HEALTHY CHANGES:
4 Steps Towards Overall Health
Understanding Your "Total Health"
Total
Health
Assess
Your Total Health
Prioritize
Step 2:
Make the Commitment
Step 3:
Assessment & Goals
Step 4:
ACTION TOOL RESOURCE CENTER
Step 1: UNDERSTANDING YOUR TOTAL HEALTH
Total Health & Wholeness | Assessing Your Total Health | Prioritizing Need
Now What?
As part of your Personal Health Assessment you are asked to set goals for better health and wellness. The second page of the Personal Health Assessment Form is a "Goal Form" that allows you a place to set goals for improvement. Work with your healthcare provider to set realistic goals for your personal health and wellness.
Prioritizing Areas of Need
Depending on what your Total Health Assessments reveal in the step 3, you should then make decisions about the health changes you need to make, and how they should be prioritized. Choose the most important change that needs to be addressed, and tackle it first before moving on to the second on your list. Then look for ways to incorporate life changes and activities that can fulfill more than one goal.
Example: If your two main goals are to lose 50 pounds, and to begin socializing with people your age more frequently, your priority should be to set a plan of action for changing your eating habits and increasing physical activity. However, joining an exercise group at the church, or walking daily with a neighbor will help you meet both goals.
A Word about Weight
People who are overweight or obese have a greater chance of developing high blood pressure, high blood cholesterol or other lipid disorders, type 2 diabetes, heart disease, stroke, and certain cancers, and even a small weight loss (just 10 percent of your current weight) will help to lower your risk of developing those diseases. For people who are considered obese (BMI greater than or equal to 30) or those who are overweight (BMI of 25 to 29.9) and have two or more risk factors, the guidelines recommend weight loss. Even a small weight loss (just 10 percent of your current weight) will help to lower your risk of developing diseases associated with obesity. Talk to your doctor to see if you are at an increased risk and if you should lose weight. Your doctor will evaluate your BMI, waist measurement, and others risk factors for heart disease.
Read More:
www.nimh.nih.gov
www.nami.org
www.aabt.org
www.nmha.org
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