Welcome to Fitness and Wellness: A Way of Life! We are glad you are joining us for this exciting journey of developingalifetimeofhealthyliving Choicesovertimebecomehabitsthatultimatelybecomeyourlifestyle The steps you take now often determine what your lifestyle will be like after college This book suggests healthy choices and patterns that you can use for the rest of your life. Our intent is to help you change your quality of life by intentionally applying evidence-based concepts of physical and mental health to your daily livingpractices Ouroverallphilosophyisthatahealthybodyisthekeytoahealthymindandalifewelllived
Thisbookisalaboroflovebetweenthreeprofessionals,academics,andmotherswhohaveover80yearsof combined experience in health and wellness professional. We watched our children grow up in the internet age and saw outdoor play be replaced by organized activities and screen time We also experienced personal conversations being replaced by email, text messages, tweets, and more Therefore, we developed this book with you and our children in mind. We want to give you the tools you need to successfully manage healthy behaviorssoyoucanliveyourlifetothefullest.
Conceptsinthisbookinvolvethefollowing:
Focusing on your personal behavior choices rather than following a prescription (We realize that everyoneisuniqueandneedstodevelophisorherownplan)
Applying evidence-based research on physical activity, exercise, and sedentary living to functional movementoutcomesthroughgoalsettingandbehaviorchangeconcepts Understandingthecomplexityofhealthybehaviorchangeintermsofphysical,mental,andemotional health
Dealing with sensitive health issues related to sexuality, depression, anxiety, and stress that may influenceyourlivesandthoseofthepeopleyoulove
FitnessandHealthIntegrated
Oneofthemajorthemesofthisbookisreducingstressbymakingchoicesthatfiteasilyintoyourdailyliving activities Instead of paying for a fitness facility membership and making time for an organized workout, you canfocusonmovingmorethroughouttheday.Trytakingthestairsinsteadoftheescalatororgoingonahike with your friends instead of going out to lunch. We call this functional training. Our Functional Movement Training section after chapter6 is unique in that it shows you the purpose for strengthening specific muscles as well as how you might accomplish this, both inside and outside of a fitness facility We hear regularly that students do not have enough time to take care of themselves. We hope that this book will help you change yourthoughtsaboutwhatitmeanstotakecareofyourselfsothatyoucandosomoresimply.
HowThisBookIsOrganized
Fitness and Wellness: A Way of Life has 15 chapters. Chapters 1 to 6 focus on the guidelines for exercise, physical activity, and sedentary living. We realize that many people begin their journey toward healthy practiceswithphysicalmovement Habitualmovementcanhelpusfeelbetter,workbetter,andsleepbetterso thatwecanbethebestversionofourselves Thebeginningofthebookhelpsyouevaluateyourphysicalhealth intermsofthehumanmovementparadigmthatisuniquetothisbook.Thisparadigmstressestheimportance of exercise, physical activity, and less sedentary living. Thinking about being more physically active can motivate you to incorporate movement into your day Being aware of the consequences of sitting too much gets you focused on getting up frequently throughout the day We also discuss what neuromotor exercise trainingisandhowtoincorporateitintoyourdailylife.
Chapters 8 and 9 tackle healthy eating practices and weight management, which are often difficult to achieve with the college lifestyle We provide you with the tools you need to be successful in your current environment Thelaterchaptershelpyouroundoutyourawarenessandpracticeofwellnesswithinformation onstress,sleep,addictions,healthysexuality,andreducingrisksformetabolicsyndromeandcancer.
SpecialFeaturesofThisBook
The book will help you reach your goals. Each chapter has key terms to help you focus your study efforts and behavior check sidebars with specific ideas for integrating health concepts into your daily practices. These sidebars encourage small steps, which are helpful for removing barriers to change Also included in each chapterareNowandLatersidebars,whichhelpyourealizethatthepositivechoicesyoumaketodaywilllead toahealthiertomorrow.
Throughout the book, you will find infographics, figures, and evidence-based tables to reinforce the information you are learning in an easy-to-understand way We make an extensive effort to connect research to practice and emphasize that making a healthier option the easy choice is often about simple daily decisions thatmakeahugedifferenceinyourhealth,todayandinthefuture.
