Project #1

Prescription Paper

Beatriz Nicolas

HED 044

May 13, 2018

 As a current twenty year-old female in college, I do not view my health as a priority that I

should analyze daily. With a busy schedule of work, school, and a career to pursue I have not put

thought and time into my health. Through this health class, I am becoming more aware of the

different dimensions in my health that I should reflect on in order to live a healthy life. This

project allowed me to reflect on my health, look for ways to improve my health, and be

encouraged to take action.

Using the health self-assessment on page 21 of “Health the basic,” by Rebecca J.

Donatelle, I was able to reflect on the different dimensions of my health. The questions

examined my health in six dimensions which are physical, emotional, social, environmental,

spiritual, intellectual, and also disease prevention. I scored in the rage of 15-20 within the

dimensions of physical, social, emotional, spiritual, intellectual and disease prevention. This

score shows that I am “practicing good health habit”. In my physical health I lack the

engagement in “vigorous exercise” (Donatelle, 2015, pp.21). In my emotional health I can

improve in the area of being less “critical or judgmental of others” (Donatelle, 2015, pp.22). In

intellectual health I need to manage my time better and fins a hobby or personal growth activity.

In environmental health I scored the lowest with 13 points, this puts me in a health risk category.

I scored low in the actions of buying recycled products, wear clothes for a long time and using

less water. I understand why I scored low on the environmental health because I am not very

knowledgeable in the area of environment health. Without knowledge of environmental health I

am not able to reach optimal health in that area. Using the results from this assessment I am able

to create a plan of the areas where I can improve my health.

First, I will address my physical health, in this dimension I lacked in physical activity. I

will give myself 3 hours a week to be physically active. I can look up exercise videos on
YouTube or go to the park and use the free exercise materials provided. For my emotional

health, I need to self- reflect when I encounter a situation where I am judging a person. I must

engage with a person and try to understand differences. I can improve in my intellectual health

by committing to a hobby and being more organized in order to manage my time well. Upon

beginning this course, I already took a step in improving my health changing my availability at

work enabling me to have a full day to myself. In the article “Develop Good Habits a Better Life

one Habit at a Time,” various examples were given of activities I can engage in that pertain to

the dimension of intellectual health. In order to improve my intellectual health I have to find a

learning or personal growth activity and engage in it once a week. The activity I found would

work best for me is the writing down my top priorities for that week. For example in my planner

I can make a list of the important task I have to accomplish throughout the week. Also I would

like to begin a journal in order to write down the interactions I have with my students in my job

and therefore use them as a way to reflect and learn more about child development. In order to

work toward improving my health in the dimension of the environment I researched simple

actions that I can begin doing now. When I think of environmental health I think about growing

your food, making a compost bin but the article “Creating Good Habits: How to Help the

Environment Everyday” shows how I can begin taking a step to improving my environmental

health without taking on big projects. I can use less water, turn off lights when I am not using

them, reduce food waste and reducing the use of plastic. These are ways I can improve my

current health in the dimensions of physical, emotional, intellectual and environmental.

It is important to maintain the optimal health in all six dimensions of our health. Health

can give a person immediate and long-term benefits. Donatelle, provides the example of how

inadequate sleep can affect the academic success of a student negatively, this is an immediate
negative effect of improper health (2015, pp.2). A long-term benefit would be the physical

strength and confidence gained when committing an exercise plan. We should aspire to live up

the life expectancy which for women is between the ages of 76.3 to 81.1 (Donatelle, 2015, pp.3).

Individual behaviors play a large role in improving the health of a person and being able to reach

optimal health. The health of one person can have an effect on others, the textbook provides the

example of obesity and the negative effect it can have on the U.S. health care system and the

U.S. economy (Donatelle, 2015, pp.4). In order to maintain good psychological health which

includes the mental, spiritual, social, and emotional health the basic needs have to be met.

Maslow gave us a hierarchy that needs to be met in order to reach psychological health

(Donatelle, 2015, pp.39). Physical and environmental dimensions are the first important areas

that have to also be maintained healthy. With a safe and secure environment an individual will be

able to satisfy their survival needs of food and water. The next components would be social

needs, esteem needs and self- actualization. After a person can provide for its physical need,

actions can be taken to improve the well-being having to do with their social and emotional

dimensions.

Taking the social cognitive model approach of the reciprocal interaction of behavior,

inner thoughts and feelings, and social environment I will be able to create change in my

lifestyle. In laying out my three goals I have to use the SMART system, which defines goals as

specific, measurable, action-oriented, realistic and time oriented (Donatelle, 2015, pp.18). My

first goal is to increase my environmental health; I will do this by reducing my showers from 30

minutes to 20 minutes. My second goal is in the dimension of physical health; as I stated early I

will commit 3 hours a week to exercise. I will begin on Monday and Wednesday with 45 minute

workouts. Sunday I will commit one hour and a half to going on a hike, going to my local park or
doing exercise outside my home. Finally my third goal will be to write in my planner every day,

whether it is adding in new tasks, or checking off tasks completed. Checking in with the notes

taken in my planner will allow me to better manage my time. These three goals are specific and

realistic therefore I should be able to successfully commit to them.

In conclusion, I am now more aware of the dimensions in my health where I have to

make improvements. After taking the self-assessment, I was able to learn more about each

dimension and how well-being can be reached in each dimension. I have now taken a step to

improve my health by committing to 3 goals. I will keep these goals in my planner and remind

myself to complete them.

 Resources:

Develop good habits a better life one habit at a time. (2018).33 self-awareness activities for

adults and students [www.developgoodhabits.com]. Retrieved

https://www.developgoodhabits.com/self-awareness-activities/

Donatelle, R. J. (2015). Health the basics: 11th edition. Glenview, Illinois: Pearson Education.

Varela, C. (2017 January 4). Creating good habits: how to help the environment everyday

[wildlife & nature]. Retrieved https://www.woodlandtrust.org.uk/blog/2017/01/creating-good-

habits-how-to-help-the-environment-every-day/