Wellness Unit Notes

Section 1 - Your Total Health

❖ Health is the combination of physical, mental/emotional, and social well being
❖ Every day you make decisions that shape your health. You are responsible for your
health.
❖ In order to stay healthy, it’s important to understand the areas of health. These are
described as your health triangle.
❖ It’s important to focus on all 3 areas of your health triangle.
❖ Concentrating too much or too little on one area can cause an imbalance.

Physical Health:

❖ Physical health is about how well your body functions.

❖ Having a high level of physical health means having the energy to carry out your daily
tasks, deal with everyday stress, and avoid injury.

❖ 5 important actions you can take:

1. Get 8-10 of sleep.
2. Eat nutritious meals & drink 8 cups of water each day.
3. Participate in 30-60% of physical activity.
4. Avoid using tobacco, alcohol, and other drugs.
5. Shower daily, and brush your teeth.

Mental and Emotional Health:

❖ Relates to your feelings and thoughts.

 ❖ A reflection of yourself, how you meet the demands of your life, and how you cope with
problems.
❖ Can also include spiritual health: A sense of meaning & purpose in life. Having a sense
of your values.
❖ When you are mentally & emotionally healthy, you:
➢ Enjoy challenges that help you grow
➢ Accept responsibilities for your actions
➢ Have control over your life
➢ Express your emotions in appropriate ways
➢ Can deal with stresses and frustrations
➢ Have a positive outlook
➢ Make thoughtful and responsible decisions

Social Health: can be described as getting

along with others
❖ Maintaining healthy relationships involves:
➢ Seeking and lending support when needed.
➢ Communicating clearly & listening to others.
➢ Showing respect and care for yourself
and others.

Wellness: An overall state of well-being or total health.

❖ A high degree of wellness occurs when your health triangle is balanced.
❖ Healthful behaviors will promote your wellness.

Health vs Wellness: What is the difference?

❖ Health: The combination of physical, social, and mental/emotional well-being.
❖ Wellness: An overall state of well-being; Keeping a balance among the 3 components
of your health triangle.

The Health Continuum.

 ❖ A slide scale that spans the complete range of health.
❖ Your health and wellness are always changing.
❖ Many Americans move toward the lower end as they get older.
❖ One-half of American adults live with a chronic disease.
➢ Defined as: An ongoing condition or illness, such as heart disease, obesity, &
cancer.
➢ Most common risk factors are: smoking, lack of physical activity, poor
nutrition, being overweight, and lack of health screenings.
➢ By making a commitment to healthy behaviors, you’re more likely to stay at the
higher end of the continuum and avoid chronic disease.

Answer the following questions in complete sentences:

1. What aspects of your physical environment contribute to a healthful environment?

Some aspects of the physical environment that contribute to a healthful environment are clean
air, pure water, safe communities, and safe workspaces.

2. How does your social environment contribute to positive health behaviors?

Your social environment can contribute to positive health behaviors by providing support and
resources that promote healthy lifestyle choices.
Section 2: Influences on Your Health

❖ Heredity: The traits that were biologically passed on to you from your parents.
➢ The most obvious traits are physical ones. You also inherit basic intellectual
abilities. Tendencies towards specific diseases can also be inherited.
❖ Environment: The sum of your surroundings.
➢ Physical Environment: You may not have control over your physical environment
at this time. But it's important to recognize factors that contribute to it.
➢ Neighborhood & school safety; air & water quality; access to medical care
➢ Social Environment: Peers are people of the same age who share similar
interests.
➢ Culture: Collective beliefs, customs, and behaviors of a group.
➢ May be an ethnic group, a community, a nation, or a specific part of the world.
➢ Language, food, spiritual beliefs, traditions.
❖ Attitude: The way you view situations
➢ Optimistic : Glass half-full; positive
➢ Pessimistic : Glass half-empty; negative
❖ Behavior: How you act: You have total control over your behaviors.
➢ You can choose to avoid high-risk behaviors in favor of healthful behaviors.
❖ Media: Defined as: The various methods for communicating information

➢ Media is delivered through technology: radio, TV, internet, smartphones.

Answer the following question in complete sentences:

1. How do media & technology influence your attitude & behaviors?

Media and technology may influence your attitude and behaviors based on certain trends or
celebrity lifestyle influence.

