Physical components of wellness
- "It is better to be physically fit than out of shape."
- "It is better to consume foods and beverages that enhance good health rather than those which impair it."
- National Wellness Institute
Physical wellness is centered around the specific things you do on a daily basis to maintain your physical health. This includes regular physical activity, appropriate eating habits, maintaining a healthy weight, getting enough sleep, avoiding tobacco use, appropriate use of medications and moderate alcohol consumption. It also includes taking appropriate actions to protect and manage your health through preventive testing and proper self-care.
Managing one's physical wellness through proper nutrition, exercise, preventive testing and appropriate self-care contributes to an increased level of energy and enhanced self-esteem.
Helpful information and tools for getting started
- Increasing your physical activity
- Managing your weight
- Smoking cessation
- Managing high blood pressure
- Managing your diabetes
- Managing your cholesterol
- Self help for you and your children
- Preventive guidelines
- Completing advance directives
- Mastering motivation
- Sign up for our free email newsletter on eating healthy
Health risk appraisal
Health Risk Appraisals (HRA) are a series of questions about your health, history and lifestyle that provide relevant data about your current health status, educational information and recommendations on how to reduce your risk factors
- Classes and events at Aurora that promote exercise and fitness
- Classes and events at Aurora that promote health and wellness
Why exercise? Because increased physical activity not only improves the fitness of your heart and lungs, it also helps you manage your weight, control your blood pressure, cholesterol and blood sugar levels, helps you build healthy bones, muscles and joints, helps reduce stress and increases your energy level. As you can see, the benefits of exercise are many and the good news is that it is never too late to become more active and to begin to reap the benefits!
How do I know it is safe for me to start exercising? For many people, beginning a low-to-moderate physical activity program is quite safe. But depending on your age and whether you have certain cardiovascular risk factors, you may need to see your physician before starting a program of vigorous (as opposed to moderate) aerobic activity.
The American Council on Exercise offers excellent advice to help you determine if you need a doctor's permission before starting an exercise program. Click here to review these guidelines.
If at anytime during activity you experience excessive shortness of breath, light-headedness, dizziness, chest pain or pressure, stop your activity and report your symptoms to your physician.
How can I become more active?
- Starting a safe exercise program
- Commonly used stretches
- Strength training
- Aerobic activity
- Aerobic exercise guidelines
- Caloric expenditure of various activities
Opportunities to become more active
- Exercise facilities with discounts for Aurora employees
- Hiking clubs and information
- Badgers Striders
- www.walksource.com (This is a website where you can calculate the distances to various addresses so if you want to find out how far it is to walk from your home to work or the store, etc, this will calculate the distance for you.)
- Aurora activity programs
- Classes (Pilates, Yoga, Tai Chi)
- Tips on choosing a health club
- Warm weather and back pain: What's the connection?
- Walking Maps of and around Aurora Facilities:
- Heil Center Wellness Walk
- AHC Slinger
- Aurora Health Care-Lake Geneva
- Memorial Hospital of Burlington
- Aurora Health Care Waterford
- Aurora Health Care Twin Lakes
- Aurora Health Care Paddock Lake
- Aurora Wellness Center
- Aurora Medical Center - Oshkosh
- Aurora Lakeland Medical Center
- ALMC - Outdoor
- ALMC - Indoor
- ASMC-Indoor and out
- ASMC-Indoor, with landmarks
The psychology of weight loss (articles on WeightWatchers.com)
- Are you ready? Introduction to behavior change
- Are you ready? Behavior change and weight management
- Mind skills for lasting weight loss
- Emotional eating
- Mood and weight
- Additional articles
- Is it time to make a change?
- What are your options?
- Choosing the program that's right for you
- Weight Watchers at work at Aurora
- Create Your Own Plate Cookbook (from KarenYontzCenter.org)
- Helpful nutrition resources
- Healthful eating for teens on the run
- Physical activity
- U.S. Dept. of Agriculture food pyramid
Complementary & alternative medicine
- Complementary and alternative medicine
- What is aromatherapy?
- Chiropractic care
- Acupuncture information
- National Center for Complementary and Alternative Medicine (NCCAM) winter 2007 newsletter