The term wellness gets thrown around quite often and is a very easy word to hide behind for a variety of reasons. One simple reason is that it is a rather ambiguous word, the type of word that food companies like to throw in to make their product sound better for you- a phrase like "natural cut french fries," or "Natural, Artificial, and Other Flavors." What on earth does this all mean?!
I was never one to think about my general wellness, or any measure of the word. As a high school and collegiate runner, my main measure of health was how fast I was racing every Saturday, and what were my workouts like throughout the week. The thought never occurred to me to consider any of the following TRUE measures of wellness:
1- Sleep! Perhaps the most important measure of how 'well' someone is, and one of the most basic biological needs humans have. Better quality sleep starts with better quality health- barring any inherit medical condition, many sleep issues including restless leg syndrome start with diet and exercise.
2- Mental Fatigue: Are you constantly stressed out over things big and little? Do you sometimes feel like mentally you just need a break from your routine? Not only is this more and more common, it is becoming normalized in society and there were times when my athletic career was at the heart of my fatigue; running and training ceased to become a joy and a celebration of accomplishment and turned into a chore. An awful, terrible, miserable chore created by my own doing. Happiness, while often thought of as subjective, can be turned into an objective measure of your own wellness.
3- Medical Markers: Yearly check ups and blood tests can tell you a lot about your own health. These important blood markers can quite literally tell you how quickly you are aging, and what the state of your health is at any given moment. Unlike a simple "How are you feeling" question from your physician, a blood test cannot be faked. And while they are hard numbers, the interpretation of those numbers is subjected to who is reading the test, so make sure you have a trustworthy doctor who understands your individual needs. Also keep one thing in mind: These numbers and tests are snapshots, not videos, of your health on that day. If you have an evening blood test and had a bagel for breakfast your glucose numbers will be reflected accordingly- even if you never eat a bagel for breakfast but for that very day.
4- How do you feel? Yes- you can lie to a doctor, or mislead a co-worker by telling them you feel fantastic, but taking a look in the mirror and asking yourself "How do I feel today?" can tell you a lot about your state of wellness, and you may have a lot of the answers you are looking for why you feel that way. Extra tired today? Only you know if you watched too many episodes of "The Office" on NetFlix, or if you spiked your insulin with that last meal. Be honest with yourself, and you will reveal many of the answers you are looking for.
And if you need help with some of these issues- send me an email at b.mcgoldrick@yahoo.com and we can work on a free consultation. I can walk you through my process, and work with you to help identify your individual needs to the best of my ability. I am not a doctor, and I am not going to play one on the internet, but I can draw from years of experience in doing things incorrectly, and help identify how you can make improvements that will change your life!
Be well my friends!
-Coach Brendan McGoldrick