Introduction to Wellness, Fitness, and Lifestyle Management Chapter Introduction to Wellness, Fitness, and Lifestyle Management

Introduction to Wellness, Fitness, and Lifestyle Management Wellness: New Health Goals Reaching Wellness Through Lifestyle Management

Introduction to Wellness, Fitness, and Lifestyle Management Healthy people seek a state of overall wellness rather than merely the absence of illness Health: Overall condition of body or mind and the presence or absence of illness or injury Wellness: Expands the idea of health to include the ability to achieve optimal health Risk factor: Condition that increases one’s chances of disease or injury

Wellness: The New Health Goal The Dimensions of Wellness Physical Emotional Intellectual Interpersonal Spiritual Environmental Financial

FIGURE 1.1 The wellness continuum

The Dimensions of Wellness Physical Includes fitness level and ability to care for one’s self Emotional Ability to understand/deal with feelings Intellectual An active mind, able to detect problems, find solutions, and direct behavior Interpersonal Ability to develop and maintain satisfying and supportive relationships

The Dimensions of Wellness Spiritual Wellness Guiding beliefs, principles, or values that give meaning and purpose to life Environmental Wellness Defined by the livability of surroundings Financial Wellness Ability to live within one’s means and manage money to gain peace of mind Other Aspects of Wellness Occupational wellness: level of satisfaction gained from your work

New Opportunities for Taking Charge Life expectancy has nearly doubled since 1900 2011: U.S. life expectancy 78.7 years In 1900, infectious disease was a top concern In recent years, a new set of chronic diseases have emerged as major health threats Heart disease Cancer Chronic lower respiratory diseases

New Opportunities for Taking Charge Chronic disease: Disease that develops and continues over a long period of time; e.g., heart disease, cancer, and lower respiratory diseases Lifestyle choice: Conscious behavior that can increase or decrease a person’s risk of disease or injury; such behaviors include smoking, exercising, eating a healthy diet, and others

FIGURE 1.2 Life expectancy of Americans from birth, 1900–2011 SOURCE: National Center for Health Statistics. 2012. Deaths: Preliminary data for 2011. National Vital Statistics Reports 61(6).

FIGURE 1.3 Quantity of life versus quality of life SOURCE: National Center for Health Statistics. 2012. Deaths: Preliminary data for 2010 (data release). National Vital Statistics Report 60(4).

TABLE 1.4 Leading Causes of Death among Americans Age 15–24, 2011

The Healthy People Initiative The National Healthy People Initiative aims to prevent disease and improve Americans’ quality of life Achieve health equity, eliminate disparities, and improve health of groups Create social and physical environments that promote good health Promote healthy behaviors for every stage of life

Behaviors That Contribute to Wellness Be physically active Physical fitness: Set of physical attributes that allow the body to respond to or adapt to the demands and stress of physical effort Sedentary: Physically inactive Choose a healthy diet Manage stress effectively

Behaviors That Contribute to Wellness Avoid tobacco and drug use, and limit alcohol consumption Protect yourself from disease and injury Unintentional injury: Injury that occurs without harm being intended

Behaviors That Contribute to Wellness Take other steps toward wellness Develop meaningful relationships Plan for successful aging Learn about the health care system Act responsibly toward the environment

FIGURE 1.4 Benefits of regular physical activity

The Role of Other Factors in Wellness Heredity, environment, and adequate health care interact Sedentary lifestyle combined with genetic predisposition for diabetes increases a person’s risk for developing the disease Behavior can tip balance toward health

Getting Serious About Your Health Before a person can change, she or he must know that the behavior is a problem and that she or he can change it Examine current health habits Think about your behavior Talk with friends and family members

Getting Serious About Your Health Behavior change: Lifestyle management process that involves cultivating healthy behaviors and working to overcome unhealthy ones

Getting Serious About Your Health Chances of success are greater if your behavior change goal is simple Target behavior: Behavior selected as the object for a behavior change program Learn about your target behavior Assess how the target behavior affects your level of wellness Find help

Building Motivation to Change Examining pros and cons of change Compare short- and long-term benefits and costs Boost self-efficacy Self-efficacy: Belief in one’s ability to take action and perform a specific task Locus of control: Figurative “place” person designates as the source of responsibility for the events in his or her life Visualization Self-talk: Person’s internal dialogue

Building Motivation to Change Boosting self-efficacy Role models and other supportive individuals Identify and overcome barriers to change List key obstacles Develop a practical plan

Enhancing Your Readiness to Change Precontemplation: No intention of changing behavior Contemplation: Intending to take action within 6 months Preparation: Planning to take action within a month

Enhancing Your Readiness to Change Action: Outwardly changing behavior and environment Maintenance: Successful behavior change maintained for 6 months or more Termination: Exited the cycle of change and are no longer tempted to lapse into old behavior

FIGURE 1.5 The stages of change: A spiral model SOURCE: Adapted from Prochaska, J. O., C. C. Diclemente, and J. C. Norcross. 1992. In search of how people change. American Psychologist 47(9): 1102– 14. Copyright © 1992 by the American Psychological Association. Reprinted by permission

Dealing with Relapse Most people make several attempts before they successfully change behavior If a relapse occurs: Forgive yourself Give your self credit for progress Move on

Developing Skills for Change: Creating a Personalized Plan Monitor behavior and gather data Analyze the data and identify patterns Be “SMART” about setting goals Devise a plan of action Get what you need Modify your environment Control related habits Reward yourself Involve the people around you Plan for challenges

FIGURE 1.6 Sample health journal entries

Putting Your Plan into Action Commitment despite temptations Use strategies to make plan work Give yourself a pat on the back

FIGURE 1.7 A sample behavior change contract

Staying with It Possible sources of blocked progress: Social influences Levels of motivation and commitment Choice of techniques and level of effort Stress barrier Procrastinating, rationalizing, and blaming Take on your easier problems first, and build on your success over time

Being Fit and Well for Life First attempts at making behavior changes may never go beyond the contemplation or preparation stage Once you’ve started, don’t stop Assume that health improvement is forever