InstructorResources
Fitness and Wellness: A Way of Life is supported by a complete set of ancillaries: presentation package, image bank,instructorguide,testpackage,andchapterquizzes
The instructor guide contains semester- and quarter-based syllabi, chapter overviews, key concepts, chapter outlines, class activities to engage discussion and promote self-reflection among students, and answerstothein-textchapterreviewquestions
The presentation package provides more than 700 PowerPoint slides with selected illustrations and tablesfromthetext.
The test package contains more than 350 questions in a mix of true-or-false, multiple-choice, fill-inthe-blank,andessayformats
The ready-made chapter quizzes allow you to check students’ understanding of the most important chapter concepts. Both the test package and chapter quizzes are available in a variety of formats and canbeimportedintomostlearningmanagementsystems
Anotherpowerfulresourceisthewebstudyguideforstudents Thewebstudyguideprovidesinteractivestudy activities designed to help you strengthen your understanding of key chapter concepts. It also includes lab activities for every chapter, with video instructions and demonstrations for the labs that involve assessment of fitness components These assessments focus on your individual scores and the goals you would like to set for
yourself, rather than comparing to others’ scores. The labs provide an opportunity for goal-setting over the course of a quarter, semester, or an entire year, even after you have finished the course. These labs can be downloaded, completed, and then submitted to your instructor through a learning management system Finally, the web study guide contains a functional movement training section, which provides instructions, photos,andvideosdemonstratingexercisetechniquesforallmajormusclegroups.
Not only will this guide help you develop a full understanding of course content but also it will help you evaluate your own fitness and wellness behaviors Through the activities in the web study guide, you will establish goals in the areas of physical activity, exercise, minimizing sedentarism, and health, and you will be encouragedtomakeplansthatwillkeepyouhealthyandwellforlife!
See “Features of the Web Study Guide” on the next page for more information. The web study guide is availableatwww.HumanKinetics.com/FitnessAndWellness
FinalThoughts
The primary goal of this book is to provide a personal, evidence-based interactive tool to help you lead and sustain a healthier, happier, and more productive life Learning how to take care of yourself so you can take care of others is the first step in making a difference in the world Our physicians have medical records that chart our path for preventing illness. We need to take responsibility for charting our own wellness paths. We are rarely encouraged to practice prevention early in our lifetime. Taking charge of your health, rather than expecting medicine to cure you after you ’ ve gotten sick, is an enlightening concept and one that we hope energizesyou
Living well is important to college students regardless of your major. Taking care of yourself will help you have the energy you need to be successful in college and beyond. People who love life and have a positive attitude are often those who are the healthiest and happiest, physically, mentally, and emotionally We are excited to give you the tools you need to embrace healthy behavior changes in your life Kudos to you for taking this class and being open to the possibilities of what healthy living can do for you, now and in your future.Let’sdothis!
FEATURESOFTHEWEBSTUDYGUIDE
PHOTOCREDITS
Table of content photos in chronological order: Adam Hester/Blend Images/Getty Images; Azarubaika/E+/Getty Images; filadendron/E+/Getty Images; Hoxton/Ryan Lees/Getty Images; Kolostock/Blend Images/Getty Images; Kolostock/Blend Images/Getty Images; andresr/E+/Getty Images; Paul Aiken/EyeEm/Getty Images; Guido Mieth/Taxi/Getty Images; Klaus Vedfelt/DigitalVision/Getty Images; PeopleImages/DigitalVision/Getty Images; Todor Tsvetkov/E+/Getty Images Westend61/Getty Images; Mischa Keijser/Cultura/GettyImages;torwai/iStock/GettyImagesPlus;AscentXmedia/Photographer'sChoice/GettyImages
Page 90 (clockwise from top): gpointstudio/iStock/Getty Images Plus; diego cervo/iStock/Getty Images Plus; Antonio Diaz/iStock/ Getty ImagesPlus;TomMerton/Caiaimage/GettyImages;patrickheagney/iStock/GettyImagesPlus;skynesher/E+/GettyImages
