Personal Prescription Project
1. Introduction
The objective for this project is to discover the significance of health and wellness as discussed in Unit 1 of the required text, (Donatelle, 2011), and to apply these principles to our personal lives. The project required each student to administer a self-assessment quiz, research habits to improve or maintain our current health, discuss the importance of sustaining a healthy lifestyle, and list and describe three goals to improve a healthy lifestyle.
2. Importance of sustaining a healthy lifestyle
A healthy body sets the foundation for the well-being of one’s day-to-day quality of life and it further contributes to how well we will age. Maintaining fitness through good nutrition and exercise supports efficient circulation, digestion and musculoskeletal strength. This allows the individual to live a healthy and active life with a healthy immune system to help ward off disease. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, healthy body benefits extend to emotional balance and greater mental alertness, as well as reduced chronic disease risk. (Healthy Weight - it's not a diet, its a lifestyle!, 2014)
3. Self-assessment (current health)
A. Purpose of self-assessment quiz.
The purpose of a self-assessment health quiz is to give a clear picture of one’s overall health, to identify positive behaviors that promote a healthy lifestyle, to pinpoint risky behavior causing the greatest health risks, and to reflect on components of health that may not have been considered.
B. Administering the quiz.
For this project, I utilized the text book’s self-assessment quiz. (Donatelle, R., 2011.) The quiz is divided into seven categories of wellness as described below:
Emotional health: The ability to understand ourselves and cope with the challenges life can bring.
Environmental health: The ability to recognize our own responsibility for the quality of everything that surrounds us and to contribute in a positive matter to its care.
Intellectual health: The ability to open our minds to new ideas and experiences that can be applied to personal decisions, group interaction and community betterment. A desire to learn new concepts, improve skills and seek challenges.
Personal health promotion/disease prevention: The ability to enable and increase one’s control over their health and its elements to improve their health.
Physical Health: The condition of one’s body and the ability to maintain a healthy quality of life that allows us to get through our daily activities.
Spiritual Health: Discovering meaningfulness in one’s life to establish peace and harmony and develop balance between values, actions and purpose.
Social health: The ability to relate and connect with people and establish and maintain positive relationships with those in our personal circle.
(U.C. Riverside, 2014).
C. Results.
I was not surprised to find that the areas in which I need most improvement and take unnecessary risks are in the following categories:
4. Ways to improve my current health.
Now that I am fully aware of the areas in which I need to improve my health and wellbeing, there are many lifestyle changes that I need to make. Exchanging bad habits for good one can help decrease the possibility of preventable diseases and increase my quality of life.
I found many helpful websites that offer information and methods that give healthy recipes, information on healthy weight and physical activity, and ways to relax and enjoy life. The website American Holistic Health Association (http://ahha.org/) offers many articles on disease prevention. By reading the articles and using the tools and resources at this website, I learned that achieving optimal health is only the first step. Creating a plan and being an active participant in my plan will give me the power to make the changes needed.
I realize that it is up to me to create and institute a plan and take action. As described in the outline for chapter 1 of Health: The Basics (Donatelle, R.), there are 4 steps to changing behavior: 1) increase your awareness; 2) contemplate change; 3) prepare for change; and 4) take action to change.
5. Goals to promote a healthy lifestyle.
Upon reflection of the materials discussed in unit 1 of Health: The Basics (Donatelle, Rebecca), the group on-line discussions with my classmates, completion of the assignments concerning the covered subject matter and preparation of this project, I have created goals which will help to improve my quality of life.
Living a healthful lifestyle is about being proactive and making choices that will improve your life and allow for the highest quality of life. This is accomplished through creating life-long habits to regularly eat a well-balanced and nutritious meal, sleep at least eight hours a night, daily physical activity, maintaining healthy relationships with friends and family, caring for the world that is around you by taking time to care for the environment's health and taking time to relax and decompress from life’s stresses.
Works Cited
American Holistic Health Association. (2013). Retrieved from ahha.org
Donatelle, R. (2011). Health: The Basics. In Health: The Basics. Pearson.
Healthy Weight - it's not a diet, its a lifestyle! (2014, November 25). Retrieved from Centers for Disease Control and Prevention: http://www.cdc.gov/healthyweight/
U.C. Riverside. (2014, July 7). Seven Dimensions of Wellness. Retrieved from UCR: https://wellness.ucr.edu/seven_dimensions.html
The objective for this project is to discover the significance of health and wellness as discussed in Unit 1 of the required text, (Donatelle, 2011), and to apply these principles to our personal lives. The project required each student to administer a self-assessment quiz, research habits to improve or maintain our current health, discuss the importance of sustaining a healthy lifestyle, and list and describe three goals to improve a healthy lifestyle.
2. Importance of sustaining a healthy lifestyle
A healthy body sets the foundation for the well-being of one’s day-to-day quality of life and it further contributes to how well we will age. Maintaining fitness through good nutrition and exercise supports efficient circulation, digestion and musculoskeletal strength. This allows the individual to live a healthy and active life with a healthy immune system to help ward off disease. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, healthy body benefits extend to emotional balance and greater mental alertness, as well as reduced chronic disease risk. (Healthy Weight - it's not a diet, its a lifestyle!, 2014)
3. Self-assessment (current health)
A. Purpose of self-assessment quiz.
The purpose of a self-assessment health quiz is to give a clear picture of one’s overall health, to identify positive behaviors that promote a healthy lifestyle, to pinpoint risky behavior causing the greatest health risks, and to reflect on components of health that may not have been considered.
B. Administering the quiz.
For this project, I utilized the text book’s self-assessment quiz. (Donatelle, R., 2011.) The quiz is divided into seven categories of wellness as described below:
Emotional health: The ability to understand ourselves and cope with the challenges life can bring.
