Well*ness
1 -- the quality or state of being healthy in body and mind, esp. as the result of deliberate effort.
2 -- an approach to healthcare that emphasizes preventing illness and prolonging life, as opposed to emphasizing treating diseases.
-- from Dictionary.com
Ben Betteridge and Spencer Richards took a long look at their office and their clientele about 4 years ago.
The physical therapists at Intermountain Sports Medicine Specialists in Bountiful wanted to be more than just healers of wounds.
They also wanted to address staying healthy in the first place -- "just trying to integrate whole-body wellness, whole-body activities," explained Richards, "in terms of not only health promotion and also injury prevention."
But first the duo had to figure out what wellness really is. Is it just eating healthfully? Being strong? Being athletic?
Their answers went well beyond the usual mind and body model. They created a wheel they called Synergy Wellness, with five pieces -- physical, intellectual, spiritual, emotional and social wellness.
"The idea is that, in terms of wellness, there are various components," Richards said. "There are numerous studies that show physical well-being can be influenced heavily by mental or psychosocial factors."
Social
Some fitness programs observe the synergy wellness wheel, or parts of it, without calling it that.
Jo Canfield, owner of Yoga Jo's in North Ogden, said instructors there focus on having a laughing environment mixed with reverence -- mirroring social wellness on the synergy wheel.
"I feel true friendships within our yoga group and I feel better after doing my yoga class," said Pam Faulkner of Riverdale. "When things are tough, my yoga friends help me more than I would have imagined."
Beverly Prothero, from Washington Terrace, took up yoga four years ago when she retired. She understood that her social life was also going to take a turn, so she started looking for something to fill that void while staying physically active.
She has been a regular at the yoga studio ever since.
"I have been able to expand my social circle, and my knowledge and interests have also grown," Prothero said.
Finding that group is the first step toward achieving social wellness.
"It's difficult in our society nowadays to coordinate and get people together to be friends," Richards said. "In terms of someone who wants to be healthy, we have steered people toward groups that are already formed in an area that they might have interest."
You don't need to find new friends or new groups. Look at your own family members if they are close to you.
"I think a family that works together, eats together, recreates together will have a stronger support network -- a higher likelihood of staying with an exercise program or meeting a weight-loss goal or staying more healthy," Richards said.
Even kids can benefit.
"The parent has a lot of opportunity to help shape and help mold the kid's habits and patterns in terms of eating and being active," Richards said.
Intellectual
A "runner's high" has been described by athletes as that elevated mood after exercise. There's truth behind the term.
"You have chemicals that help you do that," Richards said.
Dopamine, serotonin and other endorphins in the brain trigger pleasure sensors, as well as acting as a painkiller during exercise.
"All these different chemicals in our body increase with exercise, decrease with stress, and are closely linked with depression and anxiety and other problems," noted Richards.
Prothero noticed that the post-exercise chemicals can become her sole mood-elevating method.
"After class, I feel more alert and my mind is clear. For me, it is better than a cup of coffee," Prothero said.
Intellectual wellness, however, goes beyond those chemicals, encompassing how you train your brain, such as through puzzles and books and through constant learning.
"A stimulated mind leads to you want to explore things," Richards said. "And I think that leads to exploring connections with nature -- exploring the world around us. That makes us in general more active."
Spiritual
Betteridge and Richards knew that the spiritual awareness part of the wheel was going to be complicated.
"It's tough because not everyone shares the same spiritual cultures or background," Richards said. "It's hard. It's not necessarily the doctor's role."
But he noted that several studies show prayer or a strong faith, no matter what religious preference, has been beneficial to healing.
Canfield looked around her yoga class and noted that students have different spiritual influences. But that doesn't matter-- they "support each other, regardless, with respect and consideration," Canfield said.
"The spiritual aspects of yoga are universal and available to everyone regardless of their religion or lack of religion," said Brad Carroll, yoga teacher at Yoga Jo's and a Weber State University professor.
You don't need to belong to any church, either, Richards noted. Spiritual awareness can be found in the environment and in the activity -- whatever brings you peace and clarity. "It can be found in a number of ways," said Richards.
Emotional
Emotional wellness can be the outcome of focusing on the other four areas.
If you exercise regularly with great friends, are clear-minded and at peace with your environment -- aren't you going to be happy?
Still, that is not entirely what emotional wellness is about. Emotional wellness will be needed when times aren't cheery, too.
"Sometimes things go wrong. (You) can't lose that 5 pounds or you have an injury. Obviously, that is what I see every day -- somebody who is training for something and things go wrong," Richards said.
Knowing how to handle those obstacles is the key.
"Stress plays a big role," said Betteridge. "When the body is under stress, it's hard to adapt, hard to heal. It takes work."
Those are the times when Canfield recommends just breathing.
"Breathing deeply rhythmically changes our body chemistry," she said.
"It also helps you become more present in your life and as you do that little by little, you become less attached to the shoulda-wouldas in life and become more focused on the can-dos."
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