Page92:ImageSource/GettyImages
Page 93 (from top to bottom): SolStock/E+/Getty Images; Hero Images/Getty Images; Peter Muller/Cultura/Getty Images; Hill Street Studios/BlendImages/GettyImages
Page 94 (clockwise from top): PeopleImages/DigitalVision/Getty Images; Dimitri Otis/DigitalVision/Getty Images; Copyright Christopher Peddecord2009/Moment/GettyImages;MRBIG PHOTOGRAPHY/E+/GettyImages
Page95:JLPH/ImageSource/GettyImages
Page98:MarcDufresne/E+/GettyImages
Page101:Westend61/GettyImages
Page103:DenkouImages/Cultura/GettyImages
Page105:andresr/E+/GettyImages
Page 108 (clockwise from top): PeopleImages/DigitalVision/Getty Images; Endopack/iStock/Getty Images; Paul Bradbury/Caiaimage/Getty Images;Sam-Stock/iStock/GettyImages;Santa1604/iStock/GettyImagesPlus
Page 226 (clockwise from top): National Archives; National Archives; National Archives; Pete Souza/National Archives; Ken CedenoPool/GettyImages;KenCedeno-Pool/GettyImages
Wellness, well-being, health, and fitness are generally interchangeable terms that can be defined differently depending on your life circumstances. This book will help you to keep a positive outlook on what it means to be well It will not offer prescriptions or scare you about what will happen if you don’t practice healthy behaviors Instead, this book emphasizes your personal lifestyle choices After all, a lifestyle is a long-term process for which there are no quick fixes. The medicalmodel, used by trained medical experts, focuses on prescribingdrugsandprocedureswhenillnessisthecauseofalifestylechange.Thewellnessmodelempowers personal lifestyle choice and utilizes self-management skills for preventing disease through focusing on living well Our overall vision for FitnessandWellness:AWayofLife is to empower, educate, and encourage readers topracticeproductiveandhealthylifestylechoices.
When you think of people who are healthy and well, what comes to mind? Getting eight hours of sleep? Not smoking? Eating broccoli and kale? You may picture hiking with friends Do you think of people accomplishing incredible physical feats or just being generally active most of the time? Or maybe you ’ re visualizing someone coming out of a yoga class with a deep sense of peace Do the people you ’ ve thought of smilemoreorseemmorepositivetoyouthanotherpeople?Oristheresomethingevendeeperthatmarksthe personashealthyandwell?
StayingHealthyThroughtheLifeSpan
Alifewelllivedstartswithanunderstandingofproductivehealthandwellnesspractices Thisincludesfeeling goodenoughaboutyourbodytolivewell toeatwell,movemore,andattendtoallaspectsoflife(emotions, spirituality)thatmakeyouhealthy.Recentbooksandarticlesreportanewfocusonwellnesspractices.People aremoreaware than ever that health can come in many sizes and so are losing interest in diet fads or extreme exercise programs When people love their bodies, regardless of their size, they are prone to care for their bodies and eat healthy foods instead of buying diet foods (Schlossberg 2016) Michelle Segar (2015) believes that human decision making, motivation, and a behavior focus are the keys to healthy daily movement practices She notes that prescribing a behavior (for example, a change in diet or exercise) comes out of a medicalframework Theactivitytrackercrazeisanexampleofthisnewfocusonbehavior Peoplearelearning thatmovingmorethroughoutthedaycanbeasbeneficialtohealthasgoingtoafitnessfacilityforaworkout Seligman(2011),likeSegar(2015),alsofocusesmoreonbehavioralchoices.Hebelievestherearefivekeysto flourishing, which are positive emotions, engagement, relationships, meaning, and accomplishment In essence, staying healthy through the life span requires a focus on healthy habits, motivation, and behavioral choices Allthesewillhelpyoufendoffearlypreventablediseasesandliveyourbestlife
Forthefirsttimesince1993,lifeexpectancy (how long you live) in the United States has declined, from 789 yearsto788years(Xuetal 2016),whilegloballifeexpectancyhasrisen PeoplebornintheUnitedStatesin 2015 can expect to live an average of 71.4 years (73.8 years for women, 69.1 years for men; women still live, on average, longer than men) The longest life span is currently in Japan at almost 84 years The shortest life expectancies are in Africa However, in general, the US population is seeing a turn toward overall longevity stabilizing
