Understanding Health and Wellness PDF

Understanding Health and Wellness Your Total Health...

Understanding Health and Wellness Your Total Health Before You Read BIG Idea Being in the best of health What does health mean to you? On the lines below, list some throughout your life means characteristics of healthy people. Then read the lesson to learn making healthy choices and practicing healthful behaviors. more about the parts of total health. Study Coach Cluster Chart Draw a circle and label it “Health.” Use surrounding circles to define and describe this term. As you read, Read to Learn continue filling in the chart with more details. Take Charge of Your Health Every day, you make decisions that shape your health. Copyright © by The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc. All rights reserved. Health is the combination of physical, mental/emotional, and social well-being. In this book, you will learn how to take Health charge of your health for a lifetime. Picture This Describe How are the teens in the photo taking charge of their health? ___________________ ___________________ Reading Essentials Your Total Health Ed-Imaging GHRE_CH01_849263.indd G d 1 7/30/0 7/30/09 /3 /099  Your Health Triangle When you are in good health, you have the energy to enjoy life. What can you do to stay healthy? Think of your health as a triangle made up of three equal parts. These parts are your physical health, mental/emotional health, and social health. It is important to pay attention to all three parts of your health triangle. If you focus too much or too little on one area, the triangle can become unbalanced. Copyright © by The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc. All rights reserved. Understanding Health and Wellness Reading Essentials GHRE_CH01_849263.indd GHRE_CH0 dd 2 7/30/0 7/30/09 /3 /099  What is physical health? Having good physical health means having a healthy body. Here are five actions you can take to maintain physical health: t Get eight to ten hours of sleep each night. t Eat healthy meals and drink eight cups of water each day. t Get 30 to 60 minutes of physical activity every day. t Avoid the use of tobacco, alcohol, and other drugs. t Bathe, floss, and brush your teeth every day. What is mental/emotional health? Mental/emotional health is about your feelings and thoughts. People who are mentally and emotionally healthy: 3. Relate How can poor mental/emotional health t Enjoy challenges that help them grow. affect physical health? t Take responsibility for their actions. t Have a sense of control over their lives. t Can express emotions in positive ways. t Deal with stress and frustration in healthy ways. t Have a mostly positive outlook. t Make thoughtful decisions. Mental and emotional health also includes spiritual health. Spiritual health is a deep-seated sense of meaning and Copyright © by The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc. All rights reserved. purpose. Spiritually healthy people have a sense of purpose 4. Identify What are some and value that guide their actions in life. of the characteristics of good mental/emotional What is social health? health? Social health involves getting along with others. You do not need to have a lot of friends to have good social health. Sometimes just having a few special people with whom you can share your thoughts and feelings is enough. Maintaining healthy relationships is one way to care for your social health. This involves: t Supporting others and asking for help when needed. t Communicating clearly and listening to others. t Showing respect for yourself and others. How can you maintain wellness? When your health triangle is balanced, you have a high degree of wellness. Wellness is an overall state of well-being or total health. Wellness comes from practicing behaviors that are based on sound health knowledge. You can maintain wellness by balancing the three parts of your health. Reading Essentials Your Total Health GHRE_CH01_849263.indd 3 7/30/09 9:57:26 AM  Keeping a Balance Think about someone whose friends are the most important part of her life. She enjoys spending a lot of time with them, but doesn’t always get the rest she needs. Her health triangle is not balanced. Her social health is fine, but her physical and mental/emotional health are suffering. Focusing on only one side of the health triangle will leave the other two sides unbalanced. Ignoring any area of the health triangle affects your total health. To keep a balance, pay attention to all three areas of your health. The Health Continuum Your health and wellness are always changing. Your health 5. Predict How might your behaviors today affect your at any moment can be seen as a point along a continuum, health in the future? or sliding scale. At one end of the continuum is the loss of health and wellness. At the other end is a high level of health and wellness. Changes in your health during your lifetime will affect where your health is placed on the continuum. For example, your position on the continuum might change if you are injured in an accident. Your position might also change if you catch a cold or flu. Changes in your health can also happen slowly. Risk factors 6. Analyze Where would you place your health on such as smoking and poor nutrition can lead to chronic Copyright © by The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc. All rights reserved. the continuum? Why? disease. Chronic disease is an ongoing condition or illness, such as heart disease, obesity, or cancer. Practicing healthful behaviors throughout your life will help you to maintain a high level of wellness. The Health Continuum Premature Loss of Health Improved Health High Level Death and Wellness and Wellness of Health Chronic Lack of energy, Free from aches Moderate level Optimal level disorders inattention, minor and pains of energy of energy, feeling aches and pains of well-being Understanding Health and Wellness Reading Essentials d 4 7/30/0 7/30/09 /09