Nursing continuing education, CE, CEU, MFT, LCSWs, MFCCs, Pharmacists, & more

       All 101 Courses             Accreditation                 Help               About Us            Home         

               

TopWell Center: The Top Wellness Lifestyle

 

 Course Number  LWH101                                                                                        2650
 Objectives At the end of this course, you will  1. Describe the dimensions of health, namely MoveWell, CareWell, EatWell, CleanWell and PreventWell.
2. Discuss the contribution of MoveWell to your physical fitness.
3. Relate JoyWell to your daily life.
4. Identify ways that EatWell contributes to your total wellness.
 Credit Hours and Fee  3.0 CE Credit Hours with a fee of $24.00
 Instructor  Rudolf Klimes, PhD (Indiana University), MPH (Johns Hopkins University); Adjunct Professor at Folsom Lake College, Folsom CA.

Welcome to this 3-contact-hour Continuing Education  course with instant online processing and certification 24/7.  Study the course below, take the 12-question multiple-choice TEST, register and pay $24 online. If you score 75% or above, you may print your CE certificate on your printer as soon as you finish. If you have difficulty printing your certificate, click here.

 

 Questions for Self-study:  Study the below page in depth and submit only the quiz at the end of this page.

Take a pre-quiz:

T F Most Americans get enough exercise.

T F Practicing a health lifestyle should be enjoyable.

T F To eat well you need to count the calories you take in.

T F For good health, eat a lot of meat.

Wellness Assessments:   http://www.healthstatus.com/ 

Wellness
Wellness is defined as the optimal functioning and creative adapting that involves the whole person. Four essential ingredients of wellness are: A lifelong approach emphasizing permanent lifestyle changes. Taking responsibility for one’s own actions. Adding to the quality of one’s life, not simply extending the length of life. Making choices which improve an individual’s position on the lifestyle continuum. (Adapted from: Cardinal, Bradly J. & Krause, J. V. (1989). Physical Fitness: The Hub of the Wellness Wheel. Dubuque:Kendell Hunt Publishing. ) 

Fitness
Fitness can be defined as the capacity for sustained physical activity without excessive fatigue or a the capacity to perform everyday activities with reserve energy for emergency situations. It also provides a degree of protection against hypokinetic disease, and a basis for participation in sport. A common way of viewing fitness is by dividing it into the realms of health-related and sport-related.
Health-related physical fitness is an activity aimed to improve health. It exists within five domains: Cardio-respiratory endurance, Body composition, Muscular strength, Muscular endurance, and Flexibility The goal of health-related fitness is the prevention of or rehabilitation from disease as well as the development of a high level of functional capacity for daily tasks.
Sport-related physical fitness is directed towards optimizing athletic performance, recreational activity, increasing ability to work, and avoidance of injury.
Exercise is an organized, regular program of physical activity designed to develop or maintain the components of physical fitness. Exercise interrupts the homeostatic state of the body which in turn initiates a stimulus to positively adapt to the new state. This eventually leads to improved fitness levels.

The Leading Health Indicators will be used to measure the health of the Nation over the next 10 years. Each of the 10 Leading Health Indicators has one or more objectives from Healthy People 2010 associated with it. As a group, the Leading Health Indicators reflect the major health concerns in the United States at the beginning of the 21st century. The Leading Health Indicators were selected on the basis of their ability to motivate action, the availability of data to measure progress, and their importance as public health issues.

The Leading Health Indicators are—

  • Physical Activity 

  • Overweight and Obesity 

  • Tobacco Use 

  • Substance Abuse 

  • Responsible Sexual Behavior 

  • Mental Health 

  • Injury and Violence 

  • Environmental Quality 

  • Immunization 

  • Access to Health Care  www.healthypeople.gov

TopWell helps prevent heart disease, stroke, cancer, diabetes, obesity and Alzheimer's disease. By moving well, enjoying life well, and eating well, you can reduce your risk of heart disease and many common health problems.

TopWell consists of five parts, namely MoveWell, CareWell, EatWell, CleanWell and PreventWell.

 1. MoveWell

Walk or exercise daily at least 1/2 hour.

If you are overweight, or have total cholesterol over 160 mg/dL, walk 3-5 miles daily.

If possible, walk outside and walk vigorously. Fresh air contributes to health. Sauntering is better than sitting, but not as effective as brisk walking or jogging. Pace yourself. Use proper shoes and equipment and slow down or rest when exhausted. A 10-minute walk after each meal aids in digestion.

Review these LearnWell online courses: Better Fitness, Physical Fitness for Life, Drug Prevention.

1.1 Why exercise? Exercise helps digestion, breathing and mental outlook. Without exercise, you become sluggish and accumulate fat.

