Taking Charge of Your Health - Kinesiology 1113 Chapter 1

TAKING CHARGE OF YOUR HEALTH Chapter 1 Kinesiology 1113 January 8, 2025 Plan for Today: Reminders: Tutorials Start NEXT Week! Connect Chapter 1 Defining Health Started as “the absence of disease” Further defined as overall condition of a person’s...

TAKING CHARGE OF YOUR HEALTH Chapter 1 Kinesiology 1113 January 8, 2025 Plan for Today: Reminders: Tutorials Start NEXT Week! Connect Chapter 1 Defining Health Started as “the absence of disease” Further defined as overall condition of a person’s body Then moved into the different dimensions of health (outlined in TB) and the idea of wellness Wellness: Social Determinants of Health 1. Income and income distribution 3. Unemployment and job security 4. Employment and working conditions 6. Food insecurity Social Determinants of Health 7. Housing 9. Health services 12. Race 13. Disability Leading Causes of Death  Health Considerations for Diverse Populations Common (in a perfect world) goals: – Eating well, exercising, managing stress – Knowing how to use the healthcare system – Knowing to protect yourself from cancers, heart disease, etc Differences = – Predisposition to genetic health concerns – The way we grew up (social determinants of health!!)  Health Considerations for Diverse Populations Two things to be mindful of: 1. Not stereotyping or talking about people as groups – everyone is their own individual with their own experiences 2. Not overgeneralizing or ignoring the diversity of groups although they may be grouped together More About Wellness… Achieving Wellness Requires: Knowledge Self-awareness Motivation Effort Factors That Influence Health Health habits Heredity and family history The environment Access to health care Steps Towards Reaching Wellness Cultivating healthy behaviours and working to overcome unhealthy ones This is a long and often difficult process Experience benefits of wellness – more energy, greater appreciation, curiosity, higher quality of life Steps Towards Reaching Wellness 1. Getting Serious About Your Health Examining your own health habits Choosing a target behaviour (what do you want to change) Learning about your target behaviour (current risks and benefits) Find help – especially when deeply rooted or if you don’t know where to start Steps Towards Reaching Wellness 2. Building Motivation to Change Examining the pros/cons of changing a behaviour Boosting self-confidence through things like: Visualization Self-talk Role models/other people of support Identity barriers to overcome change Steps Towards Reaching Wellness 3. Enhancing Your Readiness to Change Steps Towards Reaching Wellness 4. Dealing with Relapse Because it will happen and that is ok Most people make several attempts at change before it is successful Some steps to follow: forgive yourself, give credit for the progress that has been made, and move on (learn from this experience) Steps Towards Reaching Wellness 5. Creating a Personalized Plan 1. Monitor your behaviour and gather data 2. Analyze the data and identify patterns 3. Be SMART about goal setting 4. Devise a plan of action 5. Make a personal contract Steps Towards Reaching Wellness 6. Staying With It 1. Social influences 2. Levels of motivation and commitment 3. Choice of techniques and level of effort Being Healthy for Life Making Changes in Your World Can’t control things like genetics, health care, and environment You can make a different though – create an environment that supports your wellness (and others) References Irwin, J. D., Burke, S. M., Insel, C. E., Roth W. T, & Insel, P. M. (2023). Core concepts in health (4th Canadian ed.). McGraw-Hill.