Most of us make New Year’s Resolution to improve the quality of our lives.

Now with 12 Steps To Whole Person Wellness, you can start any time of the year!

Sustainable lifestyle changes have a better chance for success if taken one step at a time, rather than making radical changes to our lifestyle in too a short period of time. 

‘The best thing about the future is that it only comes one day at a time!' ~Abraham Lincoln 1809 – 1865

The first and most important step to take, is to take responsibility of our lives in our own hands!  No one else will do it for us.

‘Take your life in your own hands, and what happens? A funny thing, no one else to blame!' ~Anonymous

We must take control of the decisions we make that will influence our health and well-being.  In order to do this, we will have to live consciously in the Here and the Now, not in the future or the past!  It is the most common mistake people make; to postpone decisions.  Now is the only time we have control of; tomorrow may never come, and yesterday is gone forever! Once you are aware that you are in control of your own destiny in health, you have reached an important motivational force that may guide you throughout the year.

There is overwhelming epidemiological and scientific evidence that dietary habits plays a major role in the development of chronic and degenerative diseases such as cardiovascular diseases and cancer. Obesity has reached epidemic proportions worldwide, and will soon become the major cause of premature death and disability due to the early onset of diabetes and heart disease.

Several observational studies and large-scale clinical trials have provided scientific evidence that diets rich in fruit, nuts, vegetables, legumes, whole grains, olive oil, fish, and low-fat dairy products are associated with a lowered incidence of various chronic diseases. This Mediterranean-like diet is low in saturated animal fat and red meat, but high in antioxidants such as β-carotene, vitamin C and E and phenolic compounds in red wine. The Mediterranean diet enhances antioxidant defensces, whereas a diet rich in saturated fat and simple carbohydrates induces oxidative stress.  It is the oxidative stress that stimulates the inflammatory response in the arteries, causing blood clots leading on to heart attacks and stroke.

To switch to a healthy diet might be the most important step towards better health in your life!

There is no doubt that smoking is the most preventable cause of ill health and premature disability known. For those health conscious individuals still smoking, smoking cessation in the New Year could be the most sensible thing to do as an investment in their future health and well-being. It is incomprehensible that the incidence of smoking is still unacceptably high in today’s health contentious society! There is no safe cigarette on the market, and the best thing to do is to quite straight away.

Some of the damage done by smoking is reversible, and it is never too late, nor too soon to quit this destructive habit!

The role of physical inactivity in the treatment of obesity-related health problems has been underestimated.  Environmental factors such as obesity, physical inactivity, diet and smoking are largely implicated in the cause of these diseases. Emphasis is placed on improved nutrition, increased physical activity and smoking cessation.

Exercise should not be seen in isolation, but as part of an enjoyable and healthy lifestyle. Exercise has a major role to play in the prevention of cardiovascular disease, diabetes and certain cancers. It is also the cornerstone in any weight-loss program, prevents low back ache, reduces stress levels, and enhances psychological well-being.

Ideally exercise should be incorporated into everyday activities such as taking stairs, commuting to work, gardening and family-related recreational activities. Those individuals with particular sporting talents should keep their interest even in high level competitions because of the health benefits they may derive from being physically active.

And the good news is that you do not have to run a marathon to derive major benefits from exercise. Twenty minutes of accumulated activity on most, preferably all days of the week, is sufficient stimulus to maintain the health-related components of fitness in your life.

The next few steps to take are to stimulate the five senses. This will not only improve your health, but also increase the quality of your life because by experiencing life to the full through the appropriate stimulation all your senses. We are deprived from various stimuli around us because our sedentary lifestyle isolates us from our environment.

Start off by stimulating the smell sensation by becoming one with your environment; smell the fragrance of the blossoms, enjoy a cup of aromatic tea, breath in the fresh mountain and forest air on hiking trips, and spoil yourself with fragrant bath oils from nature.

There are so many aromatic herbs available to plant in your garden! Designing a herb garden at your back door will be a rewarding experience by bringing you into close proximity to nature’s own fragrances.

It has been said that there are none so blind people than those that would not see! People do not realise what a wealth of beauty is all around us if only we will take the time off to experience a beautiful sunset, the reflection in the water, the fascination of a beautiful flower, a happy human event, children at play, and  even observing animals in their natural habitat.

