1. Your Body & Wellness
Chapter 4 & 5
Sarah Rach-Sovich
2. What is wellness?
• Not something that just “happens to us”
• More than just the absence of illness
• Result of a conscious commitment to our
physical and psychological well-being
– Accepting responsibility for:
• What we eat
• Drink
• How we exercise
• Stresses we experience
3. Are you listening??
• Our bodies give us
critical information
that we can choose
to listen to, ignore
or deny
4. Think about your last doctor visit…
• You probably:
– Had your blood pressure checked
– Your pulse counted
– Were weighed
– Possibly measured
• Maybe they asked:
– How have you been feeling?
– What medications are you taking?
• You may have talked about:
– An illness you are experiencing
– Questions you have about your body
– How things are going… physically
5. What aspects of you did they miss?
• Psychological
• Intellectual
• Social
• Spiritual
• Relationships
• Meaning
• Happiness
• Self-Responsibility
• Love
6. Holistic Health vs.
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
7. Did you know?
• “You have more control over your life and
well-being that does anything or anyone
else. Through the decisions you make and
the habits you develop, you can influence
how well – and perhaps, how long – you will
live.”
– Corey, 2010 (p.1)
8. Can you ever control
if and when you get sick?
• We deny
our part in
our level of
wellness
• Examples?
9. Denial?
• What do we know about:
– Smoking, alcohol & other drugs
– Poor diet
– Lack of exercise
– Lack of sleep
– Too much stress
• What do we do about it:
– ??
10. Wellness Process Activity
(*assignment*)
1. Identify your personal goals
2. Prioritize your goals and values
3. Identify any barriers that might prevent you
from reaching your goals
4. Make an action plan
5. Commit yourself to following through on
your plans to reach your goals
11. Creating Your Action Plan
(*assignment*)
• Good plans are simple and easy to understand
• Need to be specific, concrete and measurable – yet
flexible and open to revision
• Involves a positive course of action – stated in terms
of what you are willing to do
• This plan is carried out independently of what others
do/think – it’s about you!
• Effective plans are repetitive (ideally – performed
daily)
• The best plans are carried out as soon as possible
• Before carrying out your plan… evaluate it with
someone else – is it realistic and attainable? Revise if
necessary
• Put it in to ACTION!
12. Sound Habits For Wellness
• Restore 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
18. 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
19.
20.
21. It doesn’t matter who (or
what) you are, what you do,
or what excuse you make…
we all need sleep!
29. 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
30. We know all this…
• BUT – we continue to do what?
• Would you go to this movie?
– http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=C8kQsAQg2C
M&feature=related
• Let’s put this into perspective…
31.
32. Tips for Diet & Nutrition
• http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qFPgUTa
988M&feature=pyv&gclid=CKSFutGMhaECF
QkhDQodcXtGrQ
33. Your Body Image
• A 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
41. Managing Stress
• Stress - an event or series of events that lead to strain,
often results in physical and psychological health
problem
• Environmental and psychological sources of stress may
include frustrations, conflicts, pressures, and change
• Learning to cope with stress is essential to maintain
wellness
• Stress has both positive (eustress) and negative
(distress) effects
• Either we control stress, or stress controls us
42.
43. Effects Of Stress
• When stress is not handled constructively, it
often produces adverse physical and
psychological effects
– Under stress our bodies experience the “fight-or-
flight” response
• http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=X6UknGo_KPU
– Chronic stress causes bodily wear and tear resulting in
psychophysiological disorders
• Insomnia, pain problems (headaches, migraines, muscle
aches, back pain), ulcers, digestive issues, hypertension
– Negative emotional states of anxiety and depression
are the result of prolonged stress
44. Stress and the Hardy Personality
• Some people seem to be especially resilient
and are better able to cope with stress
– Remember the resiliency builders?
• Distinguishing characteristics of hardy
people are
– A liking for challenge
– A strong sense of commitment
– An internal locus of control (creators, not victims)
45. Recognizing and
Dealing with Burnout
• Burnout is a state of physical, emotional,
intellectual, and spiritual exhaustion
• Striving for unrealistically high goals can lead
to burnout
• The key is to recognize subtle signs of burnout
– Irritable, tired, forgetful, unable to concentrate
• Changing the way in which you approach school
or work can prevent burnout
• Prevention is better than remediation
• Don’t forget to take good care of yourself
46. Stress Management
• SEVERAL ways to manage stress
• Relaxation
– Method, process or procedure that helps people
relax
47.
48. Relaxation Techniques
• Meditation
• Music
• Prayer
• Humor
• Water therapy (floating therapy)
• Body Work
– Massage, acupuncture/accupressue, reflexology
• Exercise
– Walking, gardening, yoga, tai chi, qigong
• Progressive Muscle Relaxation *
• Deep Breathing*
• Guided Relaxation*
• Guided Imagery*
• Biofeedback *
– Improving your health by using signals from your body