The top 10 list of leading causes of death in the United States has not changed since 2014, and 7 of the causesarechronicdiseases Thetoptwo(heartdiseaseandcancer)accountforover60percentofdeathsfrom thosecausesintheUnitedStates(figure11)
Notes:Atotalof2,712,630residentdeathswereregisteredintheUnitedStatesin2015 The10leadingcausesaccountedfor742percentof all deaths in the United States in 2015. Causes of death are ranked according to number of deaths. Access data table for figure 1.1 at wwwcdcgov/nchs/data/databriefs/db267 tablepdf#3 SOURCE:NCHS,NationalVitalStatisticsSystem,Mortality ReprintedfromNCHSDataBriefN 267,December2016
Contrast the decrease in U.S. life expectancy, despite the United States spending billions of dollars on health care, with the increase in world life expectancy (Boseley 2016) The US government is not doing much to fund wellness, but US companies are starting to help their employees be well because it is good for business According to Springbuk (2017), almost one-third of worksites increased their overall benefits offerings in 2016, and health benefits (22 percent) and wellness benefits (24 percent) were the most likely to experiencegrowth Remembertoaskabouthealthandwellnessbenefitswhenyouinterviewforajob
Many factors affect longevity Best-selling author Dan Buettner (2015) takes a unique approach to understanding how to increase the life span. He studied places in the world that had the longest life expectancy (he called them blue zones) and discovered that within these areas, people generally had healthy diets and moved more (figure 12) Therefore, where you live can affect your life span Income also plays a part Chetty and colleagues (2016) found that in the United States, the richest men live 15 years longer than thepoorestmen,andtherichestwomenlive10yearslongerthanthepoorestwomen.
Why are Americans not living as long as people from other countries around the world? Could this recent decrease in longevity (Xu et al. 2016) be due to technology and automation influencing sedentary lifestyles in our work and play? Is it because we sit too much, eat too much, or do most daily tasks (ie, turn on the dishwasher) with a press of a button? Maybe these choices are made for us by the environment we choose to
live in. Modern medicine has enhanced overall longevity, yet could technology and sedentary living be balancing out the influence of modern medicine in terms of overall life expectancy? Maybe the true meaning of being well has more to do with how we live our lives and where we choose to live and less to do with medicalinterventions Maybethekeytolivingwellisactuallythelifechoiceswemakeonadailybasis
This book focuses on the wellness factors that influence longevity. Although the United States spends billions of dollars on health care (Boseley 2016), it is up to you to take care of yourself so you can prevent illness and be well Good for you for reading this book! It will help you learn how to make decisions for yourselfthatwillempowerawellnesswayofthinkingandliving
According to the US National Prevention Health Promotion and Public Health Council (2016), Americans reachingtheageof65todaycanexpect,onaverage,toliveanadditional19years Oneofthemainfocusesof this book is living well throughout the life span. Take a look at your older relatives and friends. Are they leadingfunctionallysuccessfullivesastheyage?
Is a longer life a better life? The term healthspan is a new one that describes how well those later years of life are Life expectancy can be divided into healthy years and unhealthy years Of course, you want to live more healthy years than unhealthy ones. Taking care of your body, mind, and soul is critical for adding more years to your health span. What you put into your body and how you take care of it now will increase the numberofhealthyyearsandreducethenumberofunhealthyyears Wouldn’titbenicetoquietlyfallasleepat theendoflifeknowingthatyougaveityourbestshot?
BehaviorCheck
What’sYourFamilyHealthSpan?
Now that you understand the difference between life span and health span, think about your grandparents and parents Wouldyousaytheyarelivingwellasolderadults?Ifyes,whydoyouthinkthis?Ifno,whynot?Whathabitsdoyoupossess that they too have? How do you envision your health span unfolding throughout your life span after watching your own relativesmovethroughtheirs?
