Achieving Optimal Health
Posted on August 9, 2010
Before we get started I would like to make sure that we are all on the same page with respect to how we define health and wellness. There are so many versions from the various dictionaries to the World Health Organization (WHO). Back In 1948the World Health Organization (WHO) defined health as “a state of complete physical, mental, and social well-being and not merely the absence of disease and infirmity.” Today, in 2010 this definition is still widely used.
More recently the WHO definition of health has been expanded to include the concept of wellness. The National Wellness Association defines the concept of wellness as “an active process of becoming aware of and making choices toward a more successful existence.”http://www.libraryindex.com/pages/2951/Defining-Health-Wellness.html
- Emotional wellness enables people to cope with stress, maintain satisfying relationships with family and friends, and assume responsibility for their actions.
- Intellectual wellness emphasizes knowledge, learning, creativity, problem solving, and lifelong interest in learning and new ideas.
- Occupational wellness relates to preparing for and pursuing work that is meaningful, satisfying, and consistent with one’s interests, aptitudes, and personal beliefs.
- Physical wellness is more than simply freedom from disease. The physical dimension of wellness concentrates on prevention of illness and encourages exercise, healthy diet, and knowledgeable, appropriate use of the health care system. Physical wellness requires individuals to take personal responsibility for actions and choices that affect their health.
- Social wellness is acting in harmony with nature, family, and others in the community. The pursuit of social wellness may involve actions to protect or preserve the environment or contribute to the health and well-being of the community by performing volunteer work.
- Spiritual wellness involves finding meaning in life and acting purposefully in a manner that is consistent with one’s deeply held values and beliefs.
This Blog will address one or more of the dimensions of health and wellness. Now lets get started!
- Think about the health goals that you would like to achieve. What are they? Make a list.
- Now answer the following question about each one you wrote down – On a scale of 1-10, 1 being the lowest and 10 being the highest, How much confidence do I have that I will commit to making a change over the next 6-12 weeks?
- Identify the health goals that you have a rating of at least a 7 or higher. If there is more than one goal select just one to get started.
- The key to this next step is to decide what behavior you are willing to change to help you achieve your goal. For example, if you would like to lose weight, your goal may be to lose 10 pounds in the next 4-5 weeks. The behavior that you will change may be to drink at last 4 to 6, 8 oz., glasses of water each day. Or it may be to begin walking 20 minutes per day.
- Now write down what it is that you plan to do. When do you plan to do it? Be specific, write down what you plan to do, what days and when. For example, I plan to walk 4 days this week for a total of 20 minutes each day. I will walk 10 minutes during lunch and 10 minutes after dinner on Monday, Tuesday, Thursday and Friday.
- The next step is to look at your plan and determine on a scale of 1-10, 1 being the lowest and 1o being the highest, how much confidence you have in your walking plan.
- If you have a rating of less than 7, ask yourself what might get in your way. Do you drive the kids to soccer on Tuesdays or do you have a late meeting on Thursday? If so, rework your plan so that you are likely to achieve it. For example, On Tuesday and Thursday you may choose to walk the full 20 minutes during lunch, or you may try to walk for 10 minutes during your morning or afternoon break and at lunch.
- Enlist the support of a friend who may want to walk with you or who will encourage you to reach your goal.
Achieving Optimal Healthwork Sheet