🗹 Nutrition
🗹 Movement
🗹 Mindfulness
🗹 Sleep
🗹 Social
🗹 Connectedness
Is it cliché to talk about your goals and plans for health and well-being at the start of a new year? Maybe. But I believe clichés exist for a reason. They reflect patterns that resonate with us all.
In fact, clichés are culture’s way of saying, “We’ve noticed something, so let’s make it a thing!” And when it comes to health, the new year offers a unique opportunity. There’s a sense of renewal, a fresh start, that makes it almost impossible not to think about improving your wellness journey or refining the one you’re already on.
While many of these well-known cultural patterns work, there are some misconceptions we need to clear up, especially when it comes to health and wellness.
For more than a century, corporations, diet culture, the body image industry and the media have used their platforms to promote products, services and systems that often mislead us. These massive structures, deeply ingrained in our society long before we were born, have shaped a culture that prioritizes image over substance, leaving us chasing superficial goals that are unsustainable. Think fad diets, trendy workouts, quick-fix weight loss pills — the list goes on.
The result? We’re tired, frustrated and more confused than ever.
But I believe a shift is happening. There’s a growing awareness, a collective movement, that’s steering us toward a more holistic approach to health and wellness. It’s one that focuses not on surface-level solutions but on deeper, more fundamental well-being.
We often think of health as one singular pursuit — losing weight, gaining muscle or eating “clean.” In reality, health is made up of multiple pillars, each contributing to a more balanced, sustainable sense of well-being. The key to jumpstarting your wellness journey is identifying which pillar you need to lean into the most right now.
“We often think of health as one singular pursuit – losing weight, gaining muscle or eating “clean.” In reality, health is made up of multiple pillars, each contributing to a more balanced, sustainable sense of well-being.”
The pillars of health can vary, but most fall into a few major categories: physical, emotional, mental, spiritual and even social wellbeing. Think of these pillars as the foundation of your health. When one is neglected, the whole structure feels off balance.
Instead of trying to overhaul everything at once, ask yourself: Which pillar needs my attention most right now? Maybe you’re feeling physically strong but mentally drained. Or perhaps you’re emotionally grounded, but your body craves movement or nourishment.
Each pillar plays a role, but the real power lies in focusing on the one that’s calling for the most support. This is where your wellness journey truly begins, not with a perfect plan, but with understanding your unique needs and pursuing them with intention.
Michelle Martinez, director of operations, at Restore Wellness in McAllen, put together our Wellness Assessment. Click the QR Code to view and assess (or, as we like to say, “triage”) the pillar needing the most attention in your life right now. There are many wellness pillars, but we focus on the five that can also positively affect your health: Nutrition, Movement, Mindfulness, Sleep, and Social Connectedness.
With this information about yourself, you can begin to make conscious choices that nourish each pillar, allowing it to grow, heal and offer you an overall sense of balance and wholeness. It is in this wholeness that we feel vibrant and energetic, wanting to grow and change, serve and evolve. It is a lifelong journey that has the potential to reach far and wide, even beyond yourself.
When you are the healthiest, most well version of yourself, not only do you live your best life, but you also offer the people around you the best version of yourself. You change the trajectory of your family’s health and lineage. You love more deeply and serve more purposefully.
In this next year, let’s not just be another “new year, new you” cliché. Let’s adopt a more collectively conscious approach to health and wellness, one that has the power to transform you, and the world around you.
