What is health and wellness? Seems like an obvious question, but why does it delude us so much? And what has furniture got to do with it. Let’s explore and define it, and most importantly, let’s find out if we are ready to embrace it.
Image courtesy: Wasserbetten
The ideas of ‘achieving wellness’ and ‘getting healthy’ sound very similar, and certainly have the same ultimate goal. But they are not the same thing. “Health…”, as defined by the World Health Organisation, “…is a state of complete physical, mental and social well-being and not merely the absence of disease or infirmity.” As per this definition, wellness has a direct influence on our overall health, which is essential if you are trying to live a better life. It’s all about being fully alive to the best of what our bodies, our minds, our spirits and our environment has to offer us.
The technologies that we live with in this century allow us to live and sustain all that better than any king or queen has ever lived – ever. And yet we still have disease, obesity, illnesses and lots of lots of unexplained maladies. What is it about health and wellness that it is so elusive? Higher rates of heart disease, increased incidents of cancer, record number of clinically obese people and various other health scares have all drawn attention to the need for healthy lifestyle choices. With technologies and open information arenas available globally, is in turn causing a giant shift in the way health and wellness is perceived these days. It’s all about the mindset and the willingness to invest in oneself.
It’s more than true that in India for vast majority of people, health, wellness, hygiene et al is a quip rather than serious issues and therefore, the investments in these issues are also close to nil. Thus our knowledge is also limited. Incorporating wellness into everyday life can be a challenge for most of us, especially for those of us who spend lots of time sitting in an office chair or travelling. These are certain aspects of our lives that we cannot change. But what we certainly can change is the way we live through this routines. It is perfectly possible to be both healthy and well without running marathons daily by bringing in the much needed transformation.
The world has changed so has the demands; be it the workplace or your personal space. It’s not about shrinking, but about rethinking. It’s about creating high performance spaces that support the needs of diversity that’s in demand today. Space influences behaviour. One way this can be achieved is through wellness furniture. Utility relates to how people enjoy the comforts of well-made furniture for relaxing, watching TV, visiting with family and friends or taking a nap on the sofa.
Furniture as a wellness equipment is a bit more challenging than furniture as “art”. Furniture makers and designers across the world understand this new age demand and are creating their products by mixing design and wellness. Popular furniture fair in Milan which attracts the best of designers nurtures such avenues.
