Health and Wellness Defined

This morning as I was thinking about how I desire Health and Wellness in my life I was struck by the thought, "Do I really know what Health and Wellness are?" I have an idea, but I might be way off. My assumption is that Health has to do with the physical aspect of our lives, being able to function, free from sickness, able to make our bodies perform in the way we want. Unhealthy would be the inability to get our bodies to function or perform as we desire, or as they were meant to. Wellness would have more to do with the emotional and spiritual aspect of life. That I am OK in my relationships, outlook on life, with nature, etc....

With this being my thoughts on Health and Wellness, I at least know what I am pursuing, and based on my simple definitions I believe Health and Wellness is worth going after in my life.

Dictionary definitions seem to be slightly different than my own ideas. Dictionary.com states that Health is:
1. the general condition of the body or mind with reference to soundness and vigor: good health; poor health.
2. soundness of body or mind; freedom from disease or ailment: to have one's health; to lose one's health.

They define Wellness as being:
1. the quality or state of being healthy in body and mind, esp. as the result of deliberate effort.
2. an approach to healthcare that emphasizes preventing illness and prolonging life, as opposed to emphasizing treating diseases.

So both words speak to a wholeness, of body and mind together, which makes sense because if one is not functioning well you really don't have the other. Health speaks more of the condition while wellness speaks of the quality.

That being said, in my life I want both, quality and condition of my body and mind. That is a battle worth fighting.