Health, Wellness, and Self-Discipline
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Hi everyone….I’ve been working hard at staying healthy because as I get older I have to keep active so that when I get even older I can have a bearable life. I’ve been seeing recently many friends and family and the way they have changed from robust, strong energetic people to individuals who suffer from all sorts of ailments, from Alzheimer’s to dementia and prostate issues. We all have to consider early o’clock how important it is to do all that will allow you to stay healthy.
To do this takes self-discipline, but even before that, you need to want to stay healthy. You have to want to stay fit and be willing to do what you need to to be healthy. You then have to know what you are willing to do to have the right diet/nutrition, the right weight you should be and the best exercises required to keep you either toned bodily or lose any extra weight that will cause you to be unfit. I started off simply eating right…doing the salads, eating on time, watching the carbs, watching the portions. Now I think I eat properly, so then came exercising, the thing I hate the most. I exercise because I know it’s good for me and as one trainer told me once if you build muscle then when you fall you won’t break a hip or any bones because the muscle helps to cushion the fall.
HEALTH
Let look at what health means. Health is a state of complete physical, mental and social well-being and not merely the absence of disease or infirmity. Health is a dynamic condition resulting from a body’s constant adjustment and adaptation in response to stresses and changes in the environment for maintaining an inner equilibrium called homeostasis. Wellness is an active process of becoming aware of and making choices toward a healthy and fulfilling life. Wellness is more than being free from illness, it is a dynamic process of change and growth. This is what most people strive towards but a lot fail to achieve, why? We will look at that later on, for now, let's look at the other aspects of health and Wellness.
WELLNESS
Maintaining an optimal level of wellness is absolutely crucial to living a higher quality of life. Wellness matters. Wellness matters because everything we do and every emotion we feel relates to our well-being. In turn, our well-being directly affects our actions and emotions. It’s an ongoing circle. Therefore, it is important for everyone to achieve optimal wellness in order to subdue stress, reduce the risk of illness and ensure positive interactions.
PHYSICAL
Physical wellness promotes proper care of our bodies for optimal health and functioning. There are many elements of physical wellness that all must be cared for together. Overall physical wellness encourages the balance of physical activity, nutrition, and mental well-being to keep your body in top condition. Obtaining an optimal level of physical wellness allows you to nurture personal responsibility for your own health. As you become conscious of your physical health, you are able to identify elements you are successful in as well as elements you would like to improve.
The power of Kettlebell Exercises
Understanding the relationship between your body’s physical health and mental health is crucial in order to develop balanced physical wellness. When you take the route to physical wellness you will learn to understand how your body performs physically and be able to connect it to how you feel mentally. Physical wellness encourages the principles of good health and knowledge, which affect behavior patterns that lead to a healthy lifestyle. I have always realized that no matter how tired I am if I take the time to do at least 30 minutes of exercise it gives me a boost so that I have energy the next day.
Below are a few suggestions for you to practice to maintain an optimal level of physical wellness.
Engage in physical activity every day for 30 minutes. You may break up your daily 30 minutes into 10 minutes bouts.
Use stairs instead of the elevator or escalator and walk whenever possible.
Learn to recognize warning signs when your body begins feeling ill.
Eat a variety of healthy foods and control your meal portions.
Maintain a regular sleep schedule and get between 7-9 hours of sleep each night.
Practice safe sex.
EMOTIONAL WELLNESS
Emotional wellness inspires self-care, relaxation, stress reduction and the development of inner strength. It is important to be attentive to both positive and negative feelings and be able to understand how to handle these emotions. Emotional wellness also includes the ability to learn and grow from experiences. Emotional well-being encourages autonomy and proper decision-making skills. It is an important part of overall wellness.
In order to begin the route to emotional wellness, you must always remember to be optimistic. Optimism allows you to greet all emotions—both positive and negative—with a confident attitude that allows you to learn from your mistakes. Once you have mastered emotional wellness, you will experience life a little differently. Your life will be more balanced and you will develop a deep sense of awareness. Below are some strategies for you to practice in order to boost your emotional wellness.
Remind yourself to stay positive, always.
Seek or accept help and support from others when needed.
Employ gratitude to your life in order to strengthen relationships with family and friends.
Practice being mindful and increase your awareness. This can be done through various forms of meditation.
Accept mistakes and learn from them for next time. Mistakes are not terrible experiences; they are learning experiences.
Balance your other dimensions of Wellness.
OCCUPATIONAL WELLNESS
Occupational wellness inspires us to prepare for work in which we will gain personal satisfaction and find enrichment in our lives. Your attitude about work is a crucial influence on occupational development. Occupational wellness allows you to explore various career options and encourages you to pursue the opportunities you enjoy the most. This dimension of wellness recognizes the importance of satisfaction, enrichment, and meaning through work.
