Yo, let's talk about wellness, the hot topic that's been around for ages but still has folks buzzing. We're talking ancient roots, baby! From the East to the West, civilizations like India, China, Greece, and Rome have all been down with the holistic and preventive approach to wellness for centuries.
Fast forward to the 19th century in Europe and the US, and you've got a bunch of smarties getting into intellectual, religious, and medical movements that were all about natural and holistic healing, self-care, and prevention. These movements laid the foundation for the wellness movement we see today, and we have a few American doctors and thinkers like Halbert Dunn, Jack Travis, Don Ardell, and Bill Hettler to thank for popularizing wellness in the 60s and 70s.
Defining Wellness
According to the Global Wellness Institute, wellness is defined as the "active pursuit of activities, choices and lifestyles that lead to a state of holistic health." Basically, it's about making intentional choices and taking active steps to achieve optimal health and wellbeing that goes beyond just physical health.
"Wellness is not just a destination, it's a journey," says Don Ardell, one of the pioneers of the modern wellness movement. "It's a continuous process of becoming aware of and making choices that support our overall health and happiness."
It's a personal journey, but our physical, social, and cultural environments play a big role too. And while it may be easy to confuse wellness with terms like health, wellbeing, and happiness, it's important to remember that wellness is about the process of actively pursuing holistic health, not just achieving a static state.
So there you have it, wellness has a rich history that dates back centuries and has evolved into the thriving movement we see today. It's all about making intentional choices, actively pursuing holistic health, and living your best life. As Jack Travis, another wellness expert, puts it, "Wellness is about finding balance in all aspects of our lives and creating a sense of harmony between our mind, body, and spirit."
