Words of Wellness with Shelly

Shelly's Shares: The Four Pillars Of Lasting Health

• Shelly Jefferis • Season 2 • Episode 145

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Want a longer life that actually feels good? We dive into the four pillars of longevity—nutrition, movement, sleep, and stress management—and show how a deeper sense of purpose can make healthy habits stick. With clear examples and simple routines, we cut through the noise to help you choose what matters: stable energy, stronger muscles, better mood, and real recovery.

First, we mention the importance of food, quality nutrition and then we move into movement, the importance of regular exercise,  strength, walking, and fitting in higher intensity workouts on a regular basis.. Sleep comes next with a realistic wind-down routine, circadian-friendly lighting, and why you can’t truly “catch up” on missed rest. We close the loop on stress, offering quick tools—breath work, nature breaks, prayer, journaling—that calm your system in minutes.

Threaded through it all is ikigai, the Japanese idea of purpose. When what you do aligns with what you value, motivation rises and healthy choices feel natural. Not everyone finds purpose at work, so we offer ways to build it through service, creativity, and community. You’ll leave with a short self-audit, small habit upgrades to start today, and a clearer vision of a life that is both long and deeply lived.

If this resonates, follow the show, share it with a friend who needs a boost, and leave a quick review so more people can find these tools. Got questions or a topic you want us to tackle next? Reach out—we’re here to help you thrive.

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High quality, clean nutrition and beauty products: https://shellyjefferis.isagenix

Clean-crafted wine, free from chemicals & pesticides:
https://scoutandcellar.com/?u=healthyhappyhours

Cayla Gray- Non-toxic cologne & perfume: https://caylagray.com/wellnesswithshellyj (10% discount)

JuJu Non-toxic candles & air fresheners:
https://goodjujucandles.com/?ref=mrtgnygh
Coupon code for 10% off: ShellyJefferis

Thank you for listening to the Words of Wellness podcast with Shelly Jefferis. I am honored and so grateful to have you here and it would mean the world to me if you could take a minute to follow, leave a 5-star review and share the podcast with anyone you love and anyone you feel could benefit from the message.

Thank you and God Bless! And remember to do something for yourself, for your wellness on this day!
In Health,

Shelly

SPEAKER_00:

