Berea College’s health and wellness program referred to as ‘Thrive!’ defines wellness through eight dimensions. It includes emotional, financial, intellectual, occupational, physical, social, spiritual, and sustainable wellness. Mechanisms to improve some of the dimensions of wellness in our daily lives include exercising, eating a healthy diet, practicing gratitude, and improving communication skills. Blumenthal, Smith, and Hoffman found that aerobic exercise has been correlated with alleviating symptoms of mild to moderate depression and encourage patients to include exercise in their daily lives (Blumenthal, Smith, & Hoffman, 2012). We all know that eating healthily improves one’s physical wellness, however what does it really mean? According to a “meta-analysis of more than 1.5 million healthy adults, it was demonstrated that following a Mediterranean diet was associated with a reduced risk of cardiovascular mortality as well as overall mortality" (Cesari et al., 2008).One aspect of spiritual wellness is gratitude. According to positive psychology research, gratitude is strongly and consistently associated with greater happiness, so remember to practice gratitude more often (Witvliet et al., 2019). Lastly, according to Brene Brown, research professor at the University of Houston, some phrases that improve communication and thereby social wellness include: “the story I make up”, “I am curious about”, “Tell me more”, and “That is not my experience” (Brown, 2012). Incorporate at least one of these wellness boosts as a new habit this August and change a life time.

Works Cited:
Blumenthal, J. A., Smith, P. J., & Hoffman, B. M. (2012). Is Exercise a Viable Treatment for Depression?. ACSM's health & fitness journal, 16(4), 14–21.
Sofi, F., Cesari, F., Abbate, R., Gensini, G. F., & Casini, A. (2008). Adherence to Mediterranean diet and health status: meta-analysis. BMJ (Clinical research ed.), 337, a1344.
Witvliet, C. V., Richie, F. J., Root Luna, L. M., & Van Tongeren, D. R. (2019). Gratitude predicts hope and happiness: A two-study assessment of traits and states. The Journal of Positive Psychology, 14(3), 271-282.
Brown, Brené. Daring Greatly: How the Courage to Be Vulnerable Transforms the Way We Live, Love, Parent, and Lead. New York: Gotham Books, 2012. Brown, Brené.
For more information about wellness, check out the titles below:
Health and Wellness by Gordon Edlin; Eric Golanty
ISBN: 0763748196
Publication Date: 2004-01-01
Outlining the basic principles of physical, mental, and spiritual wellness, this colorful textbook explains how to eat and exercise
toward a healthy lifestyle, build healthy relationships, prevent disease, and use drugs responsibly. Stress management techniques are described in the appendix.
Fitness and Wellness by Sharon A. Hoeger
ISBN: 0495012564
Publication Date: 2006-03-07
FITNESS AND WELLNESS, Seventh Edition is a colorful, concise, less expensive option for instructors who value the powerful instruction that is the hallmark of the Hoegers' fitness and wellness texts. If you want the beauty found in the more comprehensive fitness and wellness text, the large ancillary package (see the "Ancillaries" section for a full listing), but are concerned about price and/or do not have enough time to get through the material, then this is your text! FITNESS AND WELLNESS, packaged with the Profile Plus 2007 CD-ROM, concentrates on health-related physical fitness components, with beneficial information about wellness. Inside, you'll also find discussions on motivation and behavior modification with an emphasis on teaching individuals how to take control of their personal fitness, health and lifestyle habits so they can make a constant and deliberate effort to stay healthy and realize their highest potential for well-being.
Lifestyle Wellness Coaching by James Gavin; Madeleine Mcbrearty
ISBN: 9781450414845
Publication Date: 2013-04-18
Lifestyles have changed dramatically over the past quarter century, and along with these changes come exciting opportunities for health, wellness, and fitness professionals, including new career paths in the professional domain of health and wellness coaching. Centered on an evidence-based process for guiding change, Lifestyle Wellness Coaching, Second Edition, offers a systematic approach to helping clients achieve enduring changes in their personal health and wellness behaviors through a supportive and forward-moving coaching relationship. Formerly titled Lifestyle Fitness Coaching, the second edition of Lifestyle Wellness Coaching has been thoroughly revised and updated to keep pace with the rapidly evolving field of lifestyle coaching. The text offers powerful methodologies for those who want to embrace lifestyle coaching as their primary profession as well as for those who intend to integrate a coaching approach into their work with clients. The text is complemented by discussions, case studies, reflective opportunities, and practical aids and engages readers through multiple approaches to learning: - Sidebars provide practical guidance for enhanced understanding. - Reflection sidebars prompt readers to personally experience the content. - Dynamic coaching dialogues bring abstract concepts to life. - Typical exchanges between coaches and clients are illustrated. - The International Coach Federation's 11 core competencies are thoroughly examined to prepare readers for certification in the profession of coaching. Lifestyle Wellness Coaching, Second Edition, uses realistic coaching conversations to address issues such as the timing and types of questions to ask, how to provide feedback effectively, and how to facilitate robust action planning. Readers are presented with a broad overview of the field and detailed analysis of core ingredients to promote effective coaching relationships. The text includes essential structures for coaching conversations and practical considerations to help readers adapt materials to their unique career interests. Lifestyle Wellness Coaching introduces readers to models that clearly identify clients' progress through the stages of change. First, the text explores the popular transtheoretical model (TTM) of health-related behavior change and its delineation of six stages of clients' readiness to change. Discussion of TTM includes strategies appropriate to clients in various stages of readiness to change. Lifestyle Wellness Coaching also presents the learning-through-change model (LCM), revealing the deep layers beneath each phase of client movement toward change. Following considerations of the stages and phases of change, readers are offered a critical map for coaching clients toward goal achievement. The authors' unique flow model of coaching illustrates how professional coaches help clients navigate the sometimes turbulent events in attempting to change habitual patterns of behavior. Lifestyle Wellness Coaching, Second Edition, details how professionals engage in well-designed communication strategies to motivate, guide, inform, and support clients' processes toward personal change with a holistic approach.
The American Holistic Medical Association Guide to Holistic Health by Larry Trivieri; American Holistic Medical Association Staff
ISBN: 0471327433
Publication Date: 2001-04-26
A Complete and Comprehensive Guide to Holistic Treatment "Larry Trivieri beautifully illuminates the full spectrum of natural healing approaches, highlighting the unifying themes and distinctive features of health systems around the world and across the ages. This book is a valuable resource for individuals interested in their personal well being, as well as health professionals seeking to deepen their understanding of holistic medicine."-David Simon, M.D., Medical Director, the Chopra Center for Well Being, Author, Vital Energy and Return to Wholeness Find reputable practitioners and put proven healing therapies to work in your life with this informative and reliable guide to holistic medicine and its primary treatment methods, including: * Nutritional Medicine * Environmental Medicine * Mind-Body Medicine * Traditional Chinese Medicine * Osteopathic Medicine * Chiropractic * Botanical Medicine * Bodywork/Massage * Naturopathic Medicine * Homeopathy * Ayurvedic Medicine * Acupuncture * Yoga and many more