In today’s world, it’s so common to feel stressed, overworked, unhappy and overwhelmed. If you're trying to balance children, work, commuting, rising rent prices, working out, being with family and friends and finding time for yourself, it can be exhausting. We are frazzled; and often our personal wellbeing suffers.
The search for Wellness and Balance is prominent on social media but what does it actually mean and how do you get it? I am going to give you a little insight into what wellness is and how you can achieve different aspects to bring balance and improve your quality of life.
They are 7 different dimensions of wellness, it’s not just all about meditating and we are going to explore and see how they contribute to quality of life.
- Social Wellness
- Emotional Wellness
- Spiritual Wellness
- Environmental Wellness
- Occupational Wellness
- Intellectual Wellness
- Physical wellness
Wellness is about finding a balance between all 7. At West Wood Club, wellness is high on our priority list for members and staff and we have even included it in our tag line: Fitness and Wellness of the Future.
I wrote about social, emotional, environmental and spiritual wellness in my previous article. Below you'll find more information on four other vital elements of wellness.
Occupational Wellness
This relates to finding the passion in your job, the reason you feel fulfilled. You can’t achieve wellness if you are unhappy in your job role. You don’t need to change jobs but identify the things in your current one that you enjoy. If it really is making you miserable maybe you could start afresh in something you enjoy more, like if you like going to the gym what about a career in fitness.
Here at West Wood Club we are always looking for people who are passionate about fitness, health and helping others. There is huge satisfaction in being able to work in a job that, every day, you know you make a difference.
At West Wood Club, wellness for our employees is high on the agenda, with wellness talks, yoga mornings, swim clubs, nutrition talks and upskilling available to all staff. If you want to become part of our team please email me at [email protected].
Intellectual Wellness
Intellectual wellness relates to lifelong learning, whether it’s through courses, work, cultural or community activities. It is important because it improves knowledge and key skills to create a successful and invigorating life.
Top tips to improve intellectual wellness through fitness:
- Start a new class, like boxing class to improve hand eye coordination, fitness and skill.
- Attend a West Wood Club seminar on fitness/nutrition
- Book a nutritional appointment with a personal trainer and learn the newest tips for muscle building, recovery or weight-loss.
- Try our interactive Fitness By Light platform, where you sky rocket your fitness as you hit targets that light up and guide your workout.
- Give our interactive augmented climbing wall a go at West Wood Club for a brain teasing workout.
- Or the traditional indoor rock climbing wall.
At West Wood Club there are lots of opportunities to learn a new skill, a new exercise or get up to date knowledge on the latest fitness concepts, if you’re not a member, click the link here for a 4 day trial
Physical Wellness
Physical wellness refers to our physical body and our associated health. We should try to achieve optimal physical health to reduce the risk of lifestyle associated diseases. Improve mobility, flexibility and reduce risk of depression, insomnia, anxiety and weight gain.
Top tips to improve physical wellness would be:
- Aim to exercise 30 minutes each day. Doing something you enjoy. This could be a walk or a fitness class and it should ideally be a mix of strength and cardio. If you have an injury or illness our West Wood Club personal trainers are on hand to advise and help you with the best exercises for you. This week try to walk, run, a class or even a swim at West Wood Club.
- Monitor your nutrition- aiming for a balanced, healthy and varied diet is key. Reduce the sugar intake, increase fibre and balance your macro nutrients. West Wood Club's personal trainers can point you in the right direction
- Catch some vitamin D, get outside and embrace the beautiful weather.
- Get enough sleep-this allows your body to recover, so make sure the more active you are, the closer to 8 hours of sleep you get nightly.
- Listen to your body, if you are tired try a different form of exercise like a Pilates class to allow to you recover and feel good.
Physical wellness is the most important dimension of wellness, as it has such a major influence on the mind, body and overall wellness. There are very simple ways to improve youe physical wellness and we are on hand to help you get there. Click HERE to book in for your 4-day trial at West Wood Club.
Achieving wellness we sometimes think is just about trying to switching off from work and being present in the moment but you can see it is so much more than that. Seeking to create balance between the 7 dimensions of wellness will lead you towards a more fulfilled and better quality of life. These easy tips will get you on the right road!
Vickey Nolan is a Personal Trainer, General Manager, and Fitness Director at West Wood Club, Dun Laoghaire. She has a BSc (Hons) Degree in Health Promotion and Physical Activity and has been working in senior roles in the fitness and wellness industry for over 15 years. Follow Vickey on Instagram and follow West Wood Club on Instagram.
