Stopping Junk Food Consumption - Essay Example

Stopping Junk Food Consumption Introduction Wellness encompasses a multidimensional and holistic process that involves lifestyle, mental and spiritual well-being. The National Wellness Institute defines wellness as an active process through which people become aware of their health and make proper choices that promote a successful existence. The dimensions of wellness create awareness among the people concerning the interconnectedness various variables, and the contribution of each dimension to healthy living. The models of wellness dimensions focus on contribution of people to their environment and community, development of belief systems, creative and stimulating mental activities, and the benefits associated with the regular physical activities. A. The Dimensions of Wellness The six Dimensions of Wellness include physical, social, emotional, occupational, spiritual, and intellectual. The social dimension focuses on people’s contribution to their environment and community (Thompson 310). As people strive to achieve wellness, they become more aware of their importance and the impact they have on multiple environments. The occupational dimension recognizes people’s orientation towards satisfying and enriching their life through work, which is personally meaningful and economically rewarding (Thompson 313). The primary goal of spiritual dimension is to recognize people’s search for meaning in and purpose for human existence. The spiritual dimension exposes human beings to various feelings such as joy, dislocation, pleasure, doubts, disappointment, happiness, and discovery. The physical dimension emphasizes on the need for regular activity to enhance physical development. Having a good physical look causes psychological benefits such as enhanced self-esteem, sense of direction, self-control, and determination (Thompson 314). Intellectual dimension recognizes that people need creative and stimulating mental activities. The principle of intellectual dimension is to stretch and challenge people’s minds using creative pursuits as opposed to leaving them become self-satisfied and unproductive. Emotional dimension is concerned with awareness and acceptance of a person’s feelings; it focuses on the extent to which people feel positive and enthusiastic about themselves. Reasons for Interest Limiting Junk Food Intake Junk food is the greatest factor fueling obesity (Lacroix and Li-Chan 66). I am interested in this health aspect because I do not want to become obese. Physically, being obese will limit my movement and constrain my self-esteem. I believe in the principle of the physical dimension, which states that it is better to be physically fit than out of shape. Socially, my health project will enable me to improve the environment by encouraging health lifestyles by initiating communication with people around me. I believe that obesity may interfere with my emotional state, as it will limit my capability to take challenges and risks, since I will view myself as being potentially unhealthy. My health project is directly related to the occupational dimension since maintaining my weight will enable me to develop functional and transferable skills through structured involvement opportunities than remaining inactive and uninvolved due to obesity. Intellectually, I believe ceasing consumption of junk foods will enhance the speed of my weight reduction. This will enhance development of beneficial collaborations with peers, accelerate development of my knowledge and skills, and discover the potential for sharing intellectual and cultural knowledge with others. Events Promoting my Focus on Stopping Junk Food Consumption My body mass index is constantly increasing at a high rate. The World Health Organizations predicts that approximately 2.3 billion adults will be overweight and above 700 million will be obese by 2015 (Bagnasco, Da, Catania, Turci, Rocco, and Sasso 188). Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reveal that more than 34 percent of US adults are currently obese. Obesity reduces life expectancy and increases chances of health complications such as heart diseases, obstructive sleep apnea, cancer, and osteoarthritis (Ralston, Kappagoda and Mermin 62). Health Project Goal Statement To attain a body mass index (BMI) of 25kgs/m2 B. Plan of Action First, I will choose meals that have low fat, low carbohydrate, and low calorie content. According to Lacroix and Li-Chan , consuming the equal amount of calories to the amount the body is using helps in body weight maintenance (66). Second, I will choose an active lifestyle that will help me maintain my weight. I will participate in physical activities such as playing football, jogging and skating; these activities are vital in increasing the amount of calories the body burns to ensure body weight maintenance (Bagnasco, Da, Catania, Turci, Rocco, and Sasso 191). Third, I