Figure13showslifespanextensionfrom60-year-oldsthrough90-year-olds Notethatlivingwithdiseasefrom60to90 years old is not a quality health span. In contrast, a morbidity period that is compressed to a few years in your 80s does indicateahigh-qualityhealthspan Yourhealthandhabitstodaydictatewhichofthesepathsyouwillgodownlaterinlife
Figure1.3 By delaying the onset of disease, you can delay death, increasing your life span and the quality of life in later years
Most medical research is targeted at a disease in isolation, and yet evidence is mounting that physiological changesduetoagingincorporatealargemajorityof chronicdiseasestates,manyofwhichcouldbeprevented bymakinghealthylifestylechoices Wetakegreatcareinvestinginour401(k)sowewillbefinanciallysecure in our older years, investing in well-being is a sort of 401(k) for life If you don’t have your health, it will be difficulttoenjoyyourlateryears,evenifyouhavealotofmoney.
NationalWellnessGoals
Healthy People 2020 (HP 2020) and soon to be released Healthy People 2030 (HP 2030), government initiatives, set goals for improving the health and wellness in the United States Their main goal is to provide data-drivendecisionsonimprovingqualityoflifeandreducingpreventablediseasesandprematuredeath The reports provide science-based objectives for improving health and wellness on a global and individual basis. The major goals of HP 2020 and HP 2030 are to empower people to make informed health decisions and to measuretheeffectofpreventionactivities,withthesupportofgovernmentandcommunityresources
A private company called Healthways also sets well-being goals for companies and states in the United States Understanding worksite wellness practices is important when picking a place to work GallupHealthways has a well-being index that includes not only the major components of wellness but also social, community, physical, and financial aspects of life. Each year Gallup-Healthways surveys over 100,000 people by phone in all 50 states and in Washington, DC Their 2016 survey revealed that 554 percent of Americans were thriving and that smoking rates had continued to decline However, chronic diseases such as diabetes,obesity,anddepressionwereattheirhighestpointssince2008(Gallup-Healthways2017).
information, along with other factors such as crime, commute time, unemployment, and cost of living, to determine the happiest and saddest states According to Hauser (2016), Hawaii was where the happiest people lived and West Virginia was where the saddest people lived. Khalid (2016) agreed that West Virginia wasthesaddeststateandfoundUtahtobethehappieststate Figure14outlinesthetop10happieststatesin theUnitedStates
Figure1.4 Toptenhappieststatestolivein,2016.
DatafromGallup-Healthways(2017)
NewPerspectivesonWellness
Past generations often defined the state of health as the absence of disease. But it’s so much more than that. Arloski(2014)depictswellnessasaprocessofmakingchoicesforamoresuccessfulexistence Hissevensteps forlastingwellnessareasfollows:
You will see many of these steps in this book as we guide you through your own movement and wellness journey.
Dr Jack Travis, an MD who created one of the first wellness inventory surveys in the mid-1970s, had a mission to shift the focus of the medical culture from authoritarianism and domination to partnership and cooperation His vision was ahead of its time and also in line with being healthy throughout the health span Travis’s illness–wellness model (Well People 2011; see figure1.5) depicts a paradigm where the neutral point is neither illness nor wellness We move either right or left on this wellness continuum based on personal choices Totherightarehigh-levelwellnessandenhancedhealthandwell-being Totheleftaresymptomsof disease and even disability, which can cause premature death even before they take action on our physical or
mental health. Dr. Travis is a pioneer in the creation of shifting our mindset beyond traditional medical and wellnesspractices.
