In this ABC KATU Afternoon Live interview, health expert and author Reena Vokoun discusses her framework of four pillars of health—mental, physical, emotional, and spiritual—and how they collectively support personal and professional success. She explains the unique role of each pillar, emphasizing the heightened relevance during the pandemic. Vokoun offers practical guidance for integrating the pillars by focusing on one sustainable habit change for roughly two months before adding another, citing behavioral research on habit formation. She highlights exercise as a key immune booster, referencing Harvard and American Heart Association data that 150 minutes of weekly activity reduces the risk of severe COVID outcomes. Finally, she demonstrates quick mind‑body exercises, such as diaphragmatic belly breathing and shoulder rolls, that can be done in under a minute to relieve tension and promote wellbeing. The conversation underscores a holistic, step‑by‑step approach to wellness and promotes her book, The Wellness Empowered Woman.
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Our next guest is a health expert who says there are 4 key pillars of health that are the secret to personal and professional success. We welcome to the show author of The Wellness Empowered Woman, Reena Vokoun, is with us today. Reena, thanks for being on the show.
Thanks so much for having me today, Kara. It's nice to meet you.
So it all comes down to 4 pillars.
Yes, 4 pillars. So they are, in my mind, mental, physical, emotional, and spiritual health. And it's really a holistic approach to health and wellness. I think as we've seen in this last year of the pandemic, how important not only physical health is, but also mental health. And I would argue that spiritual and emotional health really go hand in hand with all of it so that you can really feel well from the inside out.
Can you share a little bit why each one is particularly important and ways that we can build on them?
Absolutely, yes. I actually covered this in my recent TEDx talk. And, you know, when you're focused on your physical wellness, that helps you with energy and stamina and physical strength. So whether that's through your exercise or through eating whole and nutritious foods, that's really going to help with your body. It's going to help with disease prevention or management. And when you feel strong and healthy and you've got that energy, that's just going to help you to go about your day and to pursue your goals and things that are important to you. When you're focused on your mental mental health, so making sure that you are sharp and alert, um, you're getting enough sleep, you have good cognitive functioning, you have the right mindset and you're setting the right intentions for the day. That is very powerful as well because when you're mentally strong and physically strong, you can really take on any challenges that may come your way. Um, being emotionally healthy, focusing on things like your confidence and your relationship with other people and how you feel about yourself, your own self-esteem is also really critical because if we don't have that self-love for ourselves, it's really hard to give back to others. And then the spiritual health, I think that's gonna be different for everybody. You know, whatever higher power you believe in, or if that's practicing mindfulness or just having a purpose that's bigger than yourself, that's just another way to, you know, deal with things like uncertainty in life, which we know we're all dealing with right now in the pandemic. And it's just another way to just make sure that you're strong and living according to your values and really being your authentic and true self.
What easy tips do you have to prioritize all 4 of those? 'Cause it sounds like a lot. As you're going through them, like how can I focus on this and this and this and this and still remain balanced?
Absolutely, yeah. And when I work with my clients and even in my book, I talk about, you know, you wanna start with taking it one step at a time. So maybe pick one area of your life that maybe needs the most focus right now. Is it your physical health? Do you need to exercise more? Are you dealing with a lot of anxiety and stress right now where maybe you need to focus on your mental health? And what I tell my clients is just pick one sustainable change that you want to make and, you know, start to take steps action towards making that change and try to focus on it for a period of about 2, a little over 2 months. There's a lot of behavioral change research that shows that if you make a change and stick to it for over 2 months, it'll become a regular habit in your daily life. And once you have that under your belt, you can move on to the next thing and the next thing. So even though the approach is very holistic, yes, it's very overwhelming and daunting to think about doing everything at once. So you just wanna focus on one thing at a time.
That whole habit thing, especially with exercise, you notice that, right? The first week, is so hard, but once it becomes a habit, becomes a habit. I know that you speak a lot about exercise. There's even the little things that even helps prevent things like COVID.
Absolutely. When you're exercising, that actually makes your immune system stronger. And there is research actually through the Harvard School of Medicine that shows that if you exercise for about 150 minutes per week, you are less likely to have hospitalizations or ICU admissions or even death from COVID compared to people that maybe aren't getting that recommended recommended amount comes from the American Heart Association. So however you can fit it in your day, it doesn't have to be hour-long grueling sessions that you dread. And as you said, Cara, it's just so hard to get started. If it involves nice walks in nature, if it involves taking a yoga class either online or outside, you know, doing things that you enjoy, gardening, you know, walking your dog, whatever it might be. If you are more interested in it and you have a natural engagement, then it's not going to be as hard. Feel like such work. But getting that movement in is so important so that you don't remain sedentary and then develop those vulnerabilities to COVID and other diseases.
Less than a minute. Can you give us some good mind-body exercises?
Yes. So mind-body exercises could be, you know, just light stretches that are connecting your breath to your movement. So doing what I like to call diaphragmatic belly breathing, where you inhale through your nose, expand your belly out and then pull your belly back in as you exhale through your mouth. And perhaps as you're doing that, you could be sitting at your desk during the workday if you're working from home and just do some shoulder rolls to really kind of release tension in your head and neck while you're doing those breathing exercises. So that's one example of great mind-body work.
Easy to do. I just did it right then. Thank you so much. Great talking to you.
Thank you, Kara. Have a great day. Thanks for having me.
You too, as well. And want more information about Reena and her tips and her book right now, right there, The Wellness Empowered Woman, on our website at kht.com. Calm down.
