Wellness does not necessarily mean Health

Thomas Ryan writes a book about some unique ideas that are far from new, but not commonly practiced. The first chapter called "The Wellness Revolution" defines wellness as going far beyond physical health. He looks at wellness as a holistic state of being that includes all aspects of a person's life, ie. spiritual, physical, and mental. The beginning of the book starts off with Ryan's sister-in-law and how she feels that it is difficult to find a relationship between spirituality and physical fitness. Yet when he analyses the two, we find that they both share dedication, enthusiasm, and perseverance. The holistic approach to wellness looks at using these traits in many aspects of a person's life.

Once "The Wellness Revolution" is explained in the first chapter, Ryan then connects spirituality to wellness in the chapter called the "Spirituality For Wellness". After these explanations, he then defines liesure acitivities and how they can all tie into the Spirituality of Wellness. Some liesure acitivities he dedicates his chapters to are running, swimming, skiing, and dancing. In addition, he uses some interesting ideas from a Doctor by the name of William Glasser who's research looks at the profound experiences and abundant living that is available to each one of us if only we are able to tap into our hidden potentials. I will definitely try to find more on Glasser.

Thomas Ryan's book has given me a new perspective towards sports, and has given me the desire to seek out and explore more about my relationship with athletics and my spirituality with God. I definitely recommend this book to people with similar interests.

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