Health assignment essay help: Lifestyle and health

Comprehensive Health Assessment

 Subject: Physical Activity, Lifestyle and Health

Criteria 1 Critically Examine My Current lifestyle

On completing the comprehensive health assessment, my lifestyle was found to be relatively supportive of a high level of health.  Through further analyzing these results there are certainly some changes required, within each category, for me to ascertain an optimum level of health.

      Physical Activity– As I participate in regular fitness activities my fitness level is moderate at this stage. I play netball twice a week and train for the same once a week. I try to fit in a walk once or twice a week but these are usually with my children on their bikes so the intensity is generally not too great. As my family life does take up a lot of my time I feel that I am restricted to what activities I can take part in.  My children are young and need supervision at all times.

      Nutrition– At the moment I am 10-15 kgs overweight and over the last six months have lost approximately 15kgs. I have always been over weight by 10-15kgs, but since having my children it has become more apparent to me that I should be within my healthy weight range. I currently have a very healthy diet consisting of lots of fruit, vegetables and salads. My main problem would be that tend to over indulge at times and binge eat.

Sleep- Being a shift worker for the last fourteen years, and having three children in four years my sleeping habits are not as good as they should be. I generally try to sleep 7-8 hours a night but this varies due to commitments.

Stress- I feel that I have had many stressful times in my life and I believe that I have the ability to maintain stability in my life.

 Mental health-    I have sound mental health therefore keeping me active and organized in my life.

      Social health-      I am involved in sporting clubs and committees that establish social activities and allow me to function within the community.

 Safe sex-      This is an area that in my life where my safer sex practices are followed and I am aware and familiar with how sexually transmitted diseases are contracted and spread.

     Destructive habits- Destructive habits are not a part of my life, alcohol consumption on a social basis being the only moderately bad habit that is a part of my life.

 Informed consumer-  I know where to obtain health information, and follow current health issues as much as I can.  Time constraints are a problem for me in the fact that as a busy lifestyle does not always allow me to be as informed as I would like.

By using the assessment in its broken down categories l will identify lifestyle choices that are ultimately compromising my health and develop specific rationale for change.

Criteria 2 Rationale for change

I believe that my physical activity should be increased to enhance my overall physical fitness, health and wellness. Regular physical activities would promote fitness decreasing the risk of hypertension, which my mother suffers from. My grandmother, who lived until she was 96 years old had osteoporosis and arthritis, which are, further reasons for changing my current lifestyle.

 My diet should be better over all and more balanced so as to reduce the times of overindulging. Genetics within my family show that we tend to be overweight, I have three older brothers that are all over weight. They were of a fit slim build when involved in sport, once they ceased their football and boxing careers they have struggled to maintain a healthy fit lifestyle, which could in turn lead to diabetes for them and possibly me if I follow the trend.                                                                                                                                             I have always struggled with a recurrent injury to my right ankle, this could be improved with the right planning and strengthening of these muscles and tendons.  My sleeping routine should also improve; I need to go to bed earlier to increase my average hours sleep per night increasing my current physical activity would aid with this.

 Becoming a more informed consumer and be better educated so as to increase my knowledge to educate my children of healthy lifestyles and show them how to live a healthy lifestyle – lead by example.

Criteria 3 Literature Review

Our lifestyle impacts directly on our health.  Either consciously or subconsciously we choose to adopt our own health behaviours; these are important factors in determining our overall wellness (Gray, 2003).   There are many benefits of physical activity as stated in (Gray 2003, pg 79-80)

Reduces the risk of coronary heart disease

• Reduces the risk of stroke
• Helps with weight and maintenance of weight control
• Prevention and control of high blood pressure
• Reduces cholesterol levels
• Helps prevent and improve non-insulin dependant diabetics
• Maintains flexibility, strength and functional capacity
• Reduces stress and anxiety
• Reduces mild depression
• Reduces risk of cancer of the colon
• Potentially reduces healthcare costs.

Corbin, Welk, Corbin, and Welk (2006) state that chronic lifestyle-related conditions have become the major causes of early death over the last 100 years, these have replaced infectious diseases.  They go onto say coronary heart disease being the number one cause of death, and stroke at number three. The actual causes of most deaths are due to unhealthy lifestyles and this suggests that changes need to be practiced by everyone as discussed in Corbin et al (2006). Identifying the need to change your current lifestyle is a priority.  I believe improving regular physical activity, dietary intake and stress management are the factors that influence holistic wellness.

