The Dimensions of Well-Being
It’s not exactly a ‘buzz-word,’ but well-being is certainly a descriptive word.
Despite what you may have heard, the concept of well-being is such that it recognizes there is more to life than just going to the gym, going to work, looking after your family, or monitoring your health.
It addresses the many things that span over what are often considered the different dimensions of life and how they interrelate.
It’s a part of my holistic approach to weight loss, fat loss, training and nutrition.
Fitness: More Than Just Nutrition or Movement
Early in my career I recognized that most people were not coming to me just for weight loss or body transformation.
They were coming to me to feel better about themselves. They were coming to me and helping their relationships.
They were taking the inspiration and getting more out of their jobs.
Though, they probably didn’t know it at the time, they were looking for balance in some way, shape, or form.
I believe this is a big reason people gain weight in the first place, it’s basically the process of ignoring the physical realm of well-being in favour for other realms of well-being, often occupational and social, but the others can contribute as well.
There are a multitude of reasons, beyond what you might expect, as to why someone would seek out a personal trainer.
Over the years, I’ve found that some of my biggest break-throughs with clients had little or nothing to do with body transformations, but rather this is a side effect of all the work we do on a consistent basis.
It’s amazing how physical work can translate into a greater sense of purpose and well-being in the other realms of life too.
Now, no one will tell you this in your first consultation. I don’t expect them to do so, as it would take the fun out of my job.
That is, to find their true purpose for being in my office or gym.
Yes, coaches do that.
This is why I don’t give people ultimatums. I don’t use extremes when coaching my clientele.
I discourage, ‘all or nothing,’ thinking. I’ve never used, ‘if-thens’ because I don’t believe they work long-term.
I’d like to believe that I have a unique approach, in that I appreciate and recognize that things like drinking — in moderation, 2 glasses a day actually shows great benefit, it’s achieving moderation that is often the tricky part — serve a purpose as an ingrained part of our social realm of well-being.
There are numerous other examples, but drinking alcoholic beverages is perhaps the most common and easy to use in this context.
The subtle advantage to having a drink from time to time in a social setting is that it can lead to being socially fit, this can also lead to being physically fit and vice versa.
This is part of ‘life balance.’
It’s when people go overboard to extremes at either end of the spectrum, that the problems begin to present themselves. In the same way, that people who drive too fast, and people who drive too slow, both present a danger to the road.
The various dimensions of wellness all interplay with one another in this great game of life.
This is called, “Interdependence.”
Well-Being Dimensions
Those dimensions that everyone reading this should hold into account and please share with others are, in no particular order:
- Physical Dimension
- Intellectual Dimension
- Emotional Dimension
- Social Dimension
- Spiritual Dimension
- Environmental Dimension
- Occupational Dimension
Other Ways To Look At Well-Being
Depending on who you talk to, some people also refer to these differently. The may include things that are bolded below.
Mental Dimension
To me would cover too much for one dimension. In the system above, it could be viewed as a combination of spiritual, emotional, and intellectual realms.
Financial Dimension
To me a sub-factor of the occupational realm of well-being.
I’m of the Jim Collins mind, and the occupational realm should include the hedgehog concept of the following three things:
- What can I be the best at? (What can I be the best at the world at?)
- What can I make money doing? (What drives my economic engine?)
- What am I most passionate about doing? (What can I be most passionate about?)
Medical Dimension
Really a sub-factor of the physical realm of well-being. This is health or more formally as the absence/presence of disease.
The truth is that not one of these dimensions is more important than the other, though they certainly hold different value to all of us.
You really can’t have one without the other and under each umbrella there is another bullet list of concepts to discuss even further — an example being what I wrote about occupational well-being.
Even if you sat down to define them to yourself, you would find that what each of these things means is different for you than it is for me, or John Smith.
When you take this all into account, there is something obviously greater at play than just being or looking physically fit.
That something is different for everyone I’ve ever coached.
It’s important though to figure out and find meaning in each of them for yourself.
If you can find balance in a way that makes sense to you and your objectives, then you’re likely to find more success.
It may help to run through your values, prior to determine what you should focus your attention on above.
Please leave some comments below!