Chapter 1

Your Health & Wellness

When looking at total health you should look at the following: How are you feeling Are you alert & well rested? Are you ready to take on whatever

challenges the day holds Is your outlook positive Do you get along with others Did you eat well yesterday Did you get physical exercise

yesterday?

Health:

The combination of your physical, mental/emotional

and social wellness

Being Healthy means:

Striving to be the BEST you can BE at ANY GIVEN

TIME!

Three elements of HEALTH

1. Physical: The body

– ability to cope with the stresses of normal day life

– having strength & energy to pursue change

Have proper nutrition regular activity enough rest and sleep good hygiene regular medical

checkups pay attention to body no drugs, tobacco,

alcohol

2. Mental/Emotional:

Your feelings about yourself How you relate to others Take responsibility for actions Deal with problems without being

overwhelmed Avoid dwelling on negative thoughts Welcome a challenge

3. Social

How you get along with othersCommunicating with othersShowing respect for yourself and

others

Wellness:

An overall state of Well-being, or total health

Health Continuum:

It is like a yardstick, many points along it where your health can be located at any given time

It measures your overall state of health

Millions of People get sick, become disabled, or die each year because of decisions they make and the way that they live

Lifestyle Factors:

Behaviors that you control that determine your health

7 Lifestyle factors: Get 7-8 hours of sleep each night Eat foods from all food groups Do not use tobacco products Eat breakfast daily Do 20-30 mins. of nonstop vigorous activity a

min. of 3 days a week. Do not use drugs or alcohol Maintain your recommended weight

Not following these guidelines can take years off of your life!

Having a good attitude has a great deal to do with your

health!!

Studies show that those that tend to see the positive in situations are less likely to suffer illnesses

and die young than those that see the negative in a situation!

Other studies show that it is not what happens to a

person but how the person’s attitude is!!!!

Prevention:

Practicing healthy habits to keep a person well and free from disease and other ailments

Health Education:The providing of accurate health information in such a way as to influence people to change attitudes so that they make a positive action about their health.

Health Literate:

An individual’s capacity to obtain, interpret, and understand basic health information and services and use such information and services in ways that promote his or her health and wellness.

To be Health Literate a person must be : A critical thinker and problem solver. A responsible, productive citizen. A self-directed learner. An effective communicator.

2 things that influence your health:

Heredity: All the traits and properties that are passed along biologically from both parents to child.

Environment: Your surroundings, your family, friends, where you grew up, where you live now, and all of your experiences.

Peers:

People of the same age who share a similar range of

interest.

Peer Pressure:

Culture:

The beliefs, customs, and behaviors of a group.– Language that you speak at home– Foods that you prefer to eat– Traditions– Religion

You have little control over your heredity and environment but you have a great deal of control over your attitude.

Risk Factor

Actions or behaviors that represent a potential health threat.

Values

Beliefs and standards of conduct that you find are important.

Abstinence

Voluntarily choosing NOT to do something

6 Categories of Health Risk Factors

Behaviors that contribute to unintentional and intentional injuries.

Tobacco use Alcohol and other drug use Sexual behaviors Unhealthy eating behaviors Physical inactivity

Cumulative Risk

Risks that increase gradually and may add up to a total that is greater than expected.

Smoking one cigarette is not likely to result in death, but repeated over time, the negative effects accumulate, leading to serious health consequences.

TAKING RESPONSIBILITY FOR THE HEALTH OF OTHERS “RIPPLE EFFECT” YOUR ACTIONS

EFFECT OTHERS

OTHER PROTECTIVE FACTORS

POSITIVE ROLE-MODELS POSITIVE VALUES