WEDNESDAY'S WELLNESS, "What Exactly Is Wellness and How Do I Attain It"?

There are so many cool sounding ‘BUZZ’ words in the world of

 fitness today; it can be more that a bit overwhelming. We have the usual terms like; Free Weights, cables and pulleys, Swimming and Pilates, Spinning, Dancing workouts and Yoga classes( quick breath and, .......),Decline Benches, Medicine Balls,Easy Bars, Body Bars, Balance Bars(oh sorry, ha...that's a food product LOL) and Bosus to name just a few. While a few may seem like many and some unfamiliar, most are rather tame, rather necessary, and quite well understood by those in the fitness profession and easily demonstrated to the masses . But for those in the fitness industry, it seems that 'WE ARE THE ONES' who can never have enough and now we have to contend with a mish mash of funky new terms and trends and equipment that would make Jack LaLane turn over in his grave. While some new trends are viable to be sure, but many are just as unnecessary as they are ridiculous!

 Here’s a few you can try; Pole Dancing, Karaoke Spinning, Zumba , I Gallop (I don’t have the heart, look it up if you need to know)…Barefoot running (like that’s new….please) , Fitness aps for your smart phone with NOBODY there to spot you when your down and my favorite …..Yoga-laties! I mean really, COME ON. When I was in Hawaii in June, I took up paddle boarding. You stand on what looks like a large surf board and Paddle through the ocean. COOL. I just found out that they are now developing Core classes and Pilates to be done in the ocean on that board. IS THAT REALLY NECESSARY? TRUST ME, if you can stand on that board and paddle through the waves with out wiping out…your core is either in GREAT SHAPE already or will get there quickly. NOW DO NOT GET ME WRONG…IF YOU KNOW ME AT ALL YOU KNOW I BELIEVE IN DOING SOMETHING NEW. But there’s a fine line between doing something new and getting folks so twisted and turned around that they stop before they had a chance to get started. It’s all in an attempt to keep it FRESH for YOU…or at least that’s what we tell ourselves.

Truth be told there is nothing new under the sun. Not really, except for the TRULY STUPID and they

usually fizzle out. We just rename them, repackage them and market them to an age of attendees that we hope aren't old enough to remember them! Take 'Barre-Class' for example. Lately, unless you’ve been under a rock, you’ve either heard of it or tried it. Everyone is SO EXCITED ABOUT THIS COOL NEW WORKOUT(nothing wrong with that..) and everyone keeps telling me to go give it a try. I politely smile and inwardly I silently chuckle because I’ve so been there – done that. How? Well, because it’s NOT NEW! I took barre back in the1990s when I was doing some work with Pepper Von from the ESPN Fitness Pros (remember that show?).We were working together on a project out in California and I took Barre then and there and really liked it I might add. SO glad so many are into it now, but new? New it AIN’T In my opinion we’ve gone a little over the top trying to define a fitness routine that will interest everyone. When we break it down people, we come up with the reasons why we create these sound and sadistic routines in the first place. It’s an attempt at acquiring a State of Wellness! That’s a term we can wrap our minds and tongues around now isn’t it!

The best definition I’ve heard of Wellness is, “A natural human condition that is often negatively conditioned throughout the passages of time by the lifestyle choices we make!!!!

In my words: Wellness is an active focus on and concentrated attention to, maintaining good order in all of the FOUR PILLARS that make up what we call HEALTH!

THE FOUR PILLARS ARE Collectively the CORNERSTONES that create and support the foundation of a body that is FIT TO LIVE!!!

These are the Pillars that envelop everyone’s basic needs for a healthy existence.

1)BREATHING

2)EATING                              

3)MOVING
and

4)REST

Often it’s not only what we do, but what we don’t do that sets the stage for illness and disease that can be avoided. SO, keep it simple folks… OR complicated if that turns you on. But here are the keys to a solid state of WELLNESS.

1)BEATHING;
IF you smoke…STOP! And that’s that! It Kills and there’s no way around it. Quit that and you are improving not only your life, but the lives of everyone around you.

2)EATING;
Eat a well balanced, high  fiber fiber diet. One that is low in sugar and saturated fats  . A daily diet that doesn’t exceed your body’s caloric needs (or slighly less than if weight loss is necessary).

3)MOVING;

Move daily. Walk like somebody’s chasing you or Ride a SPIN BIKE IN A POOL (and yes, they have classes like that now too), if that’s what turns you on...whatever you choose, just DO IT! and last but never least...

4)REST;

Get some sleep! In today’s vernacular, this is your body’s time to REBOOT. Without enough of that…you BURN OUT!

SO, Stay well friends,

Keep it simple and until tomorrow

Power On!

Candace