According to the text, wellness is defined as an "integrated and dynamic level of functioning oriented toward maximizing potential, dependent on self-responsibility." It involves both preventive health behaviors and a shift in thinking and attitude. Wellness is a lifelong promise to oneself of growth and achievement in each of the seven dimensions: emotional, spiritual, physical, occupational, intellectual, environmental, and social. It means a lifetime of ongoing change and always striving toward higher levels healthy and successful living. This means, ultimately, that one must live a life that caters to each of those dimensions both individually and collectively. Not living a healthy lifestyle, can have damaging effects on both health and life, and not only yours but the people that are around you. An unhealthy lifestyle means more illness and more expenses to treat those illnesses. This means a bigger burden on an already challenged and over-budgeted healthcare system. Poor health also means more time lost at work, less quality recreational time, and shorter lifespans. Not to mention, the onset of major chronic diseases such as cardiovascular disease, diabetes, and cancer. Cardiovascular disease, cancer, and diabetes is said to account for nearly two of every three deaths in the U.S. Though there is a possibility of these diseases being prevented with a healthy lifestyle, there is no way to actually prevent the onset and progression of these conditions. Sadly, young children are being introduced to these unhealthy lifestyles and taking them right into adulthood; thus becoming walking billboards for the diseases. These diseases compromise health, shorten life expectancy, and cause enormous suffering, disability, and economic ... ... middle of paper ... ... blood sugar levels plays a vital role in preventing the diseases and maintaining excellent physical wellness. As stated, scheduling and attending annual physical exams, avoiding tobacco products, adequate sleep, and a regular exercise routine will drastically reduce the risk of these diseases as well. It's important to recognize that sleep is an absolutely crucial component of optimal health and disease prevention. There is a vast difference in the potential for preventing morbidity and mortality from CVD, diabetes, and cancer through healthy living than with unhealthy living. Sources: Access to Health: Kindle Edition Text Chapter 15: Preventing Cardiovascular Disease Text Chapter 16: Reducing Your Cancer Risk Presentation: Preventing Cardiovascular Disease Presentation: Minimizing Your Risk for Diabetes http://circ.ahajournals.org/content/109/25/3244.full
Being healthy in body and mind is the core of personal wellness. Getting to that point though is a process and it takes deliberate actions to make it happen. It requires choosing which behaviors will help and which ones won't. It requires making decisions every day that helps take a person to a better state of body and mind health.
What is wellness? “Wellness is an active process of becoming aware of and making choices toward a healthy life. Wellness is also a process for change and growth” (Health Topic – What is wellness?). To have acceptable wellness you should have an equal amount of social, emotional/mental, and physical health. I, myself, believe that I have an okay wellness, I mean not like full wellness but just enough to pass I'll say. But how am I living in wellness?
The definitions of wellness root all the way back to 2000 B.C with Aristotle. He was the first person to document about wellness as an explanation of health and illness. Whereas Descartes and others saw wellness as more of duality of the mind body, which gave way to current mindset of a more rounded definition of wellness (Myers and Sweeney, 2008). Now, Myers defines wellness as the mind, body and spirit working together to achieve an optimum state of health and wellbeing so that one can live life as full as possible (Myers and Sweeney, 2005). Along with briefly examining a specific model of wellness, its aim and application,
Childhood obesity is a serious problem among American children. Some doctors are even calling childhood obesity an epidemic because of the large percentage of children being diagnosed each year as either overweight or obese. “According to DASH sixteen to thirty-three percent of American children each year is being told they are obese.” (Childhood Obesity) There is only a small percentage, approximately one percent, of those children who are obese due to physical or health related issues; although, a condition that is this serious, like obesity, could have been prevented. With close monitoring and choosing a healthier lifestyle there would be no reason to have such a high obesity rate in the United States (Caryn). Unfortunately, for these children that are now considered to be obese, they could possibly be facing some serious health conditions, such as heart disease, diabetes, and some types of cancers. All of these diseases have been linked to obesity through research. These children never asked for this to happen to them; however, it has happened, and now they will either live their entire life being obese, or they will be forced to reverse what has already been done (Childhood Obesity).
A healthy life is when you actually are doing healthy eating and exercising while wellness is when one makes the approach to a healthy life and understand the benefits that come with it. Wellness if the keeping of a healthy life, while healthy eating comes and goes. When you truly have wellness, you want to keep the heathy life and don’t want to go back to the disease filled habits. Many of you are probably thinking, “what’s the point of having wellness”, and to answer your question simply, it’s a way to help prevent reoccurrence on an unhealthy lifestyle. Think of alcoholics who are trying to be sober, their wellness is their mental commitment to not go back to their prior habits. That is the same thing with health wellness, it’s the mental commitment to be healthy and keep oneself from the disastrous and life destroying habits of unhealthy
The present public health problem has become a great public concern and the future of these children and future adults has also been brought to attention. For example, "as obese children are more than likely to become obese adults, they are at an increased risk for type 2 diabetes, heart disease, arthritis, and several cancers" (Gollust, 2014). Research has also indicated that the current generation of children are on track to have shorter lives than their parents because of increasing rates of obesity (Gollust, 2014).
