Some time ago, I received my first pedometer with which to track my daily steps, and I could not have been more thrilled. Attached unobtrusively to an elastic wrist band, it ventured forth with me every day as I plotted my path, set my course, stepped up, or took a hike.

I happen to be the sort of person with clothing for every sort of weather. I am not usually bothered by rain or snow or heat or cold. As a matter of fact, I especially love to walk in the falling snow. And I have a fantastic rain hat that I bought many years ago on a trip to England. In very warm weather, I sometimes walk at sunrise or late in the evening to avoid the heat of the day. I used to get on an elliptical in my basement when it was absolutely pouring. Nowadays, I go to the indoor track at the local gym on those occasional particularly miserable days, but, generally speaking, for me, there is just no substitute for fresh air. 

For close to a decade I wore my pedometer religiously, and tracked the numbers week in and week out. The further I walk, the higher the numbers climbed, the more I rejoiced. But I am no longer in it for the numbers. Now I’m in it for the game. And the name of the game is feeling good and strong and healthy and well (which happens to be related to the word for whole). In a word, that’s wellness.

What did I say to patients who came for counsel and advice? Wellness consists of three interrelated and equally important pillars. These would be: eating patterns, activity patterns, rest & relaxation patterns. I didn’t call the first two diet and exercise. That’s because they’re not. First, diets don’t work. You can find plenty of information on that in this blog and elsewhere. For starters, ask anyone who’s heavy and doesn’t want to be. Most people who fit in this category have already tried absolutely everything they can think of. They know more than anyone that diets don’t work. In my mind, the first goal is to shift your foods in the direction of more fruits, vegetables and beans, while simultaneously reducing fast food, corn syrup and partially-hydrogenated oil. If you’re not yet doing that, that’s where to start.

Next, there is no need to train for the Olympics. If you are just starting out, your goal is simple: to find more opportunities to move. Like standing on one foot while brushing your teeth, or stretching out your lower back after a shower, or walking while you’re on the phone, or taking the stairs instead of the escalator, or parking at the edge of the lot, or or using the printer that’s farther down the hall. Or all of these. If you want, you can get a pedometer. But you don’t have to. Just start to move around more.

I believe that relaxation is possibly the most difficult of the three. Most of us don’t get enough sleep. How much do you need? Well, if you fell asleep at 10 pm without setting an alarm, what time would you wake up? There’s your answer. It’s not just a sleep time problem, however.

We’re all on information overload, taking in more in a single day than most people who lived in the 18th century took in over an entire lifetime. So it’s also about giving yourself permission to rest. Whether you quiet your mind with yoga, meditation, massage, gardening, knitting, singing, walking, or basketball, it’s good for your heart, mind, body and soul. It’s good for our children as well, and not just little ones. School curricula are beginning to incorporate meditation and yoga.

Each of these pillars — eating, moving, rest and relaxation — strongly affects the other two. Consider how exhaustion increases snacking, how activity improves your sleep, and how your appetite improves with a hike to your picnic site. Everything is connected. That’s wellness.