5 Zones of Total Body Wellness
Your whole body is one system that works together to maintain your health. When a single part, or zone, of that system starts to break down due to pain or disease, it can throw your whole body, including your physical, mental and emotional health, out of whack.
Each zone of your body is connected. When one zone of your body is unwell, another zone has to change how it works to try to compensate. The healthy zone can quickly become overworked and must rely on yet another zone to pick up the slack. Over time, a small problem like pain in your feet can end up causing problems in your entire body.
Knowing Your 5 Wellness Zones
Because each zone of your body is connected, you need to care for your whole body from your toes to your nose to maintain total body wellness.
Pay attention to these 5 zones of your body to maintain your wellbeing and feel great.
1. Feet
Foot pain is a common problem for Americans with nearly 8 out of 10 people experiencing this health problem at some point in their lives.
Your feet are the base of your body. They provide the foundation for your entire posture, from your knees all the way up to your shoulders and neck. When your feet are in pain, they can end up causing issues in many others areas of your body.
For example, if you avoid pressure on your feet because they are in pain, you may hold your legs in awkward positions as you stand or walk. These positions can strain your knees and hips as they are pulled out of their natural alignment.
Foot pain can also limit your activity, preventing you from exercising or participating in hobbies you love. Your entire wellbeing is connected—a little foot pain can go a long way in hurting your wellness and quality of life.
You can avoid foot pain by ensuring you have chosen the right shoes to support your feet, especially your arches. You can also do exercises to stretch out and strengthen your feet, such as pointing your toes or doing heel raises. Many people find foot pain relief by rolling a ball under their foot to stretch out the fascia (connective tissue) on the bottom of the foot.
You can also seek out a variety of foot care products to relieve foot pain:
- Orthotic inserts for your shoes
- Foot massagers
- Padded footrests
By taking care of your feet, you can keep up with the activities you love and lead an overall healthier life.
2. Hips and Knees
Hips and knees are common spots for serious ailments like arthritis, fractures, pinched nerves or even muscle tears. These problems can have huge impacts on your mobility. Without healthy knees and hips, you may find yourself sitting around more often instead of up and doing the things you love. Becoming more stationary could lead to further issues like back pain from sitting too long or in the wrong position.
Regular, moderate exercise is vital for maintaining healthy hips and knees. Hip pain exercise can be as simple as going for a walk. Resistance exercise can also strengthen the muscles around your hips and knees, making injury less likely. By doing knee strengthening exercises like squats and lunges, with or without weights, you can help your legs become stable and strong. You may experience less pain and fatigue in your leg joints as a result of exercise.
In addition to exercise, maintaining a healthy weight helps protect your knees, which bear all of your weight in a small space. A lower weight puts less pressure and strain on your knee joints over time.
You can also seek out products designed to relieve hip and knee pain or strengthen these joints:
- Knee braces and support sleeves
- Infrared knee wraps
- Knee spacer pillows for sleep
- Trainers to stretch hips and knees
- Arthritis creams
The combination of regular, moderate exercise and using these products should provide pain relief and even prevent problems in the future.
3. Shoulders
Your shoulders are strong, flexible joints, making shoulder pain and problems rarer than problems in the other zones. However, if you have a job or play a sport that requires repetitive shoulder motions, you are at higher risk of a shoulder injury. Common shoulder injuries include bursitis, tendinitis, shoulder instability or even tendon tears.
Shoulder injuries can make your shoulder stiff, painful and weak, preventing you from raising your arms above a certain level. To reach up high, you may have to overextend your back, putting extra pressure on the muscles and tendons in your lower back. Over time, both connected zones—your shoulders and your back—could end up injured.
Overuse causes many shoulder injuries, so give your shoulders a break when you can. You should also frequently stretch out your shoulders by lifting your bent arms overhead and pulling gently on your elbows one at a time. You can also stretch by bringing your arms behind your back, gripping your hands together, and then bending over while bringing your arms upward. Hold each stretch for 10 to 15 seconds. Performing these shoulder exercises to stretch muscles and improve posture will help prevent injury and stiffness.
You can relieve inflammation and pain in your shoulders by using products designed to improve joint health:
- Infrared shoulder wraps
- Seat support
- Ice packs
- Slings
- Ergonomic pillows
Combined with rest, stretching and pain relievers, these products can help you regain motion in your shoulders.
4. Back
Chronic lower back pain affects millions of Americans every year, even keeping them out of work.
Your back is connected to every part of your body, involved in every movement you make whether it’s walking or simply rolling over in bed. Back pain can even radiate down into the hips and thighs or up into your head and neck. When you experience back problems like muscle strain, herniated discs, arthritis or osteoporosis, your total body wellness suffers.
A strong core, including stronger back and abdominal muscles, is key to avoiding back injuries. You can strengthen your core through planks, crunches and other ab exercises. Back exercises that target affected muscles groups can also help you improve your posture. Practicing good posture is an easy way to strengthen your core every day, a little at a time. When you do experience back pain, stretching out your back using a foam roller or exercises can help relieve pain
Because back pain is so common, there are many products on the market that can help you find relief. You can improve your back health by using these items:
- Heating pads
- Back supports for chairs
- Standing desks
- Ergonomic chairs
- Back support braces
Remember that strengthening your back and practicing good posture will also help you avoid future injuries.
5. Neck
Neck pain has become more common as more Americans work desk jobs that require them to look at a computer or smartphone each day. Holding the neck in the same position or out of alignment with the rest of the spine can contribute to neck problems. Other causes of neck problems include injury, arthritis or degenerative disk disease.
Like back pain, neck pain can radiate up into your head. Many headaches are actually caused by problems that start in the upper back or neck.
Neck pain exercises strengthen neck muscles and help prevent chronic discomfort and resulting conditions. The combination of neck pain exercises and practicing good posture is key to avoiding neck pain long-term. You can promote good posture at work or home by raising your computer to eye level so you don’t have to bend your neck to see your screen. You should also take breaks from having your neck bent and practice neck pain stretches like rolling your shoulders, bringing your ear to your shoulder or putting your chin on your chest then slowly looking upward.
If neck pain is a frequent problem for you, invest in products designed to support neck health:
- Standing desks
- Desks that have adjustable height tops
- Ergonomic pillows
- Massaging pillows or tools
These products and simple changes to your workspace can make all the difference in healing neck pain.
Achieve and Maintain Total Body Wellness
Every zone of your body needs care and attention. By understanding the zones of your body and how they are connected, you can pinpoint the real causes of pain and discomfort and find the wellness solutions you need.
When you manage to care for each zone, you’ll experience total body wellness that boosts your quality of life and supports your long-term health.
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