Health a Wellbeing Checkup

The World Health Organisation defines health as “a state of complete physical, mental and social wellbeing”. I would add spiritual wellbeing to that definition as well.

Physical health is the absence of disease and optimal body functioning. Health indicators (BMI, blood pressure and make up, resting heart rate, weight) age, disease incidence, mobility, cognitive ability, analytical skills, hereditary factors, sleep quality, exposure to toxins (drugs, tobacco, alcohol, environmental etc.) help us measure physical health.

Mental health is more than an absence of mental illness. Mental wellbeing considers your happiness, levels of comfort, empowerment, loneliness, stability and stress. Mental health promotes positive emotions and confidence.. It's also the ability to understand yourself, share your feelings, and cope well with life's challenges.

Social wellbeing is about our relationships with those around us in our communities (family, workplace, volunteer, leisure etc.) What about environmental and occupational wellbeing? The University of California defines them as:

Environmental Wellness is the ability to recognize our own responsibility for the quality of the air, the water and the land that surrounds us. The ability to make a positive impact on the quality of our environment, be it our homes, our communities or our planet contributes to our Environmental Wellness.

Occupational Wellness is the ability to get personal fulfillment from our jobs or our chosen career fields while still maintaining balance in our lives. Our desire to contribute in our careers to make a positive impact on the organizations we work in and to society as a whole.

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Spiritual wellbeing is a state of peace and harmony with yourself and with others on the path to seek meaning and purpose in your life. It's the place where your values and actions are aligned and in harmony.

These four intersecting circles are continuously influenced by our genetics, behaviour, environment, socio-economic (financial wellbeing) and educational realities. Any of these circles will impact your health and wellbeing, either positively or negatively.

A regular wellbeing checkup will help you decide where you're doing great and where you might want to focus your energies next. The goal is to enhance your health and wellbeing no matter where you are on this journey we call life.

Wellbeing Checkup

I invite you to take pen and paper in hand. Write your name and date at the top.

Write these statements and answer them on your paper.

1. I am healthy when I...

2. Wellness for me is...

3. Balance in my life occurs when...

4. I derive meaning and purpose from...

5. If I only had 3 years to live I would.....

6. If I only had 1 month to live I would....

Next Draw the four intersecting circles in any color you like and label them, Physical, Mental, Social (add environmental and occupational bubbles to this one) and Spiritual. Breath and in your calm space re-read the definitions and then put your rating number in the circle and bubble on a scale of of 1-10 . (10 being great and 1 being not great). I like to list out some of the items from the definition and rate each.

Enjoy exploring your circles and write down whatever insights you have in each circle or bubble. Have fun exploring. It takes curiosity, courage, optimism and joy to look at the most interesting person in the room...you.

Below the circles write your name _________and Action Plan.

Choose three areas from the circles you want to work on 1. example Physical BMI

2.________ 3. __________and write them down across the page .

These three things are what you want to change? Ask yourself by doing nothing what need is being filled? For example BMI - I eat when watching TV. Be aware of why you do certain things, your triggers (TV) and what need it has filled in the past (habit from childhood...TV was an enjoyable family weekly treat with popcorn.

What NEW action(s) are you going to take under each area to improve your health and wellbeing?

When will you Start? When will you finish? Pick a date and be patient as it usually takes a month of consistent work to change something.

How are you going to Measure your success so you know when you have achieved it?

What Steps will you take to implement the NEW Change, daily, weekly, monthly

What positive self talk are you going to use when you slip off track to get you back on track?

Which friend are you going to share your Action Plan and progress report with?

Where are you going to write down your progress?

Example Darlene's Action Plan

Physical BMI 23

Start tomorrow

End 6 months from now.

Measure success: BMI on line calculation (what am I now and how much will I need to weigh to get BMI 23), Weight loss on line calculator to determine how many calories to eat daily, Calorie counting on line program so I know what foods have what # of calories as well as reading the packaging on foods for calorie count and portion size, bathroom weight scale.

Steps:

1. Eat less calories and less sugar daily. Count calories at each meal and write them down. Use online resources to calculate my daily calories to get me to BMI 23 in 6 months.

2. When I eat a sugar treat I will take 2 bites and stop eating for 15 min . After 15 minutes I will decide if I want more. The treat will be calculated into my daily calories.

Positive Self Talk:

When I eat all of the sugar treat I will say.... Okay no guilt no blame. I'm beautiful, dedicated to me and I'm starting over now because this is important to me.

Tell a Friend

I'm going to tell Cheryl when we are on our walk my Action Plan to have a BMI of 23.

The first walk after my weekly weigh in I'm telling her how much weight I lost.

At the end of the month I'm telling her what my new BMI is for the month.

Write It Down:

I'm getting my new beautiful journal. I will set up the first section to be my BMI tracking section. In the journal I will write how many calories I ate today and how I feel. I will write down if I had a sugar treat what was it. Was I eating the whole bowl of popcorn....why? I will write my weight in weekly. At the end of the month I will write down my new BMI.

Yes you can do this!!!

Be optimistic, patient and persistent. Remember to breathe and relax as you explore your possibilities. This is your life and your journey. You just made yourself a road map, the next step is taking the trip. I'm doing my wellbeing checkup as I'm writing this blog. It's quite insightful and entertaining.

“Believe in yourself! Have faith in your abilities! Without a humble but reasonable confidence in your own powers you cannot be successful or happy.” Norman Vincent Peale