Connecting Seven Dimensions of Wellness to Fitness

Wellness at Play
As far back as I can recall the importance of “play” has always been a cornerstone of my life and continues to be as I zoom into the chapters of boomer life in full stride. At a very young age, we encourage infants to explore tummy time and crawling. Parents relish in the joy babies experience when they begin to giggle, laugh, and interact with others. We encourage first steps and our children’s “first” experiences, whether riding a bike, navigating playgrounds, or getting involved with sports.

It’s astounding and disappointing to learn that we have a crisis with obesity in our school-aged children and chronic diseases in the adult population. The fact that our nation is not well is represented among adults over the past 20 years that have seen a dramatic increase in obesity in the United States and, although there has been some leveling off in recent years, rates remain at historically high levels. The target goal for children and adolescents, according to the Healthy People 2020 Report (CDC), is a 14.2 percent decrease in obesity by 2020 with a national focus on good nutrition, physical activity, and healthy body weight. Although some progress is being made, more needs to be done. Embracing important national campaigns and events could be a sound business strategy to incorporate when you are identifying your business goals.

Everyone has the ability to play regardless of their age and ability. Adding the elements of active participation and fun back into your daily lives could be the key secret ingredient to being well. Getting fit can be daunting and quality operators take the mission to heart with the programming services they offer.

Incorporating the seven dimensions of wellness into your class calendars could be the boost you need to invigorate your client base year round. It is true that it takes intrinsic motivation and inner drive to succeed in the wellness game, but being creative and adapting programming in order to have it resonate with all of the demographics of your facility is important for retention. Additionally, ensuring you are aware of the current trends from a variety of sources could provide the intel necessary to invigorate your programs and increase attendance. Functional training, weight training, strength, and high-intensity interval training (HIIT) all ranked in the top 10 of the ASCM Worldwide Fitness Trends Reports. Being aware of trends and tapping into the aspirations of your members is a smart move to ensure you are aware of what interests non-participants ages six to 65-plus, as outlined in The Physical Activity Report 2015.

Many resources are now available to families and operators alike, and whether you are a grandparent, commercial facility, or even a nonprofit organization, the following ideas are examples that can jumpstart your member base and ignite their passion for having fun and being well in daily life.