If you’re new to the whole idea actually living a healthy lifestyle, it can be a daunting (and at times, seemingly impossible) undertaking.  Misinformation is ubiquitous, so consumers feel confused and powerless when it comes to their health.  You don’t have to feel confused and powerless though.  Information is the key and the first step toward empowerment and optimal wellness.

What is wellness?  Merriam-Webster defines wellness as “the quality or state of being in good health especially as an actively sought goal.”  In my opinion, this is an over-simplified and somewhat ambiguous definition (although I do like the “actively sought” part of it).  A more comprehensive definition would be something like “a complete state of optimal health that encompasses nutritional, mental and physical lifestyle choices geared towards fitness, disease prevention and reducing toxic load.”  I call these the “pillars of wellness”.  Idealistic?  Perhaps – especially these days in a healthcare system dominated by pimped-out, greedy politicians as well as crooked food and drug lobbyists.  But, this is the true essence of wellness.  And, it’s more than just compartmentalizing health into a few actions like exercising, or eating salad a few days a week.  It’s a lifestyle choice – all of the pillars of wellness work together synergistically.  Each one has an absolute effect on the other, so while isolating one may be a start, it’s not the way to achieve optimal wellness.  So, the next logical question is how do you attain this elusive goal of optimal wellness?

Our actions are born from our thoughts, so the first thing the should happen is a total shift in perspective and the way you think about your health.  This sets a strong foundation for enabling you to make sound choices as you begin to adopt a healthy lifestyle.  I cannot overemphasize this enough.  It’s hard for many people to unlearn much of what they’ve been taught as popular health strategies are challenged.  But, being open-minded and receptive to new ideas is imperative if you are to embrace true wellness.  Contrary to mainstream opinion, this approach to wellness does not mean living on the fringes.  It does not mean eschewing all conventional medicine in lieu of herbs, acupuncture and raw foods.  For instance, if you had an acute injury or illness, it wouldn’t be a good idea to discount all the advances that have been made in modern medicine.  By the same token, if you have an autoimmune disorder like diabetes mellitus (Type 1 or 2), it would be in your best interest to explore natural therapies before popping a pill.

And therein lies my point.  These ideologies don’t have to live in a vacuum.  They don’t have to compete, constantly espousing the shortcomings of one another.  The best of each could coexist if consumers like you and I were informed of all our options, both allopathic and alternative.  Ah, but there’s the rub.  Full disclosure conflicts with the very foundation of capitalism.  For many industries, an uninformed customer is necessary for long-term growth.  Millions of dollars are spent annually on propaganda marketing budgets.  Imagine that you were told that Vitamin D cured cancer or fish oil prevented heart attacks (disclaimer: I’m just using these for illustrative purposes).  How do you think that would affect a multi-national pharmaceutical company’s stock price?  Suffice it to say that their shareholders would not be very happy.  So, there is absolutely a vested interest in keeping consumers in the dark, which means that it’s incumbent upon you to educate yourself.  Lobbyists own politicians, so you can’t really count on reliable information from government either.  At the very least, you can start to ask the right questions to your health providers.

As the adage goes, “the journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step”.  So if you’re ready, let’s get started.

Nutrition 101

Fitness 101

Supplements 101

Prevention 101

Mind & Body 101

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