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Thursday, August 26, 2010

What Does Health Mean to Me?


My original post for today involved a trip to the store…but that is getting axed - because Gainesville is apparently in the midst of a monsoon (disguising itself as one of our normal daily reoccurring afternoon summer showers).  Anyone else ready for a little rainy day relief by way of autumn (ahh..college football and temps below 90 - those were the days).



So instead, I decided to take a cue from an awesome site called Healthy Living Blogs (Side Note: This site is an awesome resource if you are looking for new and interesting healthy lifestyle blogs) and write about the topic currently being discussed there – What Does Health Mean to Me?

For those who don’t know, in addition to my job (doing Vocational Evaluations for persons with disabilities), I’m also pursuing a Master of Public Health degree. A huge portion of my time is designated to learning about disease prevention, healthy lifestyles, and epidemiology.   

So...What does health mean to me? You’d think it would be easy enough to lay it all out there…but to me, true health and well-being includes a lot. There are so many facets that go beyond proper nutrition and exercise.

I think of health as being divided into two main categories (and about a million subcategories): mental and physical health.  These two categories work together to contribute to my overall health; and when aspects of any of these categories go by the wayside, I feel my overall health is affected negatively. 

To me, Health means:




Embracing Family Time
             Having dates, family nights, and quiet (or noisy) moments together




Holding fast to my spiritual and religious beliefs
             Always




The ability to help others
             At work, at home, on the street




Constantly learning and maintaining outlets for creativity     
            Whether cake decorating, scrapbooking, or interior design




Keeping excitement, spontaneity, and happiness in my marriage 


A weekend away, just us two? Yes please!




Recognizing when I can’t do something alone and asking for help when I need it       
            Physically and Spiritually




Consuming nutritious foods while always saving room for splurges
             What is Life Without Your just deserts




Staying active    
          Physically and Socially




Reading voraciously
            For education, leisure, and spirituality




Noting beautiful surroundings
             At home, in others’ homes, on the radio, outdoors, all around




Knowing and respecting my limits
             …and living within my means




Being happy at work  
          You wouldn’t believe the importance of this




Smiling every time I see a dog
            Without fail




Constantly working on physical strength, endurance, and ability
                Working to always - Run, and not be weary; and walk, and not faint



    How do you define health? Do you include sweets, good times, and puppy dogs in your definition? 

    If any of our readers would like to guest post on what health means to them – let us know!

    Links to Health:








    2 comments:

    1. To me, health means feeling good. In all realms of my life. Spiritually, emotionally, physically...if I am not feeling good, something has to change. That being said, I am always trying to improve and feel better.
      I think you sum it up really well!!

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    2. You are totally right! This list is a working list of goals for good health in my life. It's hard to make them all happen, but I think they are all super important.

      ReplyDelete