Many individuals spend a lifetime trying to achieve optimal health and wellness. Wellness is strongly related to our lifestyle choices. As noted by Powers and Dodd (2017), lifestyle, genetics, environment, and healthcare are the four factors that most influence health. Lifestyle has the biggest impact on health as 53% of all diseases are due to lifestyles.
Carmen is a 45-year-old single mother of two children. She has a good job, has strong spiritual values and beliefs, and has three close friends who she gets together with on a regular basis. However, Carmen eats fast food five days a week, feels stressed out most of the time, and does not have time to exercise. She cares about the environment but does not take the time to recycle. She would love to go back to school to get her Masters of Business Administration degree but does not think she has the time. Her current occupation provides her with adequate money to take care of her children, but she finds herself struggling to pay her bills.
Review the eight dimensions of wellness (physical, emotional, intellectual, spiritual, social, environmental, financial, occupational) and answer the following questions:
- Evaluate which dimensions of wellness Carmen is strengthening with her current lifestyle and behaviors.
- Describe which dimensions of wellness she needs to improve.
- Explain three diseases Carmen is at risk for due to her poor lifestyle habits.
- Identify three healthy lifestyle recommendations and examine how these lifestyle factors could help Carmen reduce her risk of disease and help her achieve overall wellness.
- Identify one way Carmen can manage her finances better.
- Include at least two scholarly references to help support your response.