SOCIAL WELLNESS

By Terry Orr

“Health is a state of complete physical, mental and social well-being, and not merely the absence of disease or infirmity.” ~World Health Organization, 1948

“Wellness is the conscious and deliberate process by which people are actively involved in enhancing their well-being: intellectual, physical, social, emotional, occupational and spiritual” ~ Hatfield

Social Wellness (family, community and environment) – focuses on how you choose to define and connect with your community and the people around you. 

Physical –your body's health, which involves nutrition, exercise, promoting over-all safety and wellness, and preventing physical illness.

Spiritual (values and ethics) – to understanding your place and purpose, how you make meaning of what happens to you, and what your mind goes to for comfort and relief.

Intellectual – means feeling stimulated and engaged with learning and staying open to new ideas and perspectives.

Emotional – involves being aware of and managing your feelings, being at peace with who you are, and having the tools you need to weather life’s ups and downs.

Occupational – is the work you choose to do and how you feel it contributes to your community and fulfills you.

According to Work Smart. Life Smart –

July is Social Wellness Month and it reminds us that we need to reach out to others and build stronger social ties with family and friends. Social Wellness encourages us to develop better communications with those around us including the ability to share our feelings and needs. It involves respecting yourself and others and developing a solid social support system.

Social Wellness takes planning and effort to carve out time for those activities, as they may not happen naturally in today’s hectic world. We know from our research that socially isolated people are more susceptible to illness and have a death rate two to three times higher than those who are not socially isolated.  However people who maintain their social network and support systems do better under stress and are physically and mentally healthier.  They even achieve higher grade point averages.

So how important in Social Wellness in our daily life – one indication is the explosion of social media over the past decade.  According to eBizMBA the three top Social Media Sites (Facebook, Twitter and LinkedIn) average about 1.1 Billion visits each month – that is nearly one in seven people globally.  Folks reaching out to others – finding common ground – communicating – sharing – building relationships – a virtual family/home.

What we are all looking for – is balance in our lives – while sounding fairly straight forward – with our daily lives, most folks deal with the ever increasing demands on their time – and finding true balance is all to often is simply not possible.  The challenge is to prioritizes things best we can – and review what really and truly are the important things in our lives.

References and Links:

http://worksmartlivesmart.com/social-wellness-month-july/

http://www.ebizmba.com/articles/social-networking-websites 

(Photos from Google)

Professional Wellness Month

By Terry Orr

Are you caught up in the hustle and bustle of life?  Does work have you stressed and unfulfilled?  Well then it is time for a change – to help your live your life better – personally and professionally!

Here are 5 Tips to get the most out of Professional Wellness Month:

1.  Take time to exercise.  Even walking around the block every day during work helps!

2.  Take time for yourself during the week, it will strengthen your performance at work.  Enhance your knowledge by taking a class or special workshop.

3.  Take time to reconnect with former colleagues and friends who have knowledge and experience to share.

4.  Take a “mini-sabbatical” away from technology to clear and refresh your mind.

5.  Add to your vacation time or plan a longer time for a recharging your batteries to enable new thinking approaches, and refresh your body, mind, spirit, and perspective.

In addition, try leaving your workspace for lunch – just to break away from the daily pressures and refresh yourself.

(Images from Google) 

Older Americans and National Senior Health and Fitness

By Terry Orr

Older Americans Month

The Older Americans Act of 1965 (Pub.L. 89–73, 79 Stat. 218, July 14, 1965) was the first federal level initiative aimed at providing comprehensive services for older adults. It created the National Aging Network comprising the Administration on Aging on the federal level, State Units on Aging, and Area Agencies on Aging at the local level. The network provides funding - based primarily on the percentage of an area's population 60 and older - for nutrition and supportive home and community-based services, disease prevention/health promotion services, elder rights programs, the National Family Caregiver Support Program, and the Native American Caregiver Support Program. (Source: Wikipedia)

Programs created to support OAA (Source: Wikipedia):

