Defining Health & Wellness: why vitality is way better (and how to get more)

How do you define good health? The Oxford dictionary describes it as “the state of being free from illness or injury.”

That’s it? 

Sounds simple, but injury is often unavoidable, and the same goes with certain illnesses. 

What about the word “wellness”? Oxford says it’s “the state of being in good health, especially as an actively pursued goal.” 

Ok… 

So if wellness is just the pursuit of not getting injured or sick I can just never leave the house and be a shining beacon of health and wellness?

The current definitions of health and wellness are not good enough for me, and I hope you’re after a bit more than that, too.

Shift the focus to vitality

Think of vitality as like a measurement of your energetic status. Oxford says it’s “the state of being strong and active; energy.” also, “the power giving continuance of life, present in all living things.” 

In other words, vitality is radiant, beautiful energy that makes life possible and keeps the good going! Yay! Yes, more of that, please! It is both possessing energy and creating energy at the same time. It is energy for the life inside of you and the life all around you and it’s tied to your life force.

Why Energy Matters

Energy is not just for physical mobility and staying awake. Did you know that when you eat, your body uses up to 10 percent of its stored energy just to chew, digest and metabolize food? Energy is required by your brain, respiratory system, heart, organs, and of course to propel your body. It’s also used during rest and sleep to repair old or damaged cells and make new ones! No matter how little you move or try to conserve energy, you are always draining your battery.

How emotions affect energy

When you’re feeling sad, guilty, depressed, sick, or ugly, do you feel super energized? When you’re feeling happy, attractive, doing something enjoyable, or feel like you’re in the best health of your life, does that make you feel exhausted?

Of course not! Just the opposite. However, energy is a two way street. Our emotions can fuel or drain our batteries, and the amount of available energy that’s left can influence whether we feel uplifted or down in the dumps. 

Our free-flowing energy levels can surge or drop when we are happy vs sad, healthy vs sick, enjoying ourselves or detesting our circumstances. But energy is also a bit of a paradox. We are both using up energy and producing it at the same time. Vitality is like a baseline for your energy. So if you find your vitality is usually on the low end of this give and take cycle, what can you do about it? How do you raise that baseline?

Build a better battery!

 In my coaching practice, I use the words Health, Wellness and Vitality almost interchangeably. I want your vitality to show up for you the biggest way. I want you to walk around this earth with the feeling that everything is right within your world, your energy shines brightly and flows freely, and your body is free of complaints. 

When we are living in harmony with our nature and biology at every level, inside and out… that’s when this feeling begins to show up for us. And when vitality gets so big and bright that your body has extra energy…. that’s when we can truly show up in this world and attract incredible things. 

In this human life, there will be ups and downs. Feelings need to be acknowledged: both good and bad. They are essential to help guide our decisions and path in life! But the ups and downs that might drain or fill a small AA battery have much less effect on a gigantic lithium ion battery! 

If you are feeling low or lethargic or unmotivated … or constantly wading in feelings of guilt or shame and feel emotionally paralyzed or are constantly putting things off., these are signs you need to build a better battery. 

The good news? There are steps you can take right now to capture more free flowing energy inside of yourself.

Increase energy to burn fat

Ok, I hear you. We all want to look our best. We each have a slightly unique idea about what health and wellness look like on the outside. Many judge their personal health based on appearance or size. True, a body that is storing too much fat can be an indicator of low levels of health. But most of those things we want to “fix” happen to be symptoms of the same underlying theme: a body in crisis mode, without enough free-flowing energy.

Great news! For the vast majority of us, too much fat, bloat, the feelings of sluggishness, the brain fog, the wild cravings, the restless nights, couch potato syndrome, and symptoms of burnout will… 

…d i s s o l v e…

…given enough time living in alignment with your own biology and satisfying your human needs.

Why do we get fat?

Fat is just stored energy, locked away for an emergency. Your body is not getting fat because it hates you, it is storing fat because it loves you. Something is signaling your body that your battery is in danger of running low and is saving energy reserves for the emergency – kind of like a backup generator. Our human genetics are set up to survive long periods of time without food to keep us alive during the cold winter… for survival mode.

Are you subconsciously telling your body winter is coming?

The stress in your mind and body signals to your genes that it needs to store fat. Once your body is working at optimal levels inside, it finally gets the message that you’re safe, and can let go of the extra fat. Make changes right now to tell your body spring is on the way. 

Ways to boost your vitality: live with more free flowing energy

There are many simple ways to increase your energy reserves and boost your vitality! Some of these things include:

• Participating in mood boosting activities (to bring fulfillment and meaning to your life)
• Choosing foods that increase efficiency of your digestive process (frees up energy while also supplying it)
• Taking adequate time to rest and restore (repair cells and make new ones)
• Introducing self care rituals that actually make a difference (reducing and relieving unnecessary physical and emotional stress)

And many more… 

…and guess what? One of the best things you can do for your vitality is to have more fun. 

These concepts seem simple, and should be- they are in line with your basic human needs! But in my experience working with coaching clients, simple doesn’t necessarily mean easy- not at first. There is going to be a little bit of a learning curve as you adjust to putting your own needs first! 

Every difficult path is easier and a lot more enjoyable to walk with a supportive friend. 

Taking on this wellness transformation alongside an experienced transformational wellness coach like Very Vitality is a great place to start. I even offer 1:1 coaching services that are customized to your unique individual needs, saving you from the burden of figuring out how to make it work for your busy life all by yourself. It takes planning, strategy, and execution to make big, lasting, transformational changes in your life. As your coach, I’m here at the ready with some steps you can take right now that will get you off to a roaring start! 

Xoxo & Vitality, 

Erin