Dr Travis also believes that the current state of health is only the tip of the iceberg (Well People 2011) His vision of wellness is in line with contemporary research on aging, which tells us we have not studied wellness for as long as we have studied disease and pathology. Consider the iceberg model. The first level of the iceberg is the lifestyle or behavioral level. It includes what to eat, how to move, letting go of stress, and preventing accidents If you chip away at the first level and start working on improving behavioral aspects of health, and then deepen further to the psychological or motivational level, you may improve your longevity For true well-being, it is important to delve deeper into the connections between all the dimensions of wellness discussed in this book. Travis recommends diving below the surface to discover connections between eating well and moving, as well as socializing and enjoying a vacation All of these options make up your healthandwellnessoverthelifespan Tomaintainalifestylechange,wemustunderstandwhywearemaking the change. This requires research into the cultural, psychological, motivational, and even spiritual levels of well-being. Overall, changing wellness behaviors is complex. You will need concerted effort, focus, and balance to chip away at the iceberg and thus create a lasting healthy lifestyle focused on living long and living well
A contemporary wellness focus encourages taking charge of one ’ s health and wellness in order to enhance life expectancy In addition to Dr Travis’s iceberg model, there are many other ways to break down wellness into workable pieces See figure 16 for a progression of wellness models The wellness pie and puzzle are commonly used to describe how wellness all comes together. These models are limiting because the pieces fit perfectlytogetheranddonotoverlapor intermix.Thereality oflifeis notthisperfect. Habitsfromonepiece rolloverintotheotherpieces Also,atanygiventime,wemaybeworkingmoreononepieceofwellnessthan another Forexample,acollegestudent’swellnessfocuswouldbemoreontheintellectualandsocialpiecesof the pie, while the occupational and environmental pieces may take a backseat until graduation. In our 30s or 40s,ourfocusisonemotionalandoccupationalwellness(marriage,kids,andwork).Inour50sand60s,when our kids leave home, there is more time for environmental discovery (eg, cruises and hikes) Finally, in our 70sand80s,thesocialandintellectualbecomemoreimportanttopreservetowardtheendoflife Throughout all of life, the physical, spiritual, and financial pieces are staples. Without these three pieces, it would be difficulttomovethroughlifeandbehappy,stable,andwell.Onanothernote,weallhaveourwellnessmodel preferences thecomponentsofwellnessthatareimportanttousateachparticularstageinlife
Lifestyle change occurs during the transition of working on one or more wellness areas The newest wellness model, with its focus on the ebb and flow of wellness components throughout the life span, depicts wellnessnotasapieorpuzzlepiecebutratheraswhatyouvalueandwanttobringwithyouthroughoutyour life Yourownwellnessmodeliscloselyalignedwithyourreality,wherethesignificanceofdifferentareasebbs andflowsthroughoutlifebasedonwhatyouvalueandthelifechoicesyoumake Wellnessisactuallyhowyou jugglealltheselifechoicesinordertoliveafulfillinglifeandpreventearly-onsetlifestylediseases.Thedecade ofour20siswherewemakemanylifechoicesthataffectouradultlives Ourpersonalassetsfromlifeinclude who we marry, our career choices, and what college we attend Meg Jay, a psychologist who wrote a book on the20s,callsthiscollectionofourpersonalassets“identitycapital”(2012)
Wellnesscanbeclassifiedintoeightmajorareas:physical,emotional,intellectual,social,environmental, occupational,financial,andspiritual.Asyoureadabouttheeightmajorareasofwellnessbelow,consideryour ownstrengthsandweaknesses Then,writedownafewideasofwellnesscomponentsyoumightwanttofocus on related to changing habits and lifestyle Lab 11 in the web study guide will utilize knowledge of the wellnesscomponentsandaskyoutopickafewareasyouwanttoworkon.
PhysicalWellness
Physical wellness is not only being active and fit but also being able to move and function effectively. It is carrying out daily tasks with vigor and energy or enjoying leisure-time pursuits without getting tired or sore For example, someone who is physically well can go on a one- to two-mile (16 to 32 km) run and not feel sore the next day It includes having enough physical health to perform adequate functional daily living activities because you are eating well and moving enough throughout the day. Physical wellness also involves making informed health decisions for your safety It includes getting enough sleep, using alcohol and drugs responsibly, not texting while driving, and using sunscreen Finally, it can also include intentional and responsible sexual choices and managing injuries and illnesses effectively by practicing good self-care A large portion of this book is dedicated to the physical aspect of wellness. Often, having adequate physical wellness opensupthedoortoworkingonotheraspectsofwellnesswithenergyandenthusiasm
EmotionalWellness
Emotional wellness is your ability to carry on day-to-day activities with self-confidence and optimism It meanshavingtheabilitytounderstandandacceptyourfeelings Itisalsoaboutbeingfreefromemotionaland mental illnesses such as clinical depression. Sharing feelings with others and going through life more often happy than depressed are important to having a fulfilling life. People who possess a high level of emotional wellness generally have a positive outlook on life and are easily content They are stable, dependable, positive, and persistent They also can live and work independently while reaching out to others when in need Achievingthistypeofwellnessalsoinvolvesfindingprofessionalhelpwhenneeded.