This really relates to also our longevity because if we are doing things in our lives that feel like we're making a difference, especially when we're making the difference in the lives of others, you know, that is a that is a purpose that we are fulfilling. We feel like we are doing something worthwhile. Do you get confused by all of the information that bombards us every day on ways to improve our overall health and our overall wellness? Do you often feel stuck, unmotivated, or struggle to reach your wellness goals? Do you have questions as to what exercises you should be doing, what foods you should or shouldn't be eating, how to improve your overall emotional and mental well-being? Hello everyone, I am so excited to welcome you to Words of Wellness. My name is Shelly Jeffries, and I will be your host. My goal is to answer these questions and so much more. To share tips, education, and inspiration around all of the components of wellness through solo and guest episodes. With 35 plus years as a health and wellness professional, a retired college professor, a speaker, and a multi-passionate entrepreneur, I certainly have lots to share. However, my biggest goal and inspiration in doing this podcast is to share the wellness stories of others with you, to bring in guests who can share their journey so that we can all learn together while making an impact on the health, the wellness, and lives of all of you, our listeners. The ultimate hope is that you leave today with even just one nugget that can enhance the quality of your life, and that you will, we all will, now and into the future, live our best quality of lives full of energy, happiness, and joy. Now let's dive into our message for today. Hello, my friends. Welcome back to Words of Wellness. My name is Shelly, and I will be your host, and this is our Monday episode of Shelly's Shares. And I want to jump in today and talk a little bit about longevity, what that means, what does that look like? You maybe have been hearing that term. I'm hearing it more often, and it is something that I am studying as we speak so that I can help more of my clients with not just their health, their holistic wellness, but their longevity. And I talk about this a lot when I speak and when I share on my podcast, or if I'm a guest on a podcast, about the fact that we want to not just live a long life of longevity, but feel good when we're doing it. Have a quality of life. So if we could live well into our 80s, 90s, even a hundreds and feel great, wouldn't that be amazing? We see too many people who their last years of life are ill, they're fighting different diseases, and the quality of life is just not there. So I talk about that a lot, and I also know that it is a driving force for me personally in my life to do what I can to be my healthiest so that I can be here feeling great with my family, with my kids, with my future grandkids. And I really believe that that's what it's all about. And I'm assuming for those of you who are listening, you probably feel the same way. Now, when we talk about longevity, there are actually four components, and I have shared these in the past. I have done episodes on each of these individually, but just to remind everyone, the four different areas of longevity that will affect how we feel today and into the future, how we will be living our lives, has to do with one, our food, our nutrition, how are we fueling ourselves? What are we putting into our bodies? What are we eating on a regular day-to-day basis? Number two is movement and exercise. Are we getting regular exercise? And again, it doesn't have to be a strenuous bout of exercise, although it is beneficial to put into your routine one or two times a week a higher intensity workout so that you are challenging your body physically. So you do want to have that, but it doesn't have to happen frequently. So movement, exercise, strength training all so important. The third component is sleep. How are you sleeping? Are you getting the seven to nine hours of sleep that is recommended? And I will tell all of you that that's always been a priority for me is getting enough sleep each night. Now, does it happen every single night? Well, of course not, because none of us are perfect, right? Our our lives, our day-to-day lives are never going to be perfect. However, we can be intentional and strive for certain ways we want to live each day so that we are our healthiest and the healthiest that we can be now and into the future years. So sleep is really, really important. Sleep hygiene. What are you doing to help you wind down at night before it's time to go to sleep? Are you dimming the lights? Are you avoiding screen time? Are you perhaps taking a bath? Drinking a cup of hot tea? Everybody kind of has their ritual or their routine that helps them to relax and be prepared for sleep. And if you don't yet have one, I really highly encourage you to do so. It really, really helps when you start winding down and preparing your body for sleep. And honestly, if we really talk about it and dive in deeper, if we go into talking about like our circadian rhythms and the daylight and when the sun sets, we are actually supposed to kind of follow that schedule. So when the sun starts setting, which right now, where I am, it's very, very early, it's 5 p.m. I mean, there's no chance we're going to start getting ready for bed at 5 p.m. However, the point is that when that happens, it is when you're supposed to start kind of winding down and dimming the lights, and that's just the the timing of when you're supposed to be preparing for sleep. So it is really critical that our bodies are getting the rest that they need. And I've I've talked about this in past episodes, but that is one of the segments of longevity. And you know, I know that in some uh instances sleep can be neglected a little bit. My dad was a professional musician, and there were many times that he would have sleepless nights, not because he was performing, but because he also uh did write arrangements and copied music, and there were times where he would have a deadline and he would have to stay up all night to to reach that deadline. So I know that that was something that he probably did not always get enough of through the years, and it's just really important we can't catch up on our sleep. I know a lot of times we think that, right? We'll think, oh gosh, I'm going to, I don't know, I'll sleep in tomorrow because I stayed up late last night and I got up really early this morning, but I'll sleep in tomorrow and catch up on that sleep. Well, that that's kind of a myth that we can do that. So the best that we can do is most nights aim to get seven to nine hours of sleep. And the fourth area is stress. This is such a big component. I think you would all agree that when we are under a lot of stress, it impacts all areas of our lives. And we could be doing everything correctly with our nutrition, our food. We could be getting regular exercise in, we could be sleeping well, but if we are having a lot of stress in our lives, it is going to impact everything. And chances are, if you are experiencing a lot of stress, it is impacting your sleep, perhaps what you're eating, your nutrition. Exercise does help us manage stress, so that's definitely a bonus. But it's really important to find techniques that work for you that help you manage the stress because stress is not going anywhere. Some of us deal with higher amounts than others for sure. But the key when it comes to stress is stress management. What are you doing on a day-to-day basis to help manage your stress? And you know, it's interesting because the other three areas help us when it comes to stress. If we're getting proper nutrition, we want our bodies to be fueled properly. That's going to help ward off against not just the stress, but how our body responds. Stress can take its toll on our bodies physically, but if we are healthy and we are getting the proper nutrition, then we have a better chance of managing that stress effectively. When we're exercising regularly, same thing. Helps us to manage our stress. So all of this is connected and goes hand in hand. One other area I want to talk about, it's actually a term. I don't know how many of you have heard of this term called ikigai. It is spelled I K I G A I. And I actually heard this term at a conference for the first time a couple, two, three years ago. And ikigai is rooted in the Japanese culture, and it basically is referring to how we are living our lives. What is our purpose? What is our reason