When you embark on the route to occupational wellness, you will discover what occupational opportunities are out there and which opportunities suit you best. Maintaining occupational wellness allows you to develop unique skills and talents that are both personally and professionally rewarding. Below are some suggestions to begin your journey to occupational wellness.
Reflect on yourself and your occupational needs. What occupational tasks do you enjoy? What occupational tasks do you find burdensome?
Explore both paid and unpaid work and volunteer opportunities that interest you.
Practice open communication and proper conflict management with your colleagues.
Set realistic career goals for yourself and constantly work towards accomplishing these goals.
SPIRITUAL WELLNESS
Spiritual wellness allows us to be in tune with our spiritual selves. This realm of wellness lets us find meaning in life events and define our individual purpose. Spiritual wellness can be defined through various factors including religious faith, values, ethics, and morals. Regardless of whether you believe in a particular religious faith, there is always something to be learned about how you see yourself in the world.
The way to spiritual wellness is something you must learn to master on your own. Spiritual wellness strongly emphasizes the importance of building inner resources and inner thoughts in order to give meaning to experience. It is also important to know that spiritual wellness does not mandate you to pick up a religious practice. However, religion may be one route you may take to boost your spiritual wellness. I believe in God seeing as I am a Catholic, so Jesus is the core of my life and the rock upon which I live my life. God is good to me and he blesses me in every way so I give my thanks and praise to him. You need to find what you believe in and what drives your spirituality.
Below are some recommendations for you to practice in order to maintain an optimal level of spiritual wellness.
Explore your inner self. Take time to think about who you are.
If you experience a life-changing event, take a few minutes to think about what series of events led to this.
Spend time meditating or practicing mindful relaxation.
Practice acceptance.
Be curious. If something happens that makes you even the slightest bit curious, take a moment to explore the experience a little deeper.
Look for a religious faith that you agree with.
SOCIAL WELLNESS
Social wellness refers to the relationships we have and how we interact with others. Our relationships can offer support during difficult times. Social wellness involves building healthy, nurturing and supportive relationships as well as fostering a genuine connection with those around you. Conscious actions are important in learning how to balance your social life with your academic and professional lives. Social wellness also includes balancing the unique needs of romantic relationships with other parts of your life.
As you begin your route to social wellness, you will discover that you have the power to enhance your personal relationships. Maintaining social wellness allows you to practice empathy and active listening. There are many ways you can begin your journey on the route to social wellness. Below are some suggestions on how to enhance your social wellness.
Reflect on yourself and your social needs. What aspects of your social life do you enjoy? What parts would you like to improve?
Make an effort to keep in touch with supportive friends and family.
Practice self-disclosure.
Participate in group discussions and practice active listening.
Join a club or organization.
When we have all of these areas decided we still have to look at ourselves and be open and honest with ourselves about our level of self-discipline. Self-discipline is what drives us to stay focused on achieving our wellness. One needs to be consistent and not be distracted by any obstacles that stand in our way. We should have the discipline to continue, have a plan, be determined to achieve our wellness goals and thereby stay healthy.
SELF-DISCIPLINE
At the heart of any successful person and a person's achievement of their goals, is self-discipline. Whether it’s success in their personal lives or their professional lives, it all starts with an inherent ability for self-control through discipline. Your thoughts. Your emotions. Your behaviors. And your habits. All of them must be kept in check. To develop discipline they needed to understand what are the habits they have that prevent them from being more disciplined.
Despite what many may think, self-discipline is a learned behavior. It requires practice and repetition in your day-to-day life. To improve your own self-discipline, test out these 5 proven methods for gaining better control.
Habits: The Pathway to Self-Discipline
Considering that so much of what we do on a daily basis is habit-driven, developing the right habits will help to instill the right amount of discipline into our lives. But where do habits come from and how are they developed? And why is that when we try to change our habits by either breaking bad habits or building good habits, we only follow through for so long before we give up and revert to our old ways?
You, therefore, need to change those bad habits that aren’t working for you. How do you start? This regimen will help you to establish good habits, break bad ones, and improve your control by making simple changes to your everyday routine.
1 - Start Small
2 - Identify What You Want to Do Differently
3 – Meditation
4 – Active Goal Setting
5 - Remove temptations
6 - Eat regularly. Eat Healthily
7 - Don’t wait for it to “feel right.”
8 - Schedule breaks, treats, and rewards for yourself
9 - Forgive yourself and move forward
10 – Persistence
11 - Make Use of Technology
If your goal is a fit lifestyle with a healthy weight, regular exercise, serious walking, and restful sleep each night, trackers exist to help you. Track all that you do, via using wellness apps like Fitbit which connects with other devices to automatically capture your health data.
Reference:
UCDavis – Student Health & Counseling Services