We must visit visual art exhibitions, and attend the performing arts to broaden our experience of uplifting artistic events.

‘Art provides a healing force which aids both the maker and the viewer…' ~Richard Newman

All these visual stimuli will make life more enjoyable, and add to our wholeness.  It is also important to add value to what we see: ‘You can’t depend on you eyes when your imagination is out of focus.' ~Mark Twain

We are living in a world where a cacophony of sounds and noises surround us every day. We do need to ‘hear’ the silence sometimes, and to listen to our ‘inner voice’ to become whole again!

On the other hand, harmonious sounds in nature and music have healing properties beyond comprehension. Music has long been associated with positive health outcomes, and music is even used as therapy for a variety of medical conditions. We can hardly imagine a life without music! Music can beneficially influence the maker as well as the listener, and may restore harmony in our lives.

Although the taste and the smell sensation are closely linked, the selective stimulation of the taste sensation has an important role to play in our lives. The proliferation of gourmet restaurants is testimony of the great value we place on the enjoyment of a good meal.

Unfortunately the numerous fast food outlets also latched onto this instant gratification offered by a variety of ‘junk foods’. This resulted in the over consumption of high fat, refined carbohydrate foods to satisfy the palate of modern man. The epidemic of diet related diseases is the result of this unhealthy trend in human nutrition.

One of our resolutions to attain better health, should be to prepare tastier and healthier meals, and to develop a taste for health-promoting foods! For some people the enjoyment of a meal is complemented by a glass of good wine. There is good evidence that moderate drinkers have a lower risk of heart attacks as compared with abstainers and heavy drinkers.

People seldom realise the importance of the stimulation of the touch sensation. Children need to be touched to feel secure and cared for. Adults also needs caring, and the comforting hand of a beloved, the reassuring lick of pet, the refreshing feel of the breeze in your face, the relaxing massaging of a waterfall, or the feel of the soil and plants whilst gardening, are all essential stimulations that enhances physical and emotional wellness on many levels.

In order to maximise the stimulation of the touch sensation, we need to commune more with nature. By becoming part of our ecology, we experience the healing value of the elements surrounding us. We need to feel temperature variations, differences in textures, tender and loving caring hands of therapists, and the caressing touch of loved ones. Man does not live in isolation, but as part and in close proximity of a family or community.

The importance of stimulation of the so-called creative right brain has recently been recognized as an important element in maintaining and improving physical and emotional well-being.

‘The re-emergence of a hobby is a signal of health. Hobbies actually feed the creative flow. ~Carl Gutav Jung

The newly established science, psycho-, neuro-immunology, recognises the ability of the brain to stimulate or suppress the immune system. The mind stimulates the endocrine system to release hormones that depresses or enhances the immune system. Creative activities have a positive effect on the immune system by increasing resistance to disease.

A creative hobby helps us to focus on the Here and the Now, and this presence is necessary to make a difference to the immediate quality of our life!

People do not realize that we are the only living creature born with an intellect which enables us to be innovative. We can fly to the moon, unravel the mysteries of the universe, create beautiful buildings, and do many other things animals cannot do to improve the world we live in.

Yet many people never optimise their intellectual abilities, and merely exist as ‘oxygen thieves!’ We need to stimulate our intellect for health reasons by following a stimulating career path, reading good books, listening to inspiring music, and developing our intellectual talents to enrich our lives. This will enable us to live a meaningful life in service of mankind. A useful occupation gives meaning to life, and provides us with a reason for living.

The development of our intellect has an important influence on our health, helps us to develop effective stress managing techniques, and enable us to make reasonable choices in our life to enhance our sense of wellness.

Last but not least, we need a philosophical or spiritual point of view to help us to cope with life’s difficulties and to provide us with an ethical basis on which to found our lives. It is important to realise that we are only an embodied spirit, and that we need spiritual wisdom to achieve whole person wellness.

Spiritual renewal may be found in daily prayerful meditation, by reading the scriptures, or by listening to inspiring music. Some find it communing with nature, by leaving the noise and discord of the cities, and becoming part of nature.

Spiritual wellness embraces all the other components of health, and may ultimately emerge as the most important step to take to make all the other steps the necessary building blocks of a fulfilling life with high level physical, emotional, intellectual and spiritual wellness.

Editor's note: We love these articles by Dr Frances le Roux on Art and Health and Music can Improve Sleep Quality.