Simone Biles and Wellness Month.

Let’s talk about Simone Biles and Wellness Month. 

At age 24, Simone Biles, a four-time Olympic champion known as the “greatest gymnast of all time,” made a courageous and wise decision to put her wellness first. Wellness is the state of being in good health; physically, mentally, emotionally, intellectually, socially, environmentally, spiritually.

Wellness means you are living whole, integrated, and able to access your fullest potential. It confuses me that many do not see how interconnected you are. For example, if you are struggling physically, it will affect other aspects of your life. If you are depleted emotionally, it will affect you socially and physically. Simone quickly discovered being “out of sync” in these areas put her life at risk.

Unlike Simone Biles, a 20-year-old Soviet gymnast Elena Mukhina was strongly encouraged to continue training on her broken leg AND later performing in the tournament, the now-banned Thomas Salto move. The young gymnast voiced her concerns that she was not ready. The coaches disregarded her, and Elena broke her neck, instantly making her a person with paraplegia.

Even as the pandemic made trauma, chronic stress fatigue, and resilience household names, Simone’s story is yet another example of our country’s lack of understanding and empathy in grasping the magnitude of how the brain, heart, and body health function better wholly integrated.

I find Simone’s resilience admirable, firmly planted in her intuition and wisdom. Most of us struggle with our physical and mental well-being within the confines of our homes, not on a global platform. Under all that pressure, she didn’t cave to the world. She went with her intuition and wisdom.

Simone said it best, “I didn’t have a bad performance and quit,” she said. “I’ve had plenty of bad performances throughout my career and finished the competition; I simply got so lost my safety was at risk as well as a team medal.”

Wellness Tip: When you get lost, slow down, listen to your gut and intuition.