for being? And it has to do with finding alignment in the things that we are doing, going back to what I just said, finding purpose. It has to do with clarity and focus. And what they have found with this particular philosophy is that those who follow this philosophy of Ikikai, where they are striving in their lives to do what they feel they are meant to do, their purpose, right? They find more fulfillment, happiness, and joy. And it makes sense, right? If you are doing something in your life, especially for your job on a day-to-day basis, if you are able to do a job that you feel is your purpose and you are making a difference, you are helping others, whatever it might be, every job, there's a need for everybody. For what everybody does, every job, there's a need, right? And if that need fulfills what you feel is your purpose, then it's going to help you with your overall fulfillment and happiness and joy. And this really relates to also our longevity, because if we are doing things in our lives that feel like we're making a difference, especially we're making the difference in the lives of others, you know, that is a that is a purpose that we are fulfilling. We feel like we are doing something worthwhile. And I can relate to this because with my career and through the years of working in the wellness industry and teaching fitness and teaching nutrition and supporting others in their complete health and wellness, it has always been about helping others and making a difference. And this is what I've been doing for over four decades. And I can tell you that it's very, it's very fulfilling. And so the hope is that each person out there can find something to do. Maybe it's not their job. Maybe they're in a job where they don't really feel like it's it's very purposeful, but it's something they have to do. They have to, you know, pay the bills, of course, in addition to their job. Maybe they can find something to do on the side that feels like they are fulfilling that purpose. So different ways you can go about it. But you know, it's also kind of finding finding what you love, discovering what you love to do, uh, discovering what you are good at, maybe determining what you can do to give back to the world. What what service can you provide that the world needs, that people need? And this all relates to this philosophy and basically comes back to our purpose and our our reason, our reason for living, our reason for being. And, you know, I'm very grateful that I discovered long ago what I wanted to do. But I know for some people it doesn't come as easy. But when you find that moment or you find what it is you are good at and what it is that you can do that's purposeful, and you discover your potential with that, again, it's it's very, very fulfilling. And it can lead to, again, overall health, happiness, and and tying into our overall longevity. Because when we're doing what we love to do, when we feel like we're making a difference, then we have that day-to-day purpose, if you will, right? That day-to-day motivation to to get up and and get started on the day and get a jump on the day. If we are in a job or we have some tasks that we have to take care of or responsibilities that really don't feel very purposeful, it tends to kind of drag us down a little bit and maybe hold us back from our true potential. So I guess I want to just say, think about this term, Ikigai, and think about what you are doing in your life currently that you feel like you're making a difference, that you feel like you are helping others. Maybe you feel like you're giving back to a nonprofit organization or you're giving back to your church. And it doesn't have to be always in a financial way, it can also be time. You know, volunteering our time can be a great way to fulfill our purpose and to feel like we're making a difference in the lives of others. So, really, I wanted to talk about this. Again, this is something that I learned about a couple two, three years ago, and I thought I would talk about it a little bit for those of you who are new to this term, ikikigai. I K I G A I again comes from the Japanese culture, and it just has to do with what we're doing that's in alignment with our purpose and our reason for living, our reason for being. And again, that ties in with the longevity, and just a quick review: the four areas of longevity are food, our nutrition, movement and exercise, sleep hygiene, and stress management. So, what I encourage you to do today is to think about these different components and maybe take a little time to maybe not just rate yourself, but think about what you're doing in these different categories and how do you feel you're you're doing? Could you do a little bit better? Could you maybe add a little more exercise? Could you maybe work on your sleep routine and start to kind of wind down a little bit earlier into the evening to help you with your overall sleep? What are you doing for your stress management, especially this time of year, my friends? I know there's so much going on as we head into Christmas and in a new year is just around the corner. Take that time for yourself, take the time for exercise. That really helps with stress management. Take some quiet times, take some downtime, do some breathing exercises. I've talked about that in the past. Take some quiet time outdoors, be outside in nature. Maybe perhaps journaling helps you to relax and helps you with your stress, getting out your thoughts on paper. So I just want to encourage you to think about these different areas and perhaps pick one or two things that maybe you can do a little bit better in to just help improve your overall day-to-day life, quality of life, how you're feeling, your energy, and then ultimately your longevity. So, with that being said, I hope you do something for yourself and your wellness on this day. A quick message for all my moms out there. We have our Moms Who Flourish Wellness Mentorship Program kicking off in January. This is going to be unlike any other program. We are going to meet once a week through Zoom. All of the calls will be recorded. So if the schedule doesn't work with your work scheduled, no worries. We are going to have weekly coaching and mentorship. Every week will be a different topic related to wellness. I will have guest experts on, guest coaches. We are going to share our motherhood journeys and just support one another in the area of motherhood. But this is going to be all-encompassing when it comes to our overall wellness as moms. And again, moms who flourish, the purpose is to empower all of you moms to put your health, your wellness, and your self care as a priority. So please reach out if you would like the link. If you have questions, message me on Instagram at wellness with ShelleyJ or at Moms Who Flourish. Would love to have you join us. It's going to be Incredible, and I'm extending this offer to my listeners. Those of you who get registered and reserve your spot, you will be in for all future in-person wellness events and programs that I offer. You will be in at no additional charge. It will just be paying for this mentorship, and then you will be in for life. So please reach out for details. Would love to have you join. This is going to be a transform, transformative experience, very supportive, lots of accountability and education, inspiration, and and just empowering all of us to excel in our lives as women and moms. And it will be also faith-based, and we will focus on our families, and it's just going to be an incredible, incredible experience. So I can't wait to see you all who join me in the mentorship. Reach out for information. And as always, have a beautiful, blessed rest of your week, and we'll see you next time on Words of Wellness. Thank you so much for tuning into today's episode. I hope you gained value and enjoyed our time together as much as I did. And if you know someone who could benefit from today's episode, I would love and appreciate it if you could share with a friend or rate and review Words of Wellness so that more can hear this message. I love and appreciate you all. Thank you for listening. And if you have any questions or topics you would like me to share in future episodes, please don't hesitate to reach out to me through my contact information that is shared in the show notes below. Again, thank you for tuning in to Words of Wellness. My name is Shelley Jeffries, and I encourage you to do something for you, for your wellness on this day. Until next time, I hope you all have a healthy, happy, and blessed week.