"Use
it or lose it; just do it; just say no; if you have your health, you have everything." Sound familiar?
Statements like these have become part of American vocabulary. Not a day goes
by that we don't hear or talk or
read about the latest way to lose weight,
reduce stress, and improve ourselves in some way. We are exhorted to be strong, exercise our
willpower and our bodies,
avoid harmful substances, fling ourselves into the social arena, and be all we can be.
Our
society seems to have turned itself onto the idea that we can and should make a difference in our
personal health and
well-being. In India and developing countries, the leading causes of death and disability are due to the
changing lifestyle practices.
Although the extent to which illness or death could be prevented by altering our lifestyle is
debatable, it is clear that the
choices we make every day influence not only how we live, but also how long we live.
While
many people have begun to take action to improve their own health, the majority remains on the
sidelines; and it is easy to
understand why. The slogans sound good, but putting them
into practice is another matter. Many people view problems like heart disease,
high blood pressure, and diabetes as
things, which happen only to someone else or to older people.
"What's
it got to do with me?" and "what could I do about it anyway?" they may ask. The
barrage of conflicting messages
about what is good for us and what is bad overwhelms
some people.
How
can we know the experts to believe and where can we obtain accurate and
reliable information? Often people would like
to develop healthier habits, but just do not know where to start.
Chances
are you've had similar thoughts or concerns yourself. How
healthy are you? What are the greatest threats to your health? What difference
might it make if today you began to
change your lifestyle in certain ways?
These
questions are common, but you are a unique individual
and you must find the answers which are right for you. Rather than telling you
"just do it" or because everyone else is
doing it, I want to share with you the scientific reasons fbr asserting a certain lifestyle now referred
to as wellness.
Wellness is
the active process of becoming aware of and making
choices to create a healthier life in all of life's dimensions.
Wellness
describes a lifestyle in which the physical, social, intellectual, psychological, spiritual, and
environmental components of
health are integrated.
The
person committed to wellness is continuously striving to achieve the optimum level of health within
the framework of his or her
own limitations and potential.
The
well person takes an honest look at his or her own capabilities and limitations and attempts to
change those negative
factors in life that are within the individual's power to change. Wellness behaviors include:
Exercising
aerobically at least three times per week and engaging in
other forms of exercise daily
· Not smoking
· Limiting the consumption of alcohol to
no more than two drinks
per day and seven drinks per week
· Taking actions to preserve the environment
· Eating wholesome, nutritional foods
· Reducing caffeine intake
· Practicing safe sex
· Engaging in practices of meditation or reflection which enable
you to reduce stress
· Consciously avoiding inappropriately hostile
or aggressive behaviors
· Avoiding inappropriately passive behaviors
· Balancing work, social, and fitness behaviors
Our outlook
on life, our relationships with others, our general
appreciation of the world around us, and our respect for the well-being of others are all major
elements of the wellness
lifestyle. Thus, wellness is not dependent upon age, sex, or intelligence but a mindset which will
help you attain a sense of
well-being.
Just as certain influences predispose us toward various behaviors or make it more difficult to change a given behavior; reinforcing factors serve to help us to maintain our motivation to change. Without them we slide backward toward negative wellness behaviors.
Having a strong social support group to give you positive feedback, having a friend to call when you're craving that cigarette or rich dessert and knowing others really and actually care about you may actually help you to continue your diet and exercise efforts. The extent to which you perceive yourself as feeling better and the feedback you receive from others
following an adoption to a given behavior may encourage or discourage your continuation of the behavior.
While some people participate in a 10 km. race for the T-shirt they get for entering the race, others participate because they feel good about the value they place on the exercise and finishing the race is their true reward. Ask yourself, "What did I do for myself today, yesterday, and what about tomorrow?" Begin a wellness approach by:
· setting realistic goals
· adjust priorities
· identify your resources
· develop a plan and time frame
· take action and give yourself time to make
the behavioral change.