Environmental health: The ability to recognize our own responsibility for the quality of everything that surrounds us and to contribute in a positive matter to its care.
Intellectual health: The ability to open our minds to new ideas and experiences that can be applied to personal decisions, group interaction and community betterment. A desire to learn new concepts, improve skills and seek challenges.
Personal health promotion/disease prevention: The ability to enable and increase one’s control over their health and its elements to improve their health.
Physical Health: The condition of one’s body and the ability to maintain a healthy quality of life that allows us to get through our daily activities.
Spiritual Health: Discovering meaningfulness in one’s life to establish peace and harmony and develop balance between values, actions and purpose.
Social health: The ability to relate and connect with people and establish and maintain positive relationships with those in our personal circle.
(U.C. Riverside, 2014).
C. Results.
I was not surprised to find that the areas in which I need most improvement and take unnecessary risks are in the following categories:
- Physical health: I have a serious lack of physical activity in my current life. This fact, coupled with my age and genetic background, places me at a high risk for diabetes, high blood pressure, and high cholesterol which can lead to heart disease. These diseases are defined as preventable diseases because they can be prevented by changes in one’s lifestyle by eating a nutritious diet, being physically active, and regularly seeing a physician.
- Personal health promotion/disease prevention: This was an obvious risk to me. I will eat healthy for a day or two, but then go on a sugar binge for the next few days and I lack physical activity. I need a balance of nutrition and physical activity to help prevent any of the diseases mentioned above. I am the one who has the ability to make decisions that will lead to a better quality of life.
- Social health: I was actually surprised that I tested average for social health and not at risk. I keep to a small group of friends and I typically become anxious when attending large social gatherings. On the upside, I deeply care for those close to me.
- Emotional health: I know that I worry far too much about things that I cannot change. Worrying about them really will not make a difference and I should not allow that feeling of dread to interfere with my life.
- Environmental health: As an adult I have become very aware of the environment and find I have integrated healthy environmental habits into my life. It’s not just about recycling and reusing but about being educated on ways to save the environment.
- Intellectual health: I have always been one to continue to learn academically and professionally. Reading has always been a passion and I am always open to learning new things.
- Spiritual health: Although I am Catholic, I do not see myself as religious. I do however; have a strong sense of peace and harmony.
4. Ways to improve my current health.
Now that I am fully aware of the areas in which I need to improve my health and wellbeing, there are many lifestyle changes that I need to make. Exchanging bad habits for good one can help decrease the possibility of preventable diseases and increase my quality of life.
I found many helpful websites that offer information and methods that give healthy recipes, information on healthy weight and physical activity, and ways to relax and enjoy life. The website American Holistic Health Association (http://ahha.org/) offers many articles on disease prevention. By reading the articles and using the tools and resources at this website, I learned that achieving optimal health is only the first step. Creating a plan and being an active participant in my plan will give me the power to make the changes needed.
I realize that it is up to me to create and institute a plan and take action. As described in the outline for chapter 1 of Health: The Basics (Donatelle, R.), there are 4 steps to changing behavior: 1) increase your awareness; 2) contemplate change; 3) prepare for change; and 4) take action to change.
5. Goals to promote a healthy lifestyle.
Upon reflection of the materials discussed in unit 1 of Health: The Basics (Donatelle, Rebecca), the group on-line discussions with my classmates, completion of the assignments concerning the covered subject matter and preparation of this project, I have created goals which will help to improve my quality of life.
- Physical Activity: I have added to my schedule 20-30 minutes of exercise 4-5 times a week. I will wake earlier and alternate between walking on the treadmill, walking the dog or yoga. On days that I have more time, I plan on increasing the time to 40-50 minutes.
- Maintain a healthy, nutritious diet on a daily basis. I have started by cutting sugars and excessive carbohydrates from my diet. I have added more proteins and green vegetables. In additional I am making an effort to cook meals, cut sugary snacks such as cookies, sugary cereals and chips from my grocery list. I have also researched recipes that contain the right amount of nutrition and calories for my age and height that will help me reduce my weight.
- Replace and cut the number of snacks eaten in-between meals. I have replaced morning muffins or afternoon chips with fruit or yogurts. Instead of my decaffeinated coffee with flavored syrup, I am drinking water and herbal teas (without sugar).
Living a healthful lifestyle is about being proactive and making choices that will improve your life and allow for the highest quality of life. This is accomplished through creating life-long habits to regularly eat a well-balanced and nutritious meal, sleep at least eight hours a night, daily physical activity, maintaining healthy relationships with friends and family, caring for the world that is around you by taking time to care for the environment's health and taking time to relax and decompress from life’s stresses.
Works Cited
American Holistic Health Association. (2013). Retrieved from ahha.org
Donatelle, R. (2011). Health: The Basics. In Health: The Basics. Pearson.
Healthy Weight - it's not a diet, its a lifestyle! (2014, November 25). Retrieved from Centers for Disease Control and Prevention: http://www.cdc.gov/healthyweight/
U.C. Riverside. (2014, July 7). Seven Dimensions of Wellness. Retrieved from UCR: https://wellness.ucr.edu/seven_dimensions.html
Project Reflection
Upon completion of the project, I gained knowledge as to the meaning of a healthy lifestyle. I understood the importance of the dimensions that correlate to health and wellness. Each dimension is equally important to the other in order to lead a truly healthy lifestyle. Maintaining a healthy lifestyle is just as important to one's current health as it is to one's long-term health. The better choices you make today, the better you will feel tomorrow. After taking the self-assessment health quiz, I had a clearer understanding of my personal health. With this information I was able to create a plan to improve my lifestyle so that I can be healthy and avoid risky behavior that can lead to disease.