareto (20/80, of course). A 20% attention, gives 80% huge pay-off;
32. E could be walking, swimming, cycling, running around the park with the kids.
33. D is diet. Nothing weird;
34. D is eating variety;
35. D for most of us is more fruit and vegetables;
36. D for most of is less processed and refined food.
37. S is sleep.
38. S: remember sleep deprivation is the cheapest form of torture.
39. S: aim to wake without an alarm. Just use the alarm as a back-up.
40. S: waking without the alarm means by definition you have had enough sleep.
41. S: return the bed-room to a sanctuary.
42. But whatever: keep your MEDS, your CV+resistance routine simple and then it will happen.
43. Keep it simple means:
44. Walk. Pace it out. Look out for opportunities to walk. Include the stairs wherever possible. Feel better throughout the day.
45. Stretch. Get up from that chair, however ergonomic it might be (if it is: is it properly adjusted?) and grow in all directions. Feel better immediately.
46. Breathe. Through the nose. Fully.
47. Think. Make choices, don’t just react.
48. Be who you are. Don’t copy somebody else’s body shape. You can’t; they have their genes, and you have yours.
49. Wellness is vital for creativity
50. -Synaptic sparking;
51. -No pre-conceptions;
52. -Out of the box;
53. -Another way. PS Creativity101, here.
54. Wellness is essential to ensure a bias for action. That's JFDI to you and me.
55. -Let’s do it.
56. -Let’s do it one more time.
57. Wellness augments the Mind/Body link;
58. Arte e Scienzia (Leonardo’s art and science);
59. L and R brain.
60. What’s especially good for Mind/Brain? Well, as you ask:
61. Yoga is.
62. Pilates, too.
63. Time for some chai tea!?
64. Changing state aids feeling well.
65. Move!
66. Use music. Remember Beatles101?
67. Cooking boosts your wellness:
68. Better, fresher food;
69. But also the mechanics of the process:
70. Baking your own bread…
71. No time to cook? Start-you'll find the time is there.
72. No: ingredients? One big supermarket trip is all it takes and you'll be off....
73. Food is nutrition not just calories.
74. Grill more.
75. Lentils. What! Yep, they’re OK. Dahl is wonderful.
76. Vegetables.
77. Is red meat bad: only possibly in that it pushes the vegetables off the plate!
78. 'To chill' is good for wellness.
79. Good conversation. Good wine. Good chums.
80. Back-to-back music/films/books.
81. Water: stay hydrated.
82. Caffeine: worry less about this and just get the best coffee and drink less of it.
83. Alcohol: a few alcohol-free days/week are good for the organs.
84. Ironically, wellness can sometimes be a bit of a healing crisis: So: what the heck is going on? It's been a really tough first quarter, we'll just about hit plan and at long last I got a week-end where I could spend some 'down' time. And what do I do? Feel ill, really ill. And it happens too often to me: when I stop, I fall ill. How does that work? You have a body which is pretty smart and which is trying to protect you from over-work. When you work too hard the body assumes there's a reason (fight or flight etc) and will do it's best to support you (only up to a certain point of course). But once you stop it will try and use that time for recovery. At it's simplest that might display itself as exhaustion or possibly as illness as the body goes through a healing crisis. Bottom line: your body is telling you to slow down. Before it is too late.
85. Inspiration helps wellness.
86. Reading is brilliant for wellness.
87. Nature enhances your wellness.
88. Head off now. Down the road. Alongside the busy Mall. Beyond the groves. Up the hillside. Climb. Further. Further. Pull up. Stare out at the Bay. Wow.
89. Water the plants. You'll feel better for it.
90. He has health has hope; he who has hope has everything. Arab proverb.
91. Going on a retreat can really help your wellness: What is a retreat?
A dedicated section of time which you put aside for reflection, restoration of energy and well-being. Time to meditate, time to 'centre', time 'to be'. What are the benefits?
Allows you to restore energy, sleep levels and hence overall well-being. This in turn has implications for aspects of your life such as creativity and can be as far-reaching as improving relationships. How do I do one?
You can Google and look at guides on good retreats. Then think what style would you like, how simple do you want it to be? Structured; what about food? And if money is very tight you can of course create your own. Take off for a day or two and stay in some cheap accomodation in the country. Any down-sides?
Only one, really. When you allow your body to stop, its immune sytem wants to do repair work so you often get 'detox' happening which will range from headaches to iritability. But if you are aware of this the retreat is still remarkably beneficial. Open your diary/schedule: book one for November now; make it happen.
92. Relax: check Relax101. That will help you feel well.
93. From the bitterness of disease man learns the sweetness of health Catalan proverb.
94. Get well.
95. Get well soon.
96. Remember how free you really are. Freedom101.
97. What's being well for you?
98. Decide you'll get it, maintain it and keep it.
99. Love life.
100. Love life fully.
101. Starting ....now.