• Administration on Aging (AoA) established under the Department of Health and Human Services as the federal level advocate for the aging population, and coordinator for service delivery to the elderly
• National Eldercare Locator Service a toll free hotline for identifying community resources
• Support Services to promote independence with regard to transportation, home care, legal aid, case management, and adult day care,
• Nutrition Programs including congregate and home delivered meals
• National Family Caregiver Support Program to provide respite services, education, training, and counseling to seniors providing kinship care, and to the caregivers of seniors
• Health Promotion providing educational services, counseling and consultation
• Aging and Disability Resource Centers to facilitate the dissemination of information on available resources
• The Community Service Senior Opportunities Act (OAA Title V) which works with the Department of Labor to provide employment opportunities for seniors
• Grants to Tribal Organizations
• The Long-term Care Ombudsman Program
• Elder Abuse, neglect, and exploitation public education services

National Senior Health and Fitness Day

National Senior Health & Fitness Day is honored on the last Wednesday of every May as part of Older Americans Month and National Physical Fitness and Sports Month activities.

The goal: To promote the importance of regular physical activity, and to showcase what local groups are doing to help improve the health of older adults in their communities.

Regular physical activity is essential for healthy aging. Adults aged 65 years and older gain substantial health benefits from regular physical activity, and these benefits continue to occur throughout their lives. Promoting physical activity for older adults is especially important because this population is the least physically active of any age group.

The benefits of physical activity include:

• Helping to maintain the ability to live independently and reduces the risk of falling and fracturing bones;
• Reducing the risk of dying from coronary heart disease and of developing high blood pressure, colon cancer, and diabetes;
• Helping reduce blood pressure in some people with hypertension;
• Helping people with chronic, disabling conditions improve their stamina and muscle strength;
• Reducing symptoms of anxiety and depression and fosters improvements in mood and feelings of well-being;
• Helping maintain healthy bones, muscles, and joints; and
• Helping control joint swelling and pain associated with arthritis.

In the meantime, here are some simple health tips from Healthfinder that will help keep you aging well:

• Keep your body and mind active
• Choose healthy foods
• Get regular checkups
• Take steps to prevent accidents

Always consult your doctor before starting an exercise program, or drastically changing your diet. It is also very important to take an active role in preventing sickness.

References and Links:

http://www.aarp.org

http://www.olderamericansmonth.acl.gov

http://www.aoa.gov/AoARoot/index.aspx

(Images from Google)

Family Wellness

By Nurse Diane

A friend of mine recently sent me an article about the most active to the sluggish cities in the country.  I can't remember what the most active city was, but I do remember the least active one.  It was Jackson, MS, and my old hometown!  Yes, it is true, people here in the south, Particularly in Mississippi like things a bit laid back.  Not everyone, but a good many of them.  We are famous for sitting on our front porch, swinging in the swing, and sipping on some sweet ice tea.  Passing the time shooting the breeze with friends and neighbors.  My grandmother never saw the inside of her house until it got dark.  She could be found on her back porch, and sometimes her front porch if company was coming.  In fact, the reason I bought the house I have is because it had a screened in porch!

May is Family Wellness Month, and this is to emphasize the importance of family activities, and porch swinging is fun, but its not a very active way to spend the afternoon.

Family Wellness Month strives for communities to stress healthy family lifestyles and habits as well. The healthier each individual family is overall, the healthier we can all be as a whole!

life 360.com shares some ways to participate in Family Wellness Month.  They include:

Change Your Eating Habits – Now this doesn’t have to be a complete transformation of the way your family eats (though if your up to the challenge I say go for it!). Make a few smaller changes, add ground turkey into that recipe that calls for ground beef, switch to non-fat milk, or organic fruits. Buy more fruits and veggies to snack on. You can make it a fun family affair by making a chart that tracks each family member’s daily fruit & veggie intake. When the family makes it through a week or two of everyone getting their daily intake, reward yourselves with a trip to the movies, zoo, six flags or the beach. Also, find healthy alternatives to favorite recipes and make the meal together.

