August is National Wellness month. There are many definitions of what constitutes wellness and how to best achieve optimal wellness. The Global Wellness Institute defines wellness as “the active pursuit of activities, choices and lifestyles that lead to a state of holistic health.”
National Wellness Month is a month to recognize the countless benefits of living a lifestyle focused on wellness and a time dedicated to taking care of yourself across all dimensions of well-being. When thinking about wellness from a whole-body standpoint, both body and mind come into play. The National Wellness Institute (NWI) developed a widely used framework known as the “Six Dimensions of Wellness” that focuses on: Physical, Emotional, Spiritual, Social, Occupational, and Intellectual areas when looking at wellness. NWI provides a useful downloadable resource on their website describing these 6 dimensions and how to apply them that can be accessed here: https://nationalwellness.org/resources/six-dimensions-of-wellness/
For employers, this month provides a chance to inspire employees to make small, daily changes that lead to long-term health benefits. Employers can create a supportive environment in the workplace by implementing various wellness initiatives and activities that encourage wellness in the office. Setting up nutrition or stress management workshops, encouraging corporate fitness challenges or creating other opportunities for physical activity during the workday are examples of how to emphasize the importance of employee wellness. A recent article by the Harvard Business Review provides great suggestions on improving employee’s health and wellbeing: https://hbr.org/2021/10/7-strategies-to-improve-your-employees-health-and-well-being.
More Americans are increasingly concerned about achieving optimal health through wellness. According to a recent article by McKinsey & Company, the wellness market is growing very rapidly. McKinsey reports that overall, roughly 50 percent of US consumers now select health and wellness as a top priority in their day-to-day lives, a significant increase from 42 percent in 2020. Article: https://www.mckinsey.com/industries/consumer-packaged-goods/our-insights/still-feeling-good-the-us-wellness-market-continues-to-boom. Americans are prioritizing their health more than ever before, making more time for exercise, paying attention to what they are eating, and are focusing on good sleep habits and stress management techniques such as meditation and yoga to try to achieve optimal health in the various dimensions of wellness.
