What if one of the healthiest things you could do this weekend has nothing to do with what you eat or even how you move your body? Imagine that? No counting steps or calories and no stressing about how you probably won’t fit that workout again this week, for the maybe 10th, or 100th, week in a row! Why? Because Total Wellness isn’t just about getting proper nutrition and movement, it’s also about balance across your physical, emotional, social, intellectual, spiritual, occupational, financial, and environmental lives too!
Just think about a scale, when one end is full and the other is empty…there’s no balance and the same goes for wellness! Here in Vermont and especially in the NEK we know that Vermonters are aware of nutrition and fitness but often seeking opportunities of connection and suffering from loneliness and isolation, making that scale off balance. This weekend, maybe it is getting together with a friend, trying something you have never tried before. going somewhere that makes you laugh, or r simply getting out of the house and being around other people. Why, to stay well! According to the World Health Organization (WHO), www.who.int, social connection is an important part of health and well-being. The WHO Commission on Social Connection reports that loneliness and social isolation affect people of all ages and are associated with impacts on both physical and mental health. That matters here in the Northeast Kingdom, where our communities are spread out and winter can make “getting together” considerably more complicated. We know how quickly a few months of cold, ice and early darkness can turn “I should get out more” into “Maybe next week.” Making the fall the perfect time to say, “how about this weekend!”
There is also a local reason to pay attention to the getting-out part. According to the Vermont Department of Health (VDH), www.healthvermont.gov, 24% of adults in Orleans County reported no leisure-time physical activity in the 2023–2024 data. That was statistically higher than Vermont’s statewide rate of 18%. That does not mean everyone needs to join a gym, run a 5K or suddenly become a fitness fanatic. It means there is room for more movement and more opportunities to connect. Why? Because the overall trends
impact on the overall health of our communities and the costs associated with the needed care and upkeep as well. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), www.cdc.gov, adults benefit from any amount of moderate- or vigorous-intensity physical activity, with the general guideline being at least 150 minutes of moderate activity each week plus muscle-strengthening activities on two days. The CDC also emphasizes that physical activity can be broken into smaller pieces. In other words, wellness does not have to be an all-or-nothing proposition. We also said that there was no counting this weekend, so make it fun!
This weekend happens to offer a pretty good example. Saturday is Family Health and Fitness Day USA, a perfect excuse to take a walk together, toss a ball around, explore a trail, dance in the kitchen or simply find something active that everyone in the family can enjoy. Or invite a friend, a coworker, anyone to take a walk, go apple picking or visit a local event at The Old Stone House or Downtown Newport’s Chili Fest! You’ll get a ton of steps and social interaction. Inviting someone to do something is hard the first time and then, it’s just as easy as saying, “when and where!”
Wellness is also about release too! According to the National Endowment for the Arts (NEA), www.arts.gov, arts and cultural activities can contribute to social connection, belonging and mental health. Maybe this weekend you want to head to the movies, or we have the option of live theatre too! Borderline Players opens Murder on the Orient Express this weekend at the Haskell Free Library and Opera House in Derby Line. There’s nothing like sitting in the dark at the movies or in a live theatre and experiencing a new story, perhaps gathered with friends or just others who came to enjoy the arts or cinema. That sense of community and a chance to release emotions while being enthralled and entertained can make life feel a little bigger than our daily routines.
Perhaps when you hear wellness you think about something you didn’t like, such as physical education in high school or a restrictive diet, those things are in the past! Wellness is always evolving and it’s more than just making bad memories; it’s about making new ones too! Sometimes the healthiest choice is to move forward and make great ones! Sometimes it is to connect. Sometimes it is to laugh. And sometimes it is simply to say yes when someone asks, “Want to go?”
This weekend, find one small reason to get moving, get connected or get out into the community. Your body may benefit, your mind may appreciate it, and you might even have a good story to tell afterward. If you need an invite, join us at The Wellness Center on Saturday at 8:30 am for Drums Alive® or Sunday at 9:30 am for Boxing and Bells for a complimentary class, just say “Mary invited me!” You’ll be certain to have a great time,
meet even better people and we promise plenty of laughs. Surprisingly, you may find “The Wellness Center,” feels more like a social outlet than a fitness facility and we don’t mind! Because wellness is social and health has a social life too!