Section 3: Health Risks & Your Behavior

❖ Risk Behaviors: actions that can threaten your health or the health of others.
➢ Examples: Smoking, Drug Use, Lack of Exercise.
 ❖ Cumulative Risks: Related risks that increase in effect with each added risk.
➢ They can increase when several risk factors are combined. Example: Using a cell
phone & speeding both are risky behaviors. Engaging in both of these increases
your chance of getting into a car accident.
❖ Six risk behaviors that account for most of the deaths & disabilities among young people
under age 24:
➢ Tobacco
➢ Unhealthy dietary behaviors
➢ Inadequate physical activity
➢ Alcohol & other drug use
➢ Sexual behaviors that may result in STDs & unintended pregnancies
➢ Behaviors that contribute to unintentional injuries & violence
❖ Prevention can be defined as taking steps to keep something from happening or
getting worse. Example: medical & dental checkups.
❖ Abstinence: A deliberate decision to avoid high-risk behaviors, including sexual
activity & the use of tobacco, alcohol, & other drugs.
➢ All areas of your health triangle benefit when you choose to abstain from
high-risk behaviors!
➢ You show that you value your well-being,
❖ Lifestyle Factors: Personal habits or behaviors related to the way a person lives.
➢ People who exhibit positive health habits regularly tend to be healthier and live
longer.
➢ These include:
■ 8 hours of sleep each night
■ Eating a healthy breakfast
■ Eating a variety of nutritious foods
■ Getting 30 - 60 minutes of physical activity most days of the week
■ Maintaining a healthy weight
■ Abstaining from smoking & other tobacco products
■ Abstaining from alcohol & other drugs

Section 4: Taking charge of your Health

Health Skills: Specific tools and strategies to maintain, protect, and improve all aspects of
your health.

❖ Interpersonal Communication: The exchange of thoughts, feelings and beliefs

between two or more people.
● Helps you build strong relationships with others
❖ Ways to strengthen your interpersonal communication:
➢ Use I messages
➢ Communicate with respect and caring
➢ Be an active listener
❖ Refusal Skills: Communication strategies that can help you say no when you are
urged to take part in behaviors that are unsafe or unhealthful, or that go against your
values.
➢ Examples:
■ Firmly say NO
■ Explain WHY
■ Offer alternatives
■ Stand your ground
■ Leave if necessary
❖ Conflict Resolution Skills: The process of ending a conflict through cooperation and
problem solving.
➢ Stepping away from an argument
➢ Allowing the conflict to subside
➢ Using good interpersonal communication skills
➢ Maintaining an attitude of respect for yourself & the other person
❖ Self Management Skills:
➢ Practicing healthful behaviors
➢ Managing stress
■ Stress management skills: Skills that help you reduce & manage
stress in your life.
❖ Advocacy: Taking action to influence others to address a health-related concern or to
support a health-related belief.
➢ Obeying laws that protect community health
➢ Sharing health information with family and friends
 ➢ Developing and sending out health messages

Section 5: Decision Making:

❖ Decision-making skills help you make successful, responsible choices

❖ Values: The ideas, beliefs, and attitudes about what is important that help guide the
way you live.
❖ Decision-making Skills: Steps that enable you to make a healthful decision.
❖ Decision-Making Process:
■ Step 1 (D): Define the problem
■ Step 2 (E): Explore the options
■ Step 3 (C): Weigh the possible consequences
■ Step 4 (I): Identify your values
■ Step 5 (D): Decide & act on it
■ Step 6 (E): Evaluate the decision
❖ Help Strategy:
■ H - Healthful: Does this choice present health risks?
■ E - Ethical: Does this choice reflect what you value?
■ L - Legal: Does this choice violate any laws?
■ P - Parent Approval: Would your parents approve of this choice?
❖ Peer pressure: The influence that people your age may have on you.
■ Learning effective refusal skills will help you deal with negative peer
pressure
■ Positive Peer Pressure: Can influence you in many positive ways
● Inspire you to try a new activity
● Participate in community projects
● Not participating in risky behaviors or activities
■ Negative Peer Pressure: Peers may pressure others to take part in
behaviors or accept beliefs that have negative consequences.

Section 6: Goal Setting:

➢ Short-Term: A goal that you can reach in a short period of time.

➢ Long-Term: A goal that you plan to reach over an extended period of time.
➢ Action Plan: A multi-step strategy to identify and achieve your goals.
❖ Goal Setting - Action Plan:
● Set a specific, realistic goal & write it down
● List the steps you will take to reach your goal
● Identify sources of help and support
● Set a reasonable time frame for achieving your goal
● Evaluate your progress by establishing checkpoints
● Reward yourself for achieving your goal