Chapter 1: A Healthy Foundation Lesson 1: Your Health & Wellness

BELL ACTIVITY: How healthy are you??  List at least 5 conditions or behaviors that indicate the state of your own health.  (What do you or do you not do for your health?)  Example: Brushing teeth.

Being Healthy  What does it mean to be healthy?  Good health involves every part of your life.  Health – a combination of physical, mental/emotional, and social well-being. Physical Health has to do with the condition of your body. Physical Health has to do with the condition of your body. Mental/Emotional Health deals with your thoughts and emotions. Emotions are feelings such as joy, love, and fear. Mental/Emotional Health deals with your thoughts and emotions. Emotions are feelings such as joy, love, and fear. Your Social Health involves ways in which you relate to other people. Your Social Health involves ways in which you relate to other people.

Physical Health  Eat a well-balanced diet  Stay fit through regular exercise.  Get at least 8 hours of sleep each night.  Keep your body, teeth, and hair clean.  Have regular medical and dental check ups.  Avoid tobacco, alcohol, and drugs.

Mental/Emotional Health  Face problems with a positive and realistic attitude.  Express your feelings clearly and calmly to others.  Set priorities so that you will not be overwhelmed by school, responsibilities at home, or athletic activities.  See your mistakes as opportunities to learn, grow, and change.  Recognize your weak areas and try to improve them.  Develop effective decision-making skills.  Use your talents effectively.  Accept responsibility for your actions.  Stand up for your beliefs and values.  Remain open to learning new information.

Social Health  Have a friendly, open attitude toward other people.  Learn to communicate effectively.  Respect and care for family members.  Be a loyal, truthful, and dependable friend.  Honor other people’s feelings.  Respect other people’s property.  Learn to disagree without arguing.  Learn to resolve conflicts effectively.  Give support and help when it is needed.

Would you believe??  Laughter may actually be “good medicine.” Individual experiences and scientific experiments document the close relationship between good emotional health, as expressed in humor and laughter, and good physical health.  In Anatomy of Illness, an account of his struggle with severe and painful connective tissue disease, Norman Cousins wrote, “I made the joyous discovery that ten minutes of genuine belly laughter had an anesthetic effect and would give me at least two hours of pain-free sleep.”

Staying in balance  It’s easy to concentrate on one aspect of health and neglect the others.  A totally healthy person however, keeps physical, mental/emotional, and social health in proper balance.

The Health Triangle

Wellness  Keeping the three parts of your health triangle balanced is the best way to achieve wellness.  What does it mean to have a high level of wellness?

Closing Questions/Review  Define the term emotions.  Explain the meaning of wellness.  Identify three aspects of health that must be balanced in order to achieve wellness.  Explain the relationship between health and wellness.  If your triangle is out of balance… Why? What can you do to balance it?