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.
Social wellness
Lots of us shy away from and find it difficult to build new relationships and friendships but social inclusion is vital for wellbeing. Our relationships and social interactions play a huge role in mental health and wellbeing. There are lots of ways you can improve your social wellbeing.
- Join a fitness class and get to know the others in the group. You will have at least one thing in common - the class!
- On joining a West Wood Club you meet your personal trainer. Its complementary and they will be a friendly face every time you visit and introduce you to new experiences.
- Join the launch events at West Wood Club where we throw a massive party for all our members. Try new classes, music, enjoy snacks and drinks while getting to know everyone.
- If you enjoy fitness why not introduce a friend to West Wood Club. Bring them on the last Friday of every month where friends and family go free, this is a great opportunity to do something active with friends and family.
Emotional Wellness
Emotional wellness is the ability to recognise and process emotions. When we are feeling down it is important to be able to tune in and recognise and look to make the changes needed to get yourself back feeling good.
When we express how we feel it usually releases a wave of endorphins. We can think clearer and rationalise decisions.
Exercise helps support emotional wellbeing, helping to reduce feelings of depression, stress, hopelessness and contributes to improving your mood and wellbeing:
My top tips to improve your emotional wellbeing:
- Try a Les Mills body balance class. It is gentle, focused on your mind and body connection and achievable to all. It includes meditation= stress reduction.
- Seek support from a friend you can talk to.
- Forgive yourself and take steps to move forward and not dwell on negative situations
- Take action on a situation that’s causing you emotional stress.
Spiritual Wellness
Spiritual wellness is one’s ability to be true to your soul, knowing your values and beliefs and creating purpose. Generally, spiritual wellness can be the most difficult of the 7 dimensions, but when you satisfy these goals, harmony in one life is achievable.
Top tips to achieve spiritual wellness:
- Find your spiritual core: ask yourself the difficult questions- who am I? What is my purpose? What makes me happy? This will allow you to delve deeper into what is important for your happiness.
- Try yoga- This is a physical practice that actively reduces emotional stresses on the body. Yoga is proven to have physical benefits of lowering blood pressure, improving posture, helping to reduce anxiety and insomnia. Yoga also brings about spiritual awakening, due to the 7 spiritual laws that yoga instructors follow. It helps you to find your inner peace through understanding, love and showing compassion.
- Yoga is complementary at West Wood Club and we encourage all to try a class to aid wellness.
- Mental Focus and Clarity through Meditation- take time out of your busy day to fit 5-10 minutes of meditation. Focusing on the breath, observing thoughts as they come but refocusing on the breath to relax the mind and body. Meditation helps people to see the positive in situations. Learning to guide yourself back to the present moment allows negative thoughts to dissipate. Meditation is included in all of our West Wood Club Les Mills Body Balance and Yoga classes.
Environmental Wellness
Environmental wellness relates to being environmentally aware and identifying how you can make a difference. How your daily choices impact the environment. Improving your environmental wellness can lead to more balance in your life. With West Wood Club, you can feel content choosing a fitness club that is also focused on reducing our carbon footprint.
A West Wood Club we do the following to improve our impact on the environment and improve wellness. See if you can do the same.
- LED Bulbs
- No disposable cups at water fountains
- Recycle waste
- No plastic tog bags
- Limit printing of time tables – on website and in the club
Choosing a fitness club that is focused on environmental wellness will help you to feel better working out and balanced.
Tomorrow we'll have Part 2 of this series focusing on the three other vital elements of wellness.
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.
