Chapter 1 Living A Healthy Life

Lesson 1: What is Health? Health-”Combination of your physical, mental/emotional, and social well-being.” Personal level of health affects everything about you. physical mental social

Health is “dynamic” Constantly changing. Think of your health at any moment as a point along a continuum. (Figure 1.1 page 5)

Person with a balanced life is said to have a high degree of wellness-an overall state of well- being or total health. Requires an ongoing, lifelong commitment.

Promoting Your Health

Lifestyle Factors Habits that make a difference in people’s overall health, happiness, and longevity-or how long they live. Lifestyle factors help determine your level of health.

-Seven to eight hours of sleep per night -Eat nutritious foods from various food groups each day. -Eat breakfast daily.

-Refrain from smoking minutes of activity, three times a week -Do not use alcohol or other drugs -Maintain recommended weight

-Abstaining from sexual activity before marriage -managing stress -maintaining positive relationships. -practicing safe behaviors to prevent injuries.

Prevention- practicing healthy habits to keep a person well and free from disease and other ailments. A key to health and wellness.

Importance of Health Education “Providing of accurate information in such a way as to INFLUENCE people to change attitudes so that they take positive action about their health.”

The Nation’s Health Goals Healthy People 2010-national health promotion and disease prevention plan designed to serve as a guide for improving the health of all people in the U.S.

Goals of Healthy People Increase quality and years of healthy life for all Americans -remove health differences that result from factors such as gender, race, education, disability, and location.

Individuals, Families and Communities must work together to reach these goals. Individuals-take an active role in own health. Families-shape the attitudes and beliefs that result in healthful behaviors

Communities-offer behavior- changing classes. Take steps to insure a safe environment.

Health Literacy “Individual’s capacity to obtain, interpret, and understand basic health information and services and use such information and services in ways that promote his/her health and wellness.

To be health literate, a person must be: ð A critical thinker and problem-solver ð A responsible, productive citizen ð A self-directed learner ð An effective communicator

Lesson 2: Promoting a Healthy Lifestyle

Your Health Triangle

3 Elements of Health -Physical Health -Mental/Emotional Health -Social Health

Physical Health-body has the ability to cope with the stresses of normal daily life. Includes: proper nutrition,regular physical activity, enough rest and sleep, regular medical attention, paying attention to what you put into your body.

Mental/Emotional Health Includes: feelings about yourself,how well you relate to others, develop thinking skills, enjoy learning, see mistakes as opportunities, in touch with his or her feelings and expresses them in appropriate, healthful ways.

Social Health Includes the way you get along with others, ability to make and keep friends, communicating well and show respect and care for yourself and others

Influences on Your Health

Heredity-all the traits and properties that are passed along biologically from both parents to child. Have no control over what you inherit. Ex. Hair and eye color,body type and size, shape of your nose and ears. Also inherit basic intellectual abilities and tendencies toward specific diseases.

Environment-sum of total of your surroundings- family, where you grew up, where you live now, all of your experiences.

1.Physical environment-crime rate, streets safe, parks, recreational facilities? 2. Social environment-family, people with whom you have daily contact. Peers-people the same age who share a similar range of interests. 3. Cultural environment-collective beliefs, customs, and behaviors of a group. Ethnic group, language your family speaks, foods you prefer to eat.

Little or no control over your heredity and environment. However, you do have a great deal of control over………...

Behavior The way “you choose” to act within your environment and with your inherited abilities.

Your Attitude,Your Health Attitude affects how well you take care of yourself. You must believe there is some benefit to practicing good health habits. Optimists are less likely to suffer illness and die young than pessimists.

Studies have concluded that it is NOT what happens to a person but the person’s attitudes and responding behaviors that determine how well that person will cope and how happy he or she will be. or

Lesson 3 Taking Charge of Your Health

Taking Responsibility for Your Health First Step towards responsibility is increasing your awareness of RISK FACTORS-actions or behaviors that represent a potential health threat.

Categories of Teenage Risk Factors -behaviors that contribute to unintentional and intentional injuries -tobacco use -alcohol and other drug use -sexual behaviors

-unhealthy eating behaviors -physical inactivity

Second step towards responsibility is to examine your current behaviors and values and to make any necessary changes.

Cumulative Risks-risks that increase gradually and may add up to a total that is greater than expected. Example: Smoking one cigarette is not going to kill you, however, the negative effects accumulate, leading to serious health consequences.

Also, a combination of risk factors whose impact is more serious than that of any component risk alone. Example: driving over the speed limit AND not wearing your seatbelt 1+1=3

Taking Responsibility for the Health of Others l-respect for public property l-respect for the property of others l-showing concern for the welfare of the community

Protective Factors-factors found in a teen’s life that DECREASE risk-taking and INCREASES the chances of a teen growing up as a healthy, caring, and responsible adult.

-POSTIVE ROLE MODELS- peers, or others that a person looks up to. -POSITIVE VALUES-honesty, integrity, courage, loyalty, and hard work. Earliest source of values is FAMILY

A person with good values and role models are less likely to participate in high-risk behaviors and MORE likely to choose abstinence. Abstinence-voluntarily choosing NOT to do something.