There is an unprecedented amount of Type 2 Diabetes today. More specifically, 1 in 5 American children are considered obese. We are also starting to see hypertension in young children. Of the 40% of people today who are obese, half of them are taking some form of prescription drug. Heart disease and cancer combined kill 1 million people per year. 1 out of 3 people will develop diabetes in their lifetime. Due to these dietary issues, this generation of children might be the first to not outlive their parents (Wendel, 2011).
For instance, kids who are obese have a better chance of getting cancer and other health problems,“They found that each unit of increase in being overweight at age 13, generally corresponding to a two- to three-point increase in B.M.I., increased the risk of developing colon cancer by 9 percent, with the risk of cancer of the sigmoid colon (the part closest to the rectum) increased by 11 percent” (Brody). Obesity can risk a child’s life in many ways. In addition, these health problems for kids can result in death, “In fact, health officials say that obesity--a condition in which a person is dangerously overweight--is one of the biggest health crises facing the U.S. today. It can cause all sorts of serious problems, like cancer and heart failure, and it's a leading cause of death. It's also affecting a shocking number of young people: More than 16 percent of kids ages 2 to 19 are obese” (Lewis). Obesity is one of the biggest health problems that is still questioned on what the solution is. Although health problems are a problem, schools are adding in exercise programs and encouraging kids to walk or bike to school. “With the strong leadership of the mayor, the blue-collar city of Somerville, Massachusetts, lowered the rate of obesity in its elementary schools by promoting exercise in schools, smaller portions in restaurants, health counseling, and biking and walking to school. (The Robert Wood Johnson Foundation supported all three of these initiatives.)” (Ambinder). Schools are now realizing that kids need their daily exercise in order to stay healthy and stay in shape. Obesity can cause many health problems and risk a child’s
Many children in todays society could careless about the unhealthy things their putting into their bodies, but studies show that the more unhealthy things they eat and parents provide the more their at risk for diseases some can even be deadly.
Wellness is imperative to a healthy life. Sometimes, people do not really consider what makes up wellness, they simply think of it as being “well”. Wellness may be a state of being “well”, however, it incorporates different areas such as nutrition, health, safety, nurturing, and emotional stability. People must be healthy in all of these areas in order to achieve wellness. This is not an easy task for an adult but definitely not for children. In order for children to achieve wellness, they are completely dependent upon the adults in their lives; parents / caregivers, friends, and teachers.
According to the Change4Life website, statistics suggest that 9 out of 10 children in today’s societies grow up with a large amounts of dangerous fat in their bodies, this can lead them to life-threatening diseases which can be cancer, obesity and also heart diseases.
If one wants to live an enjoyable, fulfilling life they must know what it truly means to be well. Living a wellness lifestyle means incorporating all aspects of what it takes to flourish as a human being. It goes beyond the health of the physical body and incorporates the important social, emotional, and spiritual factors that play a part in every person’s life in one way or another. Knowing how to act correctly, control our feelings, channel our frustrations, and improve in each dimension of wellness will lead to a satisfactory life. Spiritual, physical, emotional, nutritional, and social wellness define the biggest components of life and thriving in them is vital.
Health is described as physical and mental well-being and freedom from disease, pain or defect. However, such descriptions only superficially define the actual meaning of health. There may be many occasions when individuals are not necessarily ill or in pain but may be overweight, stressed or emotionally unstable. Health is a quality of life involving dynamic interaction and interdependence among the individual’s physical state, their mental and emotional reactions, and the social context in which the individual exists. There are many factors that influence your health, but three major components contribute to general well-being: Self-awareness, a balanced diet and, regular physical activity.
Childhood obesity is a health problem that is becoming increasingly prevalent in society’s youth. For a number of years, children across the nation have become accustomed to occasionally participating in physical activities and regularly snacking on sugary treats. In result of these tendencies, approximately one third of American children are currently overweight or obese (Goodwin). These grim statistics effectively represent all the lack of adult interference, in regards to health, has done to the youth of America. The habits of over consuming foods and under participating in physical activities are all too common in the children of today. Children cannot solve this issue alone, though. These young people need to essentially be given the opportunities to make positive health decisions and learn about good, nutritional values.
Point blank, diabetes is a serious disease and causes major effects on people’s daily lives. In a society where food comes in such abundance, people are overeating. Compared to the beginning of the twenty first century when only about five percent of the population had diabetes (Nazarko, 2009), today that number is rising and continuing to do so. This is starting to affect the health of children by being diagnosed with diabetes at a young age. When a child has diabetes it becomes very serious since children are at such a young age to deal...