21st Century Wellness: The Science of the Whole Individual is designed for 3-credit hour fitness and wellness courses. The 21st Century Wellness, or mindbody wellness, paradigm begins with the recognition that each of us is a complex being composed of mind and body functioning as a unified whole. The essence of wellness is a healthy integration of mind and body that results in health, fitness, and overall well-being. Wellness is a state of being that maximizes the potential of individual and societal quality of life. Wellness is internal harmony, optimal energy and aliveness.

The goal of 21st Century Wellness is to motivate you to live a healthier, more fulfilling life. As you establish a healthy identity, healthy choices will follow. Positive, intrinsic motivation is stable, and lasting. Fostering attitudes of self-acceptance of one’s whole self, and especially acceptance of one’s body, is an integral part of this textbook.

21st Century Wellness is grounded in a scientific understanding of the components of wellness. The MindBody approach does not take us away from our science but demands that we delve more deeply into all aspects of the knowledge we have today.