IntellectualWellness
People who possess good intellectual wellness are lifelong learners who focus on growing throughout the life
span. Enjoying intellectual wellness involves constantly being challenged mentally. Instead of choosing a television show for background noise, sort through the offerings to find an educational program that is also entertaining Intellectual wellness involves thinking logically and solving problems in order to meet life’s challenges with creative ideas It is reading books for pleasure and enjoyment and being open to learning new ways of thinking and working. If you are curious and motivated to master new skills or learn new things, you have high intellectual wellness. Finally, critical thinking and the courage to question the status quo are also aspectsofhighintellectualwellness
Do you know the difference between illness and wellness? Illness begins with “I” and wellness begins with “ we ”
Human beings are generally social We strive to maintain positive and satisfying interpersonal relationships, which requires effective communication skills. Social wellness involves the ability to interact with others in meaningful ways that help establish long-term relationships A person with a strong level of social wellness is generally characterized as being engaged in life rather than lonely The ability to communicate effectively and develop a capacity for intimacy are also important elements of social wellness. The most critical skills for social wellness are finding social relationships, giving support, being assertive, practicing self-disclosure and emotional expression, and managing conflict Finally, engaging in community activities,helpingothers,andlisteningareimportantinbuildingpositivesocialwellness Ifyousensetheneed toimproveyoursocialwellness,considerseekingoutclubsandgroupsthatshareyoursameinterests!
EnvironmentalWellness
Your sense of place in your surroundings includes your comfort within the environment where you live For example, when you moved into your college space, did you bring some items that made you feel more at home? If you did, you were creating your own sense of place so you could feel comfortable in a new environment.Thisworkofsettlinginisimportantnomatterwhereyouliveorwork.Thisconcepthasalotto dowithyourenvironmentalwellnessonaday-to-daybasis
Sociologists and urban planners study why certain places hold special meaning to people They call this process place mapping. The term has been identified as a way to observe human behavior. Buettner’s blue zones (2015) are an example of place mapping. Having a strong senseofplace will help you carefully select the placeyoulive,sinceitwillinfluenceyourenvironmentalwellness Rememberthestateswherepeoplewerethe happiest? Sense of place also relates to deeply feeling an emotion or sense of identity when you go to a particularplace.
Thinkabouthowitfeelstogohomefromcollegetoyourfamiliarfamilyhome.Allyourthingsareinplace where you put them, the family dog comes to greet you, and you feel comfortable, safe, and relaxed in this space Now think about where you will live when you leave college Is there a history of violence where you choose to live? Is your environment walkable? Can you take steps to make sure your lifestyle is respectful of the environment and helps create sustainable human and ecological communities? Are recycling and gardening space available? Essentially, what is the livability of your surroundings, and do they meet your expectations for a happy and healthy environment? If not, then how can you make sure you live in an environmentthatmeetsyourexpectations?Whatisyourplantomakethishappen?
Occupational wellness refers to the level of happiness and satisfaction you gain from the work you choose. Consideringthemanydaysyouwillspendatwork,jobchoicesareessentialtohealthandwellness Yourwellbeingisconnectedtohavingajobthatismeaningfulandfulfilling,givesyoupersonalsatisfaction,andallows youtouseyourskillstocontributetoyourcommunity Havinggoodoccupationalwellnessismorethanbeing paidwell.Ifyoudon’tvaluetheworkorgainpersonalsatisfactionfromit,itdoesnotmatterhowwellyouare paid In an ideal job, your supervisors recognize your work, you generally enjoy your coworkers, and the work is satisfying Look for a job, but hunt for a career Finding fulfilling work right out of college is often tough However, if you are hunting for a fulfilling career rather than chasing money and prestige, you are heading in therightdirectionforanoccupationyoumightenjoyforyearstocome.