will monitor and evaluate the effectiveness of the adopted strategies. The best monitoring strategy is regular weighing to examine the rate of weight loss (Ralston, Kappagoda and Mermin 64). Continued weight gain will indicate lack of proper execution of the plan. Excessive weight loss will indicate too much exercising, which can be fatal to health (Lacroix and Li-Chan 69). Moderate weight loss is the best indicator of proper plan execution. On of the barriers that may hinder success of the plan include super appetites for undesirable foods that had become a habit. Dealing with this barrier will involve convincing myself to consider the long-term effects of the plan rather than satisfying my current body needs. I will also avoid places selling high calorie and fatty foods. The second barriers will be boredom. Boredom to exercises and dieting arises from lack of motivation to continue with the plan of action. The best way to avoid boredom involves seeking a group to work as the members motivate one another during plan execution (Ralston, Kappagoda and Mermin 72). C. Evaluation I regularly measured my weight after every two weeks using the body mass index. The BMI estimates the amount of fats in the body based on the ratio between height and weight, and classifies people based on appropriate weight for their size. Initially, my body mass index was 28kg/m2. I began following my plan of action to reduce my weight to the normal 25kg/ m2 . I divided the period of six months into twelve sessions. Each session was made up of two weeks. The table below represents my BMI over the period of six months. Period Body Mass Index (Kg/m2) Percentage Change Session 1 28 - Session 2 27.9 0.36% (Reduction) Session 3 28 0.36% (Increase) Session 4 27 3.57% (Decrease) Session 5 27 0% (Constant) Session 6 27.8 2.96% (Increase) Session 7 27.6 0.72% (decrease) Session 8 27.6 0% (Constant) Session 9 27.4 0.72% (Decrease) Session 10 27.3 0.36% (Decrease) Session 11 27.3 0% (Constant) Session 12 27.2 0.37% (Decrease) There was an overall decrease in my body mass index except for session 3 and session 6 where there was increase in BMI. I think the reason for this was due to reduced physical activities during the two sessions. Session 5, session 8 and session 11 were characterized by zero changes in BMI. Session 4 featured the greatest decrease in BMI. This was the time I had decided to reduce my weight to normal and intrinsic motivation was at the highest. I will maintain the current plan for the next period of six months because I believe that it is working for me. D. Conclusion I realized a decrease in my body mass index by 2.86%. My BMI increased during two sessions and remained constant during three sessions of my health project. I did not reach my goal of 25 kg/m2 during the six weeks period; I was only able to achieve a BMI of 27.2 kg/m2. It was not possible to lose weight as I had planned. This was my first plan and there were a few challenges at the beginning of the project, as I had not acclimatized to the system. Additionally, I was sometimes affected by addiction effect to high calorie and fat foods; I was sometimes tempted to taste, which caused accumulation of excess fats and calories in the body. I feel that the result I achieved of 27.2 kg/m2 was worth the effort. I cannot deny the little success that I achieved. I used to jog everyday in the morning, did mountain climbing, went to swimming, and changed my dietary requirements. I did not have too much commitment to the plan, and this is the reason for my satisfaction with the result. I plan to continue with this project even after I achieve my goals. This is because I will need to maintain my body weight at desirable level; if I stop the plan, I think I may start regaining weight, which may lead to obesity. The main outlook I have concerning my personal health is that it is controllable, and I am the only person who can maintain it for personal benefits. E. Works Cited Bagnasco, Annamaria, Giacomo P. Di, Rin D. M. R. Da, Gianluca Catania, Carlo Turci, Gennaro Rocco, and Loredana Sasso. "Factors Influencing Self-Management in Patients with Type 2 Diabetes: a Quantitative Systematic Review Protocol." Journal of Advanced Nursing. 70.1 (2014): 187-200. Print. Lacroix, Isabelle M. E, and Eunice C. Y. Li-Chan. "Overview of Food Products and Dietary Constituents with Antidiabetic Properties and Their Putative Mechanisms of Action: a Natural Approach to Complement Pharmacotherapy in the Management of Diabetes." Molecular Nutrition & Food Research. 58.1 (2014): 61-78. Print. Ralston, Aoki J, Manel Kappagoda, and Seth E. Mermin. "Beyond the Code Book: Legal Tools for Accelerating Progress in Obesity Prevention." The Journal of Law, Medicine & Ethics. 41 (2014): 61-67. Print. Thompson, Kitko C. "Dimensions of Wellness and the Health Matters Program at Penn State." Home Health Care Management and Practice. 13.4 (2001): 308-311. Print. Read More