There are very few things that almost everyone can agree on, but here is one: if you are sick, visit a doctor. A doctor can help you diagnose the symptoms you are experiencing and provide a treatment path. If your primary doctor cannot do this, he or she will help you find a specialist that will.

Not everyone wants to wait until they are coughing, fatigued, or experiencing pain to begin taking care of themselves. Some people really care about getting ahead of their health to enjoy a good quality of life throughout their 30’s, 40’s and 50’s before they are forced to succumb to illness. Approach your doctor with this goal, and you will find yourself taking the fastest U-turn you have ever taken out the door. The medical industry cannot afford the time or money to help you maximize energy, quality of life, or even prevent illness.

Luckily for this group, another industry is rapidly rising, one which provides an alternative to the healthcare industry’s reactive treatment approach with a preventative approach that helps people achieve optimal health before it is too late.

This is…the Wellness industry

The Healthcare industry has always been designed to treat people after they become sick, whereas the growing Wellness Industry is designed to help people become their best selves and thereby reduce the chances of getting sick.

According to the Global Wellness Institute, the Wellness industry has seen a 4.1% growth in spending toward nutrition and healthy eating, a 4.8% growth in fitness and mind-body spending, and a 4.8% increase in spending on workplace wellness, from 2015 to 2017.

What can this trendy industry do to help improve the health of everyday Americans? The World Health Organization defines health as “a state of complete physical, mental and social well-being and not merely the absence of disease or infirmity.”

This means that our society is finally breaking away from a complete reliance on the healthcare system and putting the power of self-maintenance into the hands of each individual. That can be good and bad. On the positive side, we have more available knowledge and resources to strengthen and protect our mind and body before disease hits, allowing us to enjoy increased energy, strength, cognitive capabilities, and positivity throughout our lives. On the flip side, where in the world do we start?

Unfortunately, you are unlikely to find a one-stop shop to help you prevent sickness, stay healthy, and avoid going to a doctor in the first place. So where do you go? Well, the common proverb “an apple a day keeps the doctor away” leads us to believe a nutritionist or dietician can help, and many seek out gyms and personal trainers who provide workout routines to increase cardiovascular health and maintain muscle. Though nutrition and fitness are vital aspects of wellness, they are merely pieces of a larger puzzle. Our society’s current view of health and wellness has irrationally skewed wellness to focus primarily on physical wellness, giving less value to the importance of mental and emotional wellbeing. Physical, emotional, and mental wellness work together to enable us to live more energetic, longer, and happier lives.

There are a variety of meditation and yoga styles that can be practiced based on a person’s specific needs. In fitness, some people achieve their desired body and health goals by running long distances, others by doing High-Intensity Interval Training, others by lifting weights, others by playing sports, and others by swimming laps. Similarly, there are a variety of meditation and yoga styles to select from based on a person’s mental and physical profile and lifestyle goals. Varying styles include those to build energy, enjoy complete relaxation, maintain a perpetual state of calm, increase awareness, sharpen focus, maintain a more positive mindset and energy, harness emotions, or connect better with others, amongst others.

Without help from our established primary physicians, and without the presence of an all-knowing “wellness doctor”, most people are left on their own as individuals to find the right ingredients to maintain a healthy body and mind in order to avoid illness and live better lives. However, with growing awareness and resources around fitness, nutrition, meditation, yoga, sleep, and emotional intelligence, the path to achieving optimal wellness is right in front of us. If only that all-encompassing “wellness doctor” existed, that person who can provide you with all the answers to live your best life. Luckily for you, that person lives right under your roof and is staring right back at you every time you look in the mirror. Ignore all worries, look inward, trust yourself and the process, and enjoy the new world you are about to enter; a world with more energy, better clarity, and ultimately, the best version of you.

Wish you good luck in your journey to optimal wellness.