Park Exploration – A simple, inexpensive and fun month long activity is setting a goal to visit every neighborhood park in your city. Print out a list from your local Parks & Recreation department and throughout the month visit as many as possible. Take pictures of each one and at the end of the month you can create a fun memory book of all the parks and talk abut what you liked and didn’t like about each one. A great activity, which feels like an adventure, the whole family can do together. Plus it will give you a great leg up when deciding which parks to visit during the summer break.

Hiking Exploration – If visiting the neighborhood parks doesn’t seem like enough of an adventure for your family, do the same thing only by listing all the hiking and walking trails in and around your city. Each weekend visit a new one. And again take pictures to document the trips and make a collage of all the trails you visited.

Get fit with the Wii Fit – Though getting out there and enjoying the May weather is HIGHLY recommended, there are days when time and (depending on where you live) weather prevents you from getting out there. But that doesn’t mean you can’t be active. Turn on the Wii and enjoy some active games together. Studies show that girls who play video games with their parents are happier for it.

Family Game Night – Board games never go out of style, and even just simple card games will not only give the family a chance to spend some quality time together it also offers a great opportunity for your kids to work on math skills, critical thinking skills and other brain functions they need to stay sharp.

Gardening – You don’t have to have a green thumb to grow a mean garden. If you can’t seem to pull off a lush yummy veggie garden, keep it simple and start a wildflower garden. Either way the time the family spends tending to the garden during the season is priceless.

Scrapbook – With May signaling the coming end of the school year a fun family project to do together is make a scrapbook of everything you did during the school year. Let each family member create a few pages of their favorite activities done in school and with the family over the last nine months.

Visiting Family – It is Family Wellness Month after all, so make it a point this month to go visit grandparents, aunts, uncles or cousins, you don’t get around to seeing as often as you’d like. If family is too far to make a visit plan a Skype date with them! A great way to utilize current technology and catch up with faraway family members face to face.

Green Your House – Research with your family ways you can green your house even more than it already is. Make sure you really are recycling all that you can and set some fun goals. See how long you can keep from taking out your kitchen trash by recycling and reusing as much as you can instead of throwing stuff in the trash. Does your city recycle compost? Are you sure your throwing in everything that you’re allowed to? How about juice pouches? Is your school recycling them? They should be.

Set a Personal Goal – By working on something yourself, you’re benefitting your whole family. If there’s something you want to make better, do it! Quitting smoking, getting to a healthy weight, going back to school, whatever challenge you’ve been putting off, do it now. Nothing inspires your kids to try harder then setting a healthy example. Encourage your kids to find a challenge as well, whether it be working on their reading, making their bed everyday or keeping their room clean.

This month try some new things with your family, and let us know how you plan to celebrate your family's wellness.

(All images from Google) 

National Meditation Month

By Terry Orr

Searching for inner peace within one’s mind – to calm the mind and body – obtain a better perspective – reduce ones stress level – improve ones overall wellness and health.

What is meditation?

"The gift of learning to meditate is the greatest gift you can give yourself in this life. For it is only through meditation that you can undertake the journey to discover your true nature, and so find the stability and confidence you will need to live, and die, well. Meditation is the road to enlightenment."

The Tibetan Book of Living and Dying

Sogyal Rinpoche

Understanding meditation

Meditation has been practiced for thousands of years. Meditation originally was meant to help deepen understanding of the sacred and mystical forces of life. These days, meditation is commonly used for relaxation and stress reduction.

Meditation is considered a type of mind-body complementary medicine. Meditation produces a deep state of relaxation and a tranquil mind. During meditation, you focus your attention and eliminate the stream of jumbled thoughts that may be crowding your mind and causing stress. This process results in enhanced physical and emotional well-being.

Benefits of meditation

Meditation can give you a sense of calm, peace and balance that benefits both your emotional well-being and your overall health. And these benefits don't end when your meditation session ends. Meditation can help carry you more calmly through your day and can even improve certain medical conditions. (Source: Mayo Clinic).

Runners and swimmers often talk about finding their zone – where they mind is clear of clutter and razor sharp focus on things.  There are coachers/professionals who also teach relaxation exercises – much in the manner of meditation to find inner peace.

