Finish This Thought . . .

. . . Wellness matters because . . . Well, why does wellness matter? And, why does it matter to you? It’s not even that easy to define. We know wellness is “a multidimensional state of being describing the existence of positive health in an individual as exemplified by quality of life and a sense of well-being. Wellness is not just the absence of illness, but the active process of achieving an individual's full potential of physical, mental, and spiritual well being.” No doubt, defining wellness is a mouthful.

And, it’s sort of like poetry—most of us can recite a poem (even a bad poem), but can we define "poetry?” And, how do we individually define wellness? It seems that getting back to the individual definition brings wellness home to each of us.

So, back to why wellness matters. The National Wellness Institute says, “wellness is an active process through which people become aware of and make choices towards a more successful existence.” Who can argue with that? Employers know that better health means better productivity. We all know (or by now should know) that the prevention of expensive-to-treat and mostly preventable chronic illness means a reduction in the need for health care services—and less drain on our health care system.

Then there are the personal reasons—who wants to be ill? Don’t we all want to “be there” for our children, and our grandchildren? Don’t we want to enjoy our retirement? Don’t we just plain want to feel good?

LoneStart Wellness encourages everyone to take a fresh look at the opportunities we all have to begin to improve our personal—individual and collective—health. Call it healthy living, personal responsibility, even green health. With a little initiative, we 309 million Americans can dramatically reduce our health care burden and begin a new, national wellness movement based on knowledge, prevention and sustainability. A lofty goal, but one we each have the personal power to carry out.

That sounds like a pretty good way to explain why wellness matters . . . but why does it matter to you? Only you know the answer to that question, but we’d like to hear your thoughts.