What’s the difference between wellness and health? Technically, they’re the same thing, but if you think about it, they aren’t always mutually inclusive. Wellness includes how we feel in our bodies, as well as how we feel in our minds and hearts – and also in our communities and environment. Health, on the other hand, is much more physically oriented; it’s about being free from illness and disease. While these two ideas might sound similar at first glance, they are actually quite different on many levels.

On this page:

• How wellness differs from health
• What are the benefits of a healthy lifestyle?
• Why you should focus on wellness, not just health
• Does a healthy lifestyle require expensive products or equipment?
• How does clean eating differ from an unhealthy diet?
• Are you enjoying enough leisure time without work-related stress?
• Are you doing anything special for yourself every day of the week?

Wellness and health are commonly used interchangeably, but they’re two different things. While you can pursue wellness, you can’t pursue health (though most of us do try), because it is a state of being that requires zero effort on your part—you either have it or you don’t. With that said, there are ways to increase your sense of overall well-being through different lifestyle choices, such as prioritizing sleep or getting in shape by engaging in regular physical activity… Since wellness centers around behaviors that promote good health, it’s up to us to take care of ourselves so we can reap its benefits; however, taking care of our own health also helps improve our overall quality of life and contributes to our well-being.

If you’re wondering what’s more important in your pursuit of wellness—wellness or health—it might help to understand what each word means. A general rule of thumb is that wellness focuses on the overall quality of life, including physical, mental, and emotional well-being, while health is a measure of biological function and ability.

Small steps can make all of the difference in achieving your wellness goals, but they don’t have to seem insurmountable at first glance. Start with small and simple goals like drinking more water each day or reducing snacking to one time per day. This can help you track your progress as you move towards long-term wellness goals that are challenging but realistic and achievable—like losing a few pounds or fitting into smaller clothes, for example. Little changes can often lead to big results if we just take a moment to think about how we want to feel versus how we currently feel and strive for those feelings instead of things that don’t necessarily matter as much in the grand scheme of things!

Wellness focuses on your emotional, spiritual, and physical state of being; health is more about making sure you don’t have any serious illnesses or diseases. If you focus on wellness—making sure you’re physically active and mentally stimulated, eating well and sleeping enough—you’ll probably be healthier than most people. But if your only goal is health (and preventing serious diseases), it can be a little disheartening to realize that even a clean bill of health doesn’t mean you’re fit or healthy. If you focus on wellness versus just health, however, things are much more encouraging—because taking care of yourself now will set yourself up for a long, healthy life down the road.

A healthy lifestyle does not require expensive products or equipment, and it is possible to live a healthy life while on a very limited budget. In fact, much of what makes up a healthy lifestyle can be found right at home in your kitchen pantry or in your medicine cabinet—and it may just surprise you how many cost-effective alternatives there are too popular brand-name products and services on store shelves. This knowledge can help you achieve and maintain better health with less money spent over time, freeing up funds for other important expenses like saving for retirement or helping others in need of assistance.

Eating clean is about eating nutrient-dense foods and avoiding unhealthy processed foods, which have little nutritional value. Your body uses nutrients to grow, repair, and maintain your body tissue, including muscle and bone cells. When you eat a healthy diet full of nutrient-rich foods, your body will function at its best. An unhealthy diet with poor nutrition deprives your body of essential building blocks that you need to stay healthy and energetic throughout your day. Nutrient deficiencies are common with an unhealthy diet because you’re not eating enough fruits, vegetables, or whole grains that contain antioxidants and vitamins essential for cell growth and repair.

For many people, work is fun and interesting and something they look forward to every day. But for others, their jobs are fraught with stress, burnout, and frustration. While it’s important to be responsible at work—and while many people are able to make good decisions at work—it’s also important to enjoy life outside of work as well. Are you spending enough time doing leisure activities that make you happy? You don’t have to play video games all day or watch TV all night; take a walk in your neighborhood or go on a hike; participate in an organization you enjoy (or start one yourself!). Just find something outside of your job that makes you happy and then try to do more of it! Your health depends on it!

Chances are you might be doing something for yourself daily, but if you are not, it is something that is easy to start and very beneficial in your quest for overall health and wellness. The five areas to focus on every day include a positive attitude, healthy body weight, eating well, regular physical activity, and paying attention to what goes into your mouth from a food standpoint. If any of these areas need some extra attention in your life today—do something about it! Your body will thank you big time down the road by keeping disease at bay and preventing many illnesses from occurring in your life as a result of not focusing on one or more of these elements every day… You can do it with small changes! You can make any area better each and every day!