What does it mean to "be well"?

Hello there. So yeah, I fell a bit off the radar here. I got a little distracted with work and studies, and in doing so neglected my blog. But I've missed writing long enough, so I'm back at it.

You may have noticed I sign off each post with the message "be well". And if you live near me and have seen me driving around, you'd also see that my license plate encourages people to "be well". So what is with all the well wishing? What does it mean to "be well"?

In short- a lot.

When I think about our health, I think of it in terms of wellness. And when I think about wellness, I see it as a continuum. Picture a line with a center and two end points. At the far right of the line we have optimum health and wellness. At the far left of the line we have illness and premature death. In the middle we have neutrality- no obvious illness or wellness. Each one of us is somewhere on this line, and we're heading in one direction or the other. We are either heading towards premature death, or we are moving towards a higher level of wellness.

What does a high level of wellness involve? First of all we need to define what wellness consists of. Being well means more than having good "stats". It is more than the number on a scale, our blood pressure, or our cholesterol levels. All of these measurements can be indicators of our health, but they alone do not determine our wellness. Our wellness is multifaceted. It is a combination of many aspects of our being: accountability, love, feeling, thinking, what we eat, our sex life, how we communicate, etc..

Since wellness is a complex and deep combination of multiple factors, it can also have many different forms and manifestations. You know the old saying 'Never judge a book by its cover"? It applies to people and their wellness. We might look at someone who is in great physical shape next to someone who is 50 pounds over weight and say, "It is obvious which person is well". But really, it isn't. We can't tell by the exterior alone where someone is on the continuum of wellness, and in what direction they are heading. Let's look at two men as examples.

Guy A is an avid triathlete. He runs, bikes, swims, and strength trains religiously. His body fat is 6%. Blood pressure and cholesterol levels are optimal. He is extremely conscientious of what he eats. He is what many people would consider the picture of health, and his "stats" definitely back this up.

Guy B is severely overweight. His Body Mass Index (BMI) puts him in the morbidly obese category. He has struggled with his weight for years, and continues to struggle with his diet. Guy B has made the decision though to reclaim his health. He has lost 75 pounds on his own, and he has now hired a personal trainer to help him lose more weight and make greater gains in his quest for wellness.

Oh, and here is the other thing about Guy A. He berates his young daughters at the local health club when their "dilly-dallying" interferes with his training schedule. He tells them that they are taking away his time, that he should be out on his bike instead of waiting for them to get out of the locker room. He also criticizes his daughters when they are "goofing around" or not taking their work-outs seriously enough. He is consumed with himself and his needs, and begrudges anyone, even his young girls, if they dare interfere with his goals.

Guy B is the kind of guy who will talk to anyone, and will spread joy and smiles when he does so. He knows he is overweight, but he is supremely confident in the directions he is going, and absolutely revels in the progress he has made to this point. He encourages others in the health club in their workouts, and compliments many of his fellow members on their physiques and dedication to taking care of themselves. He approaches every day and every workout with a sense of humor and goodwill.

(DISCLAIMER: Guy A and Guy B are fictitious characters created to make a point. If your name is Guy A or Guy B, well, I'm sorry your parents gave you such an awful name. But this blog post isn't about you. It is a coincidence.)

Now tell me, which one of these two is "well"? The answer is, they both are, but in different ways and for different reasons. One may score highly in the wellness areas that concern physical health, but score very low in the areas that concern relationships, awareness, love, etc.. The other may not score highly in physical areas, but very highly in others concerning awareness, love, etc..

It also highlights one vital fact about wellness: It is possible to be at any point on the wellness continuum in regards to current health, and to be moving in either direction- towards optimum wellness, or towards premature death. It is entirely possible for a person with stage 4 cancer with 6 months to live to be moving towards wellness, because of their attitude and mind set. Likewise, it is entirely possibly for someone in great physical condition to be moving towards premature death, because of their attitude and mind set.

So when I say "be well", it may seem like a simple directive or request, but in truth it is a complex challenge I am issuing. I am asking people to examine themselves on many levels; to become more aware of the many facets and ingredients that constitute their wellness. Being well isn't just a matter of getting to the gym, eating the right foods and being a "healthy weight". These things are part of the puzzle, but there are so many more pieces to it.

If you find this way of thinking about wellness intriguing and would like to explore it in more depth, I would encourage you to read Wellness Workbook- How to Achieve Enduring Health and Vitality, by John W. Travis, M.D., and Regina Sara Ryan. This book has been very influential in helping me clarify and articulate my own feelings and beliefs around health and wellness.

For now.....

Be well.

-Seth