There are many reasons for inactivity, overcoming these reasons/barriers for not being active is a self-management skill.  Self-assessment of your personal needs and strategies for changing your behavior to become active, and planning your program for optimum health and wellness assist in adopting a positive attitude (Corbin et al 2006).

     “Active people have more positive than negative attitudes. Experts refer this to as a positive ‘balance of attitudes’ ”(Corbin et al. 2006 p. 80). Strengths and weaknesses can be determined by self-assessments. Compiling these assessments together over a period of time for a comprehensive profile enables you to get a picture of where improvements are needed.

As mentioned in criteria 2 of this assignment genetics show that hypertension and osteoporosis are factors in my life. Hypertension is not completely cured by physical activity, more importantly used as a preventive and treatment measure. American Heart Association (AHA) state that uncontrolled high blood pressure can lead to stroke, heart attack, heart failure or kidney failure. Moderate intensity activities such as walking, climbing stairs, gardening, yard work, moderate-heavy housework, dancing and home exercise done for as little as 30 mins/day can bring benefits.  More vigorous aerobic activities are best for improving the fitness of the heart and lungs examples of these activities are, walking, running, swimming, bicycling, roller skating and jump rope (AHA, 2007).

     According to National Osteoporosis Foundation (2007) osteoporosis develops when bones become brittle and prone to fractures due to the calcium present in the bones slowly decreasing.  Beck & Shoemaker, (2000) suggest that, ‘women ultimately loose more bone mineral with age than men do.’ Therefore women are more prone than men to develop osteoporosis. The risk of developing osteoporosis can be reduced by, maximizing skeletal mass in growing years, consuming recommended daily calcium intake, engaging in regular weight-bearing exercise and resistance training  (Beck & Shoemaker, 2000).

There are many risk factors in developing osteoporosis some of these are found in Beck & Shoemaker, (2000).

Heredity- Patients with a family history of osteoporosis have greater chance of developing the condition.  It is likely that this is related to genetic elements     responsible for determining the mass of all connective tissue, but it may also                 be associated with similarity of environmental influences on the bones of              individuals living under the same conditions.

• Age- Given that bone loss accumulates over time, it is intuitive that the older a       person gets, the greater the risk of osteoporosis.
• Diet- The skeleton functions as an internal buffer for calcium and phosphorus.           Low calcium intake is related to an increased risk of osteoporosis and fractures.
• Exercise- The reduction in bone mass with age is attributable to the tendency to   become more sedentary with advancing years. A reduction in the intensity of       habitual activities is naturally a less extreme form of skeletal unloading but                may contribute to an increased rate of bone loss because of reduced mechanical stimulation of osteoblasts.
• Medications- Several medications are known to decrease bone density, including            heparin corticosteriods, anticonvulsants and cyclosporin.

There are five steps to bone health, that are endorsed by the National Osteoporosis Foundation (2007)

1. Get your daily recommended amounts of calcium and vitamin D
2. Engage in regular weight-bearing exercise and resistance training
3. A healthy lifestyle with no smoking and avoiding excessive amounts of alcohol
4. Talk to your Doctor about bone health
5. When appropriate, have a bone density test and take medication.

An increase in physical activity will slow the decline in bone mass. Bone density is built by participating in regular weight bearing.  A diet rich in calcium is necessary to build strong bones.

Maintaining a healthy body weight can be achieved by developing management strategies for eating and performing physical activities.  Sound eating practices should be developed and maintained to obtain a consistency of nutrition. Regular meals every day and eating every 4-6 hours is recommended (Corbin 2006).

Moderation of foods is advised, permanent elimination of foods that are enjoyed but high in calories is not necessary but should be limited.  Minimizing fast foods and take away foods with high fat/high calorie intake and replacing them with healthier choices can greatly improve overall nutrition.  Setting realistic goals is important for physical activity and for diet. Establishing realistic goals, and making those goals achievable sets up foundations for success. Failure is more likely if unrealistic goals are set, there is a greater chance of success if goals are short term and these are attainable. When short-term goals are met, you set another to accomplish.   Setting and achieving a series of short- term goals is the best way to achieve a long-term goal  (Corbin et al 2006).

Genetic factors may also influence fitness achievements. Everyone can improve on his/her own personal level of fitness.  People will almost always feel disappointed when comparisons are made with others, focusing on personal goals and achievements are important (Corbin et al 2006).