(All images from Google)  

Correct Posture

By Nurse Diane

I always shy away from having my picture taken.  I am usually the one taking pictures, so its easy to avoid the camera.  However I recently had a surprise birthday party, and not only were pictures being taken, but also videos!  After looking at these images, I could see my grandmother in me!  I looked like a hunched back old woman.

Nothing will help correct your posture more than seeing yourself in your natural position.  In fact, diabetes health.com suggest having a friend take posture pictures in this manner:

Have a friend take 3 pictures of you: from the front, back, and side.   Stand straight and tall when they take the picture, with what feels like good posture (No looking in a mirror to cheat!).  Print out the pictures, one to a sheet.   Next, put a dot between your feet on the front and back view, and on your ankle on the side view, and then fold each paper in half vertically, neatly at the dot.

FRONT & BACK VIEW: The two halves of your body should be the same.  If your head and/or torso is off to one side, or your arms are hanging differently (one hand is lower or further from the body than the other), your posture is not symmetrical.

SIDE VIEW: The line from your ankle should pass thru your shoulder and ear. If your head is way forward of that line, you may have a posture distortion called Forward Head Posture (FHP).

File your posture picture where you can find it.  Next year take another posture picture to note any changes.

They also suggest several posture correcting exercises such as:

All exercise is not created equal.  Exercising with poor posture can train you to stand and move poorly.  Yoga, Tai-Chi and Pilates are all great for building body awareness and control.  According to Dr. Weiniger, a smart way to exercise efficiently and get the most out of any workout is with a pre-exercise "Posture Break" to set your internal baseline.  Before taking a walk or hitting the gym Dr. Weiniger recommends these posture strengthening exercises:

STORK- Train yourself to stand tall while building good posture by balancing on one foot.  First, stand tall with your best posture, and then keep straight as you lift your thigh so your knee is at hip height.  Keep standing tall for 30 seconds on each side, focusing on keeping your body well aligned.

WALLSTAND-  Back up to a wall so your heels, buttocks, shoulders and head all lightly touch the wall while you keep everything level, relaxed and aligned-- and take 3 slow breaths, feeling your body's best posture.  Note: If you feel any areas of stress, get your posture checked by a professional.

This is Correct Your Posture Month. If you have back pain,  neck soreness, or other posture problems--- or want to find out how strengthening your posture can improve sports performance (i.e. golf, tennis, baseball) and wellness -- help is available.  Consult a Certified Posture Exercise Professional, chiropractor, physical therapist or massage therapist trained to assess posture and teach individualized exercise routines for pain management and wellness.

(All images from Google) 

It is Financial Wellness Month - 2013

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By Terry Orr

Financial Wellness is a wonderful concept and if one can participate all the better.  Fact is that many folks simply cannot! They are living day to day - often wondering where their next meal will come from. I am not talking about those individuals who chose not to work.

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I am writing about those who volunteered to protect our way of live, our freedom and others - making terrible sacrifices - all too often the ultimate by giving their lives to a government that has turned their backs on these people!

I am writing about those hard working individuals who have lost their jobs through mismanagement, government bungling, and outsourcing to other countries.

I am writing about the millions of honest, hardworking people who lost their entire life savings at the hands of greedy financial individuals and the government gross neglect. to my knowledge, not one government person has yet been held accountable for their actions.

 I am writing about the corruption in our elected officials over the past one hundred years.  Stealing money from Social Security and other places - failing to repay those it – and now wanting to refer to it as an entitlement - even though millions of hard working people have been contributing to throughout their entire lives as a benefit. Must be part of that New Congressional Math they have been talking about.  Financial wellness was lost to our citizenry through the greed and corruption of elected officials.

I am writing about the lack of true leadership, integrity, honesty, and doing the right thing!

January is Financial Wellness Month. Few if any of us planned to live in these financial hard times, our budgets stretched and often broke - force to decide between a new pair of shoes or a hot meal for the family.

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January is the start of a new year - perhaps a time of hope, a fresh start, for a better tomorrow.

