What Does it Mean to Live Well?

Credit: leo.prie.to

leo.prie.to

Living well goes beyond physical fitness or sports performance

When it comes to health and wellness, the gap between healthy – and deadly – is widening.

On one hand we have images of perfectly chiseled fitness models with ungodly low levels of body fat and uber-athletes smashing performance records.  

At the other end of the spectrum, statistics tell us that obesity, cardiovascular disease, type 2 diabetes and cancer rates continue to rise. Experts project that our children will be the first generation to live a shorter lifespan than their parents. This is happening despite all our advancements in science and medicine.

Having recently hosted the Winter Olympics, British Columbians witnessed some amazing feats of human performance and extreme levels of fitness. While the Olympians can definitely inspire the average person I’m not sure that we can hold elite athletes as ideal examples of wellness.

Health Role Models?

To perform at such a high level athletes will often sacrifice a lot, even their own bodies, to achieve their goals. A leading orthopedic surgeon has stated that many snowboarders and skiers will require knee replacements at a relatively young age due to the injuries they sustain from intense training. Not exactly a blueprint to follow if you are looking for wellness.

As for those fitness models and bodybuilders who look like walking anatomical billboards? Many of them follow unhealthy protocols to shed body fat and achieve that ultra-lean appearance.

I think it’s time we expand our concepts of what health and wellness really are.

What it Means to Live Well

Living well goes beyond physical fitness or sports performance. Wellness is a holistic concept that encompasses a person’s physical, psychological, emotional and spiritual components. Living well gives you the energy to engage with life in a meaningful and fulfilling way.  

So how does one get healthy and improve their wellness?

I believe many people fail in their quest for a healthy life because they’ve been lied to. Our culture has bred this notion that success should come fast and easy. And so our marketplace is full of gadgets and magic pills that promise us instant health.

To live well doesn’t require the newest drugs, sexy surgical technique or the latest celebrity workout fad. Doctors and other health professionals do not make us healthy. Sure they can help, but real work starts and ends with you. True health takes time and dedication. Yet it is possible, and you can achieve it. 
 
Through this blog I’ll be giving you great tips and information you can apply immediately to get healthier. We’ll cover everything from nutrition to exercise to spirituality and more, so stay tuned.  

Live well and prosper!