1.2 Why walk? Walking gives all the benefits of good exercise without putting joints at risk.

1.3 Why walk 3-5 miles daily? To burn calories and really benefit from exercise, walking has to be prolonged.

 

Physical Activity

hysical inactivity contributes to 300,000 preventable deaths a year in the United States. Some 40% of deaths in the United States are caused by behavior patterns that could be modified. A sedentary lifestyle is a major risk factor across the spectrum of preventable diseases that lower the quality of life and kill Americans.

Significant health benefits can be obtained by including a moderate amount of physical activity (e.g., 30 minutes of brisk walking or raking leaves, 15 minutes of running, 45 minutes of playing volley- ball). Additional health benefits can be gained through greater amounts of physical activity.

 Physical activity has been identified as one of the Leading Health Indicators (LHI) in Healthy People 2010, the government's publish- ed health goals and objectives for the next decade.

 Moderate daily physical activity can reduce substantially the risk of developing or dying from cardiovascular disease, type 2 diabetes, and certain cancers, such as colon cancer. Daily physical activity helps to lower blood pressure and cholesterol, helps prevent or retard osteoporosis, and helps reduce obesity, symptoms of anxiety and depression, and symptoms of arthritis.

Cardiovascular disease (heart attacks, strokes) is the number one killer of men and women in the United States. Physically inactive people are twice as likely to develop coronary heart disease as regularly active people. The health risk posed by physical inactivity is almost as high as risk factors such as cigarette smoking, high blood pressure, and high cholesterol.

Source: http://fitness.gov/physical_activity_fact_sheet.html

 

Physical Fitness

Physical fitness is most easily understood by examining its components, or “parts.”  There is widespread agreement that these four components are basic:

Cardiorespiratory Endurance - the ability to deliver oxygen and nutrients to tissues, and to remove wastes, over sustained periods of time.  Long runs and swims are among the methods employed in measuring this component.

Muscular Strength - the ability of a muscle to exert force for a brief period of time.  Upper-body strength, for example, can be measured by various weight-lifting exercises.

Muscular Endurance - the ability of a muscle, or a group of muscles, to sustain repeated contractions or to continue applying force against a fixed object.  Pushups are often used to test endurance of arm and shoulder muscles. A minimum of two 20-minute sessions per week that include exercises for all the major muscle groups.  Lifting weights is the most effective way to increase strength.

Flexibility - the ability to move joints and use muscles through their full range of motion.  The sit-and- reach test is a good measure of flexibility of the lower back and backs of the upper legs. 10-12 minutes of daily stretching exercises performed slowly, without a bouncing motion.  This can be included after a warmup or during a cooldown.

Body composition is often considered a component of fitness.  It refers to the makeup of the body in terms of lean mass (muscle, bone, vital tissue and organs) and fat mass.  An optimal ratio of fat to lean mass is an indication of fitness, and the right types of exercises will help you decrease body fat and increase or maintain muscle mass. Source: http://fitness.gov/fitness.html

 

Fresh Air Breathing

When you're playing sports, swimming, or riding your bike, you probably don't think about taking your next breath—but for millions of people, even simple breathing can be hard if they have a lung disease. More than 30 million Americans live with lung diseases, including lung cancer, emphysema, asthma, and chronic bronchitis, and may have a hard time breathing. Think about how you felt during the last cold you had. Did you have a harder time breathing? Being short of breath can make everyday activities harder and can make you feel more tired.

When you breathe in air, your lungs take the oxygen your body needs and puts it into your bloodstream for other organs and tissues to use. When you breathe out, your lungs get rid of carbon dioxide. The lungs have many tiny air sacs (called alveoli) that work to keep the lungs in shape. While your lungs are inside of your body, they are unique in that they are always exposed to the world outside your body and must work to filter out things we don't need, such as pollens, dust, viruses, bacteria, smoke, and toxins. Breathing in too much of these things can cause colds, allergies, asthma, or emphysema or it can make these conditions worse.

Exercise is a great way to keep your lungs healthy—since the lungs help you breathe, the more you exercise, the stronger they will become!

 2. CareWell

Joyously meditate or read daily at least 1/2 hour and eliminate harmful drugs.

Take care of yourself and others. Substitute joy for stress, relax and avoid harming yourself.

Harmful drugs include alcohol, nicotine products, caffeine, misuse of prescription drugs, and illegal drugs. Three other factors that contributes much to a wellness lifestyle are relaxing periods during the day, adequate sleep at night, and a positive spiritual outlook on life.

Review these LearnWell online courses: Healing Meditation, Healing Humor, Managing Stress, SmokeFreed, Spiritual Health.

2.2 Why meditate? Meditation helps put all thoughts in order.

2.2 Why read? Reading helpful books is relaxing.

2.3 Why abstain from harmful drugs? Harmful drugs harm the body and the mind.

Harmful Drugs, Alcohol, Tobacco, Caffeine   

All are drugs and