Emotional Intelligence and Wellness Month

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By Diane Forrest

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 I have been having a string of bad luck lately when it comes to Home Owners Insurance.  If you have ever been canceled by an insurance company, then you will know how difficult it is to get more insurance.  If you are able to find another company, then you will more than likely be charged more than you have been paying.  I was canceled by my company three years ago.  Apparently they just want you to pay for it, not actually use the insurance.  Since I had three small claims in five years, they decided to drop me. Luckily I found another company, and was paying the same amount, so it works out.  In August I got a letter from them saying they were dropping me.  I had never made a claim, however they said my roof and electrical wiring was too old.  Seeing as how they were both recently replaced, I sent them the information and they not only reinstated my policy, but I got an even lower rate.  When I went online to pay my bill this morning, I discovered that my policy had in fact been terminated.  I wasn't too worried, since I just chalked it up to bookkeeping records.  So...I call the customer service and learned that I had in fact been canceled, because they no longer covered homes in my state.  Well as you can imagine, I lost it.  Not only was my policy gone, but that was my second insurance cancellation  and the prospects of finding new insurance was bleak.  My stress level hit the roof.

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Stress is running high for alot of people this month, the presidential elections coming up, stress from lost jobs, increases in bills, gas and food.  There is an increase in violent crimes and other catastrophes.  I was just reading about another mall shooting killing four and injured another four.  The headlines this morning stated a 10 year old girl was heading to court this morning on manslaughter charges.  All these issues increase your body's level of stress tolerance.

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This month we are looking at Emotional Intelligence and Wellness.  'Emotional intelligence' refers to the ability to identify and cope with emotions on oneself and others.   'Emotional wellness' refers to happiness and resilience as well as the absence of distressing emotional issues and the presence of healthy coping techniques.  There are several coping mechanisms to help you deal with stress.  As many of you know, laughter is the best medicine.  It is healthy to be able to laugh at the things that bother you, and if you tuned into the vice presidential debates, I think that Joe Biden uses that method as well.  Crying is another form of release of stress.  Sometimes there is nothing better than a good cry to wash your troubles away.

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According to emotional intelligence experts Peter Salovey and John D. Mayer, there are a few different factors that comprise emotional intelligence.

• The first is an ability to accurately perceive emotions, which includes both your own emotions and the emotions of other people.
• A second factor is an ability to understand these emotions. It may be one thing to identify that someone is experiencing an emotion, but it is also important to understand the possible meanings and causes behind that feeling.
• Third is the ability to use emotions in reasoning. Research has shown that emotions have a major impact on how we think, including how we prioritize and attend to information.
• The final factor is the ability to regulate and effectively manage emotions. Salovey and Mayer suggest that seeking out mood-enhancing situations, people and experiences are a few methods that can be used to regulate emotions.

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In July of this year, Judi England wrote an interesting article titled “Four Room” that helps one better understand Emotional Intelligence and Wellness. This quote came from part one of the four part article.

“There is an Indian proverb or axiom that says that everyone is a house with four rooms, a physical, a mental, an emotional, and a spiritual. Most of us tend to live in one room most of the time but, unless we go into every room every day, even if only to keep it aired, we are not a complete person.  ” – Rumer Godden, “A House with Four Rooms”

• Part One – http://blog.timesunion.com/holistichealth/four-rooms/9268/
• Part Two - http://blog.timesunion.com/holistichealth/four-rooms-part-2/9320/
• Part Three - http://blog.timesunion.com/holistichealth/four-rooms-part-3/9350/
• Part Four - http://blog.timesunion.com/holistichealth/four-rooms-part-4/9460/

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If you are bogged down, and disheartened about the current situations in your life, the important thing is to: 1) Recognize there is a problem, and 2) Seek help.  If laughing or crying doesn't make you feel better, try talking it out with a friend, family member, pastor, or professional.  Unless the problems are dealt with or resolved, they will build up and cause an even bigger problem.

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References and Links:

• http://thetased.wordpress.com/2010/11/08/keep-in-touch-with-your-emotions-and-keep-your-job/
• http://www.cscc.edu/campus-life/seal/seal-wellness.shtml
• http://www.mckinley.illinois.edu/units/health_ed/wellness.htm