Defining the Wellness DimensionsFinding wellness balance is something I talk about a lot here at Boost Health.  It is certainly somewhat intangible and most definitely very individualistic.  Since it is so individualistic you can’t really put hard numbers in areas of wellness for folks to achieve, but we can look at research that shows the importance to have wellness balance and also the different areas of our lives to focus on.What are these areas of wellness balance you may ask?  Well you probably could guess several key areas including physical and work balance.  Those are the 2 areas that I observe are talked about the most.  You always hear people say that you should attempt to have “work/life balance”.  The big one that needs a bit more drilling down is the “life” component.  The man credited with creating different dimensions of wellness for us to focus on balancing is Dr. Bill Kettler of the National Wellness Institute.  According to a 2012 study in the Journal of Holistic Nursing, Dr. Kettler created 6 dimensions of wellness including occupational, social, intellectual, physical, emotional, and spiritual back in 1976.I like this 6 dimension model because it really helps people dig a little deeper on holistic balance.  Perhaps you are like most folks where you feel over-worked and over-stressed, don’t get enough exercise, and want to spend more time with your family. Maybe taking a closer look at some of these less talked about dimensions, such as social and intellectual, will help with an overall strategy in achieving more wellness balance. The Seventh DimensionBefore we dig into what each of these dimensions mean and how to prosper in each area, let’s add one additional dimension.  According to a 2009 study in the Journal of Human Resources in Hospitality & Tourism, a seventh dimension of environmental wellness is sometimes added to wellness balance models, and has to do with being satisfied with your surrounding environment, preservation of the environment overall, and acknowledgement your environment.I think this is a good addition to the dimensions as our surrounding environment can make a huge difference in our overall wellness balance.  Think about the office space you work in, the pollution levels outside, access to parks in your area, etc. A Closer Look  I break down each of the 7 dimensions in the graphic and table below with as adapted from “The Six Dimensions of Wellness Model,” by W. Hettler (1976) and Horton & Snyder “Wellness: Its Impact on Student Grades and Implications for Business” (2009).

Wellness Balance ResearchNow we know what the 7 different wellness balance dimensions are and what they mean.  So you may be wondering – does it really make a difference if you have good wellness balance?  Very interesting conclusions were found in the aforementioned study in the Journal of Human Resources in Hospitality & Tourism where it appears there is a correlation between wellness balance ...