Chapter 4Your Body and Wellness

WHERE AM I NOW?Page 107

HEALTH ASSESSMENTAn Overall View

RestAre you currently getting

adequate sleep? If you are not, what gets in your way? How is this affecting different aspects of your life?

Regarding Rest:What do you particularly like about some of your current behavior?What are you doing that you’d like to build upon?What is one behavior that you’d like to change?What ideas do you have for ways that you could go about making the change?

ExerciseWhat kind of exercise do you

currently engage in? How often?What kind of exercise might you

want to incorporate into your lifestyle? What campus or community resources are available (fitness center, gymnasium, exercise rooms)?

Regarding Exercise: What do you particularly like about some of your current behavior?What are you doing that you’d like to build upon?What is one behavior that you’d like to change?What ideas do you have for ways that you could go about making the change?

DietDo you think your diet

contributes to the way you feel? How do your nutritional habits help or hinder you in being the kind of student you would like to be? The kind of person you’d like to be?

Regarding Diet:What do you particularly like about some of your current behavior?What are you doing that you’d like to build upon?What is one behavior that you’d like to change?What ideas do you have for ways that you could go about making the change?

SpiritualityWhat does spirituality mean to

you? What contributes to a meaningful life for you? What do you want to do about finding meaning and purpose in your life that you are not currently doing? Are there any resources on campus or in your community that address spiritual needs?

Regarding Spirituality:What do you particularly like about some of your current behavior?What are you doing that you’d like to build upon?What is one behavior that you’d like to change?What ideas do you have for ways that you could go about making the change?

Group DiscussionPersonal wellness is important. There is a clear link between

wellness and life choices – personal wellness is not simply something that happens to us, rather it is the result of life choices.

Often we know that we should take care of ourselves, yet we do not translate what we know into action. Why?

EXERCISEComplete the Sentences

DiscussWhat does the phrase “choosing

wellness as a lifestyle” mean to you? In what way is wellness an active lifestyle choice, rather than a one-time decision?

Does wellness have an effect on your academics?

Your Body and WellnessHOLISTIC HEALTH versus

TRADITIONAL MEDICINE◦Traditional medicine focuses on

identifying symptoms of illness and curing disease

◦Holistic health focuses on all facets of human functioning

◦The holistic approach assumes the unity of body and mind

DiscussWhat are some differences

between wellness and the absence of illness?

How is wellness related to a balanced life involving our physical, emotional, social, mental, and spiritual needs?

Late Middle AgePeople often think of what they want to

do with the rest of their lives

There are many positive and creative dimensions of middle age

A time to consider new sources of meaning in our lives

A time to examine priorities and make new decisions

Wellness Wellness consists of all aspects of functioning:

physical, psychological, social, intellectual, and spiritual

◦ Wellness involves the integration of body, mind, and spirit

◦ Wellness deals with positive health, not the absence of sickness

◦ Wellness is a lifestyle choice rather than a one-time decision

Sound Habits For WellnessRestore yourself through adequate sleep

and rest (7-8 hours each night)

Incorporate exercise into your daily routine

Manage your weight and improve your health through proper nutrition and diet

Find inner strength, calmness, and purpose in life through spirituality

DiscussHow would you say that sleep is

related to overall health?

Suggestions for Getting Better Sleep Establish a regular sleep routine

Don’t take your worries with you to bed

Exercise regularly

Engage in meditation or relaxation methods prior

to going to bed

Avoid eating heavy meals close to bedtime

Maintain realistic self-talk about sleep

Some Benefits of Exercise Increasing respiratory capacity

Releasing pent-up emotions

Increasing feelings of well-being and self-esteem

Reducing the risk of illness

Reducing body weight

Increasing physical strength and endurance

Providing you with a source of enjoyment

DiscussDesigning an adequate program

of physical activity is difficult for many people. Do you experience difficulties in exercising? Is so, what are these difficulties? Have you found forms of exercise that do not cause these difficulties?

Eating Well for Optimum Health

Dr. Andrew Weil, who teaches physicians at the University of Arizona’s Program in Integrative Medicine, believes that:◦Eating for health and eating for

pleasure are not incompatible◦What and how we eat is key to how

we feel and how we age

◦We can make choices about what to eat and what not to eat

DiscussDiscuss your thoughts about the

axiom “You are what you eat.” How would you describe your eating patterns?

Dr. Andrew Weil believes what and how we eat are critical determinants of how we feel and how we age. What are your thought about this?

DiscussWhat does the concept of accepting

responsibility for your body mean to you? What are your thoughts about physicians who prescribe pills to alleviate bodily symptoms? What does this say about choice and responsibility? Can you think of any ways that you might be a victim of your body? Are there some ways that you’d like to assume a greater share of control of your body?

Your Body ImageA healthy body and a positive body

image allows you to do what you want physically

Your view of your body has much to do with choices in other areas of your life

Early decisions you have made about your body will likely affect you now

Weight is related to body image for many people

DiscussHow does the media define

beauty for women? For men?How do we buy into the media’s

pressures and it’s effects on us? Do you have any reactions to

the personal stories in the chapter that describe individuals’ struggles with body image and weight?

DiscussWhat does the concept of accepting

responsibility for your body mean to you? What are your thoughts about physicians who prescribe pills to alleviate bodily symptoms? What does this say about choice and responsibility? Can you think of any ways that you might be a victim of your body? Are there some ways that you’d like to assume a greater share of control of your body?

DiscussThe authors imply that, if we feel

unattractive, others may perceive us as unattractive. Do you agree?

DiscussWhat is meant by “experiencing

your body”? How can people do this through dance and movement?

ExerciseWe often do not pay attention to the messages of

the body. It may benefit us to pay attention to what our bodies are telling us.

If you have a headache or a stomachache, let your body reveal its message to you. In your notes, actually have a dialogue between some part of your body – or a symptom – and write what that body part or symptom might be telling you. Your aches may be telling you, “I can’t take being overworked anymore.” Or an upset stomach may be saying, “I am torn between wanting to do well and fearing that I’ll do horribly.” This dialogue with a body symptom can help you realize how you might be converting anxiety into a physical symptom.

DiscussSpirituality has many meanings

and plays greater or lesser roles in different people’s lives. What does spirituality mean to you? Do you see spirituality related to a balance in your life? What does spirituality mean to you?