Chapter One

Taking Charge of Your Health

*What is Wellness?
The optimal and vitality
of health encompasses
the following forms:
Physical
Emotional
Intellectual
Spiritual
Interpersonal/Social
Environmental/Planetary
These six dimension interact continuously, allowing changes to affect some or others
Physical Wellness
To maintain overall physical health and engage
in appropriate physical activity
(e.g., stamina, strength, flexibility, healthy body
composition).

Emotional Wellness
To have a positive self-concept, deal constructively with
your feelings, and
develop positive qualities
(e.g., optimism, trust, self-confidence, determination,
persistence, dedication).

Intellectual Wellness
To pursue and retain knowledge,
think critically about issues, make sound
decisions, identify problems, and find solutions
(e.g., common sense, creativity, curiosity).

Spiritual Wellness
To develop a set of beliefs, principles, or values that give
meaning or purpose to your life; to develop faith in
something beyond yourself
(e.g., religious faith, service to others).

Interpersonal/Social Wellness
To develop and maintain meaningful relationships with a
network of friends and family members and to contribute to
the community
(e.g., friendly, good-natured, compassionate, supportive, good
listener).

Environmental Wellness
To protect yourself from environmental hazards, and to
minimize the negative impact of your behavior on the
environment.
(e.g., carpools, recycling, littering, etc)
*The Healthy People Initiative

National Wellness Goals that the U.S. government
seeks to prevent unnecessary disease and disability to
achieve a better quality of life for all Americans
Published originally in 1980 and is revised every 10
years.
Each report includes broad goals and targets different
areas of wellness
Year 2010 proposes two goals:
Increase quality and years of healthy life
Eliminate health disparities or differences among Americans
Health Issues for Diverse Populations
Gender
Ethnicity
Income and Education
Disability
Geographic Location
Sexual Orientation

*Factors that Influence Wellness
Cigarette smoking
Stress levels
Cynicism
Diet
Exercise
Heredity/Family History
Environment
Access to adequate
health care

*How Do You Reach Wellness?
Examine Your Current Health Habits
Choose a Target Behavior
Isolated behavior selected
Obtain Information About Your Target
Behavior
Finding Outside Help
*How to Create a Change
in Behavior?
Examine Pros and Cons of
Change
Boost Self-Efficacy believe in your
abilities to take actions & perform a specific
task.
Identify and learn how to
overcome barriers to change
*Factors That Affect Behavior Change
Social Influences
Levels of Motivation and Commitment
Choices of Techniques and Level of Effort
Stress Barriers
Games People Play
Procrastination, rationalizing, blaming