From Amanda's very early writing (1990s to early 2000s), shared as it was originally written.
Wellness Resort/Retreat
As a special treat on my Queensland holiday I spent a couple of nights at a fantastic resort at Coolum. (The Hyatt) Based on the European concept of health spas a holiday at this place is a great blend of relaxing, fun, indulgence, activity/exercise and health awareness.
What a great way to adopt wellness habits! As far as I know, it's the only place offering this combination of activities in Australia.
You can go and have a luxury relax (at reasonable rates - they have special deals) where you can loll about, be waited on hand and foot, have massages (great for your immune system), sleep (great for your immune system), play golf/tennis (great for your immune system) laugh (great for your immune system) and have spare time to do nothing (also great for your immune system!) Or you can go and while doing all the above, have time to have your heart and general health checked out. At this place, they have all the facilities to do a check on the state of most of your body bits! Then, they give you qualified advice about what you need to do, what lifestyle changes you need to make, dietary changes, stress control measures you need to take etc etc. And they've even got people who can supervise you as you start to make these wellness changes to your life.
It seems to me that one of the main reasons people don't do this in their normal environments is that they "don't have time!. (This should read don't make time! because they seem to be coping and health/wellness is not a priority. We wait until our bodies break down and then we do something. Of course, it's a little late then. In many cases one of the earliest warning signs of heart disease is sudden death!
Why wait till then?!
Maybe you can't, or don't want to go to a resort like the Hyatt at Coolum and have everything checked out in a relaxed way. Then please make time for yourself to go and have this wellness check up: find out what you need to do - although most people, if they stop and think about their lifestyle, listen to their bodies and allow time for themselves, know what they need to do (and don't do it.) People usually need some sort of trigger or incentive to make the changes. Often, getting away from your normal environment is a good place to start. Please consider this as an option - or make a commitment to yourself to allocate one week a year to have a full wellness checkup. Find a place where they offer the medical and lifestyle service as Coolum does and find out what shape you are in - medically and how well your internal organs are. It's a good way to start off a new year.
Then you can decide what wellness changes you want to make and set out a program - similar to a training program athletes would make - of how you can fit one or all of these activities into your daily life.
I was also impressed with the options offered at Coolum for conferences. Obviously, I'm biased towards any conference that recognises the importance of wellness to productivity and any place that offers these facilities! And that made me think about people taking opportunities to increase their knowledge of their bodies, their mind, their lifestyles and how they all blend together. Keep a lookout in newspapers for seminars on these topics. More knowledge is a wonderful incentive for making those changes you've been meaning to for the last five years! Look for books - any of Deepak Chopra's are terrific. He's a doctor who has blended western and eastern medicine and quantum physics and he's at the forefront of bodymind research. "Quantum Healing" and "Unconditional Life" are two of this I particularly like.
John Gray wrote a book called "Men Are From Mars, Women Are From Venus" and it's a beauty for understanding some of the difference is the way men and women think and communicate. "Staying Well With The Gentle Art Of Verbal Self Defense" (don't be put off by the title!) is a wonderful book on understanding the ways our language patterns and thought processes affect our well being - it's by Susette Haden Elgin. And "Healthy Pleasures" by Ornstein and Sobel, who are two doctors examines the lifestyle and wellness link. So there's a few books to kick start your wellness library.
Whether you decide to visit a wellness orientated resort, allocate one week to wellness checkups a year, integrate wellness concepts on a daily basis, increase your wellness knowledge, incorporate elements of lifestyle and wellness into your next conference or just listen to your body and mind a little more, I guarantee you'll see, hear and feel the benefits of boosted energy and vitality. For now, I'm choosing the pampering option. I'm off for a massage!
