Chapter 1: Wellness and Fitness for Life

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Chapter 1 Wellness and Fitness for Life

• Good health is a cherished yet often overlooked
  possession
• Good health depends on many factors, the most
  important of which are our actions and the
  choices we make
• Staying healthy is a lifelong process that
  requires self-awareness, introspection,
  reflection, inquiry, accurate information, and
  action

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Wellness

• A life-long process that at any given time
  produces a positive state of personal well-being,
  of feeling good about oneself, of optimal
  physical, psychological, and social functioning,
  and the control and minimization of internal and
  external risk factors for both diseases and
  negative health conditions.

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Wellness

• Is a process, rather than a goal
• Implies choice, a way of life
• Integrates the body, mind, and spirit
• Requires active, person responsibility for ones
  own health

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Components of Wellness (1)

• Spiritual
• Social
• Physical
• Emotional
• Intellectual
• Occupational
• Environmental

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Components of Wellness (2)

• SpiritualBelief in a source of value that
  transcends the boundaries of self, but also
  nurtures the self provides meaning and direction
• SocialThe ability to interact
• successfully with people and
• with ones personal
• environment

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Components of Wellness (3)

• PhysicalThe ability to carry out daily tasks,
  develop cardiorespiratory and muscular fitness,
  maintain adequate nutrition and a healthy body
  fat level, and avoid abusing drugs, tobacco
  products, and alcohol
• EmotionalThe ability to control stress and to
  express emotions appropriately and comfortably

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Components of Wellness (4)

• IntellectualThe ability to learn and use
  information effectively for personal, family, and
  career development
• Intellectual wellness implies
• Overcoming the health-behavior gap
• Possessing an internal locus of control
• Having a strong sense of self-efficacy

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Components of Wellness (4)

• OccupationalThe ability to achieve a balance
  between work and leisure
• EnvironmentalThe ability to promote health
  measures that improve the standard of living and
  quality of life in the community

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The Wellness Challenge (1)

• Lifestyle diseasesThe most serious health
  problem in todays society
• Chronic diseases include heart disease, cancer,
  diabetes, and hypertension
• The real threats to human life involve diet,
  physical activity, and personal health habits

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The Wellness Challenge (2)

• The leading causes of death in the U.S. among all
  age groups are heart disease, cancer, and
  stroke.
• Accidents, homicides, and suicides are leading
  killers among 15- to 24-year-olds.

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The Wellness Challenge (2)

• Cigarette smoking
• The risk factor most strongly associated with
  premature death and chronic disease
• Diet and physical inactivity
• Next highest risk factor for smokers
• Highest risk factor for nonsmokers

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Achieving Lifestyle Change

• Health behavior is learned, and can be changed
• Forces that shape behavior
• Family, role models, and social norms
• Subliminal advertising
• Psychological needs

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A Self-Help Plan for Change

• A self-help approach assumes that humans can
  manage their lifestyle change and learn to
  control environmental factors that are
  detrimental to health
• Any approach requires time and planning

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Transtheoretical Model of Behavior Change (1)

• 1. Precontemplation
• 2. Contemplation awareness
• 3. Preparation planning to take action
• 4. Action doing something
• 5. Maintenance dynamic and consistent
  reevaluation
• 6. Termination the problem behavior is no
  longer tempting

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The Transtheoretical Model (2)

• Precontemplation stage
• No behavior change is planned
• Person may be unaware of need for change or feels
  he or she cant change
• Contemplation stage
• Aware of problem behaviors
• Not willing to commit effort to change at this
  time

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The Transtheoretical Model (3)

• Preparation stagePlanning to take action
• within the next month seeing that the
• positives of change outweighing negatives
• Assess current behavior
• Set specific, realistic goals
• Realize that change is permanent

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The Transtheoretical Model (4)

• Action stageOvert changes are made in behavior,
  experiences, or environment
• Rewards and incentives are important elements
• Strategies for change
• Changing the environment (avoidance the
  elimination of associated circumstances)
• Contracting with oneself

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The Transtheoretical Model (5)

• Maintenance stageGoal is to retain the gains and
  prevent relapse
• Continuation of the action stage
• Usually lasts 6 months
• Termination stageThe point at which problem
  behavior is no longer tempting