2. Workshop Objectives
Define health and discuss key elements
Discuss Importance of health as it relates
to improving physical and mental well-being
Discuss how to improve health through
Moderate exercise
Balanced diet
Improving self-esteem and body image
Provide resources for assistance
3. What is health?
What are your ideas about
what it means?
Where did you develop
those ideas?
4. Health Defined
According to the World Health
Organization, health is defined
as a state of physical, mental
and social well-being and not
merely the absence of disease
or infirmity
5. Why is Good Health
Important?
Healthy behaviors reduce your risk
of physical and mental disorders,
such as:
-Heart disease -Diabetes
-Stroke -Cancer
-Anxiety -Body Image Issues
-Depression -Eating Disorders
………to name a few
6. Body Image Interview
I conducted an interview of healthy women
concerning the own body image perceptions
In general, these women portrayed reasonable
positive attitudes about their body image.
There seemed to be a slight tendency to want
to be just a little more in shape
I believe this is common trend in our society
that no matter how lean or “in shape” you are
it’s as if you’re never fully satisfied
This mindset can become obsessive in some
people and lead to disordered eating and
obsessive exercise behaviors
7. Key Elements of Health
The most important thing to remember
about health is that it is continuum of
progress throughout your entire life
Health is about striving for
improvement, NOT for perfection
Health is about creating balance in your
life and your activities
9. Ways to Improve Physical
Health
Get Moving!
Engage in regular, yet moderate physical
activity
Try different activities to find what
you enjoy the most
Strive for a total of 60 total minutes
most days of the week, can do in
increments
Every little bit counts!
10. Suggestions for Activities
Dog-walking
Hiking
Snowshoeing
Contact sports
Walk instead of take
the bus
Take the stairs
Park far away & walk
Jogging
Skiing/snowboarding
Skateboarding
House-cleaning
Yard work
Yoga
Weight-training
Martial arts
Gym equipment
Dancing
Running
Swimming
Biking
12. Ways to Improve Physical
Health
Improve Your Diet
Strive to eat more real & homemade food
Reduce consumption of sugar, salt and
processed foods
Increase consumption of fruits and
veggies
Learn to cook….it’s a life skill worth
learning!
Offer to cook a meal for your parents/family
once a week
13. How to Improve Physical
Health
At
www.choosemyplate.gov
you can customize daily
meal plans and guidelines
for yourself
It’s free and easy to
use
It helps you understand
how much food is right
for your body and your
activity level
Basic Meal Guidelines:
14. Principles of Mindful Eating
Learn to sense physical cues for hunger
and use them as a guide for beginning
and stopping eating
Learn to observe when you are engaging
in emotional eating
Be a non-judgmental observer of your
eating habits
Learn to savor and appreciate what you
eat
Visit www.tcme.org for more information
16. Ways to Improve Mental
Health
Self-esteem is your overall sense of
self-worth bases on your internal
beliefs of self
Improving your self esteem is one of
the most important protective factors
for reducing your risks of
Depression
Anxiety
Body image issues
Eating disorders
17. Ways to Improve Self-
esteem
Having a positive self-esteem, a sense
of self-confidence, and a high level of
self-efficacy takes effort
Developing these traits is a lifetime
journey of self-discovery and self-
analysis
18. Ways to Improve Self-
esteem
Cultivate skills, talents, and hobbies.
These increase your self-discipline as
well
Focus on positive thoughts of self.
Challenge pessimistic thoughts that
occur
Increase your connection to others.
One way to do this is through
volunteerism
Learn from your mistakes instead of
19. Ways to Improve Self-
esteem
Do not internalize the criticism of others.
Their opinion of you does NOT define you
Celebrate every personal victory, no
matter how small it may seem
Appreciate yourself for exactly who you
are right now
Engage in activities that encourage a mind-
body connection, such as yoga, meditation
or Tai Chi (or other martial art forms)
20. Ways to Improve Self-
esteem
Set realistic goals, both small and large, to
work towards and be patient with your progress
and know that you may have set-backs
Surround yourself with positive people who will
support good mental health habits and will not
perpetuate abusive or overly critical behaviors
Do NOT strive for perfection, it will only serve
to make you unhappy. Realize that you are
human and will make mistakes! It is how we
learn and grow !
21. Ways to Improve Body
Image
Having a positive body image is part of
having a positive self-esteem
Media often depicts the “average”
person as overly thin and physically
flawless
Realize that these images are often air-
brushed to produce a flawlessness that
is unobtainable.
Engage in exercise to improve health,
not as means to produce a flawless
figure
22. Ways to Improve Body
Image
Acknowledge that media often engages in
objectification of both men and women to
sell products or increase rating
Limit your exposure to sources of media
that encourage this mindset, such as
certain television shows commercials,
glamour and diet magazines, and music
videos
Learn to examine media with a critical eye
to see what message is being portrayed
23. Workshop Summary
Cultivation of positive health habits increases
you sense of physical and mental well-being
These things also improve your self-esteem and
self-confidence
These are protective factors that reduce your
risk of certain physical and mental disorders
Remember to strive for improvement and an
overall balanced lifestyle, not for perfection
25. Website References and
Resources
www.health.gov for info about
healthy living
www.who.int for info about health
living
www.choosemyplate.govfor info about
nutrition
www.tcme.org for info about mindful
eating
www.yoga basics.com for info about
yoga
www.learningmeditation.com for info
about meditation
26. Article References
Haines, J, Neumark-Sztainer. (2006). Prevention of obesity and eating
disorders: a consideration of shared risk factors. Health Education
Research, 21(6), 770-782.
Mann, M., Hosman, C. M. H. Schaalma, H., de Vries, N. K. (2004). Self-
esteem in a broad-spectrum approach for mental health. Health
Education Research, 19(4), 357-372.
Reel, J., Halowich, J. (2010). “Do’s and Don’ts” for eating disorder and
obesity prevention in community settings. Utah’s Health: An Annual
Review, 58-61.
Rosen, D. S. (2010). Clinic report-identification and management of eating
disorders in children and adolescents. American Academy of Pediatrics
,126(6), 1240-1254
Steiner-Adair, C., Sjostrom, L, Franko, D. L., Pai, S., Tucker, R., Becker, A.
E., Herzog, D. B. (2002). Primary prevention of risk factors for eating
disorders in adolescent girls: learning from practice. Wiley Periodicals,
Inc., 2002, 401-411.