Corbin et al. (2006) found that injuries can occur through physical activity. The following procedures reduce these;

• Medical readiness for physical activity
  • Dressing appropriately for activity
  • Warm up prior to workout
  • Cool down after the workout
  • Exercising safely in different environments

     “ Appropriate clothing and footwear is essential when performing a                                             specific activity.  Just as human feet vary, so do sport and fitness                                            levels. For example, if you only jog a little every week and play                                               some basketball in the driveway from time to time, an all purpose                                            cross-training shoe should be fine.  But if you do a certain sport or                                                      activity three or more times a week, you should wear shoes specific                                                          to that sport of activity; they may help you avoid injuries such as                                                                        shin splints or ankle sprains.” (Martin D.R 1997 p138)

     In their discussion Hockenbury & Sammarco (2001) point out several key points concerning ankle injury.  Ankle sprains are the most common within the sports injuries. They usually involve damage to the lateral ankle ligaments and syndesmotic ligaments, most ankle sprains can be treated non-surgically with RICE (Rest, Ice, Compression and Elevation). Ankle sprains can cause instability and chronic pain for patients. Early mobilization, with weight bearing to tolerance as soon as possible following injury is recommended. The higher grade of sprain, the longer pain free weight bearing takes to achieve.  Bracing after the injury is necessary, during initial healing protection is essential.  Rehabilitation, physical therapy of the ankle has five phases; acute, subacute, rehabilitative, functional and prophylactic. The prophylactic phase through strengthening, functional proprioceptive drills, and prophylactic support seeks to prevent reoccurrence of the injury (Hockenbury, T.R & Sammarco, J.G, 2001).

     Regular physical activity is associated with a more restful sleep according to Corbin et al (2006).    With this in mind sleep can enable us to function and adapt efficiently and effectively to stressful situations.  Sleep enhances the quality and quantity of life therefore promotes longevity (Corbin et al ,2006).

    To change your lifestyle and achieve optimum health many factors are required, some of these are out of your personal control. As Corbin, et al (2006) stated  ‘Your age, gender, heredity, social status, and current health and fitness levels are all personal factors that affect your health behaviours.’  People move from one stage to another whether the lifestyle is positive or negative, in an upward or a downward direction. Once the maintenance stage is reached it is less likely that relapse will happen completely. Healthier personal lifestyles become easier to sustain once the behaviour becomes automatic and habitual. (Corbin et al, 2006)

Criteria 4 Developed strategies to achieve lifestyle change

After identifying my needs I now need to adopt changes in a variety of lifestyles to promote health, wellness, and fitness.  Learning and implementing self-management skills can help change factors that lead to a healthy lifestyle.    To begin my change I plan to modify a number of factors and overcome barriers within my lifestyle behaviours.

Skills I will develop of self-planning will involve,

• Clarifying Reasons
• Identifying needs
• Setting personal goals
• Selecting personal activities
• Writing a plan
• Evaluating my progress

Strategies I will need to adopt for change will involve setting personal goals that are reasonable to achieve.

     Short- term goals that I hope to achieve are, to improve my physical fitness/activity, maintain and improve my overall diet and loose 5 kg, increase my hours of sleep and become a more informed consumer.

     To improve my physical fitness, my physical activity needs to be increased.  Putting a daily plan in place may help me find time for activity.  Making the plan to achieve some sort of physical activity each day for at least ½ an hour daily as this would increase my fitness level. These activities will range from netball, netball training, walking, jogging, running up and down stairs at the local football ground and swimming.  I plan to involve my children in these activities as much as I can so as to encourage them to be active as well.  Things such as when I go for a jog I will take a friend and her children with us as well. We can encourage each other and our children can play together, as this will be relaxing mentally for both of us giving us a break from every day stresses that occur from having small children.

     When planning a daily schedule this will include diet as well. By developing a plan for my nutrition as well as activity this will enable me to make better choices.  Planning my meals, preparing and making choices to select good foods will enable my skills to develop better lifestyle behaviours.

Whist taking part in changes in my life to improve my lifestyle behaviours and habits, I would like to increase my hours of sleep per night. Increasing sleeping hours will enable me to function effectively in my everyday life and adapt to stressful situations. In accordance with my planning I will endeavor to go to bed at 9.30pm nightly.  This should enable me to have between 9- 9 ½ hours sleep before my children get up and the day starts for all of us.

Reading more papers and completing this course should help me become a more informed consumer. Through this learning and increasing my knowledge of a healthy lifestyle. This will enable me to pass on my knowledge and keep my family well informed and encourage their lives along with my own to continue to be healthy, active and well.

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