++
Objectives
After completing this chapter, you should be able to do the following:
Discuss the importance of creating a healthy style of living and how fitness fits into this lifestyle.
Explain why it is essential to get a sufficient amount of sleep to maintain an optimal level of physical health or mental health.
Recognize the impact of stress on the healthy lifestyle and identify stress management techniques.
Identify risk factors present in your lifestyle that may predispose you to coronary artery disease.
Explain how unhealthy lifestyle practices may contribute to the development of cancer.
Explain why alcohol, drugs, and tobacco are considered deterrents to fitness.
++
KEY TERMS
sleep deficiency
coronary artery disease
cancer
coping
stress management
relaxation techniques
lipoproteins
hyperlipidemia
stress
tobacco use
drug abuse
alcoholism
+++
Why Should You Be Concerned About Your Lifestyle?
++
There is no doubt that consistently engaging in physical activity not only can make you physically fit but also can have many positive benefits on your health. But it is also true that living an unhealthy lifestyle can interfere with your ability to become physically fit While being physically active is critical to a healthful style of living, it is perhaps no more important for total well-being than your social, emotional, mental, or spiritual stability. Fitness can affect each of these components in either a positive or a negative manner.
++
Choosing a healthy lifestyle encourages you to prevent illness by improving your positive well-being in various ways, including (1) developing yourself physically, (2) expressing your emotions effectively, (3) having good relations with the people around you, (4) being concerned about your decision-making abilities, (5) having a healthy sense of drive to succeed in your career, (6) having an interest in a variety of problems in the environment in which you live, (7) paying attention to ethics, values, and spirituality, and (8) being comfortable with your financial situation. These are the eight elements or domains of wellness (Fit List 2-1). All these elements of self are interwoven into the fabric of your being. One element affects the others, and you are only as strong as your weakest link. The bottom line in your effort to create a healthy style of living is to achieve a balance between all of the elements, with no more emphasis on any single element than on the others.
++
FIT LIST 2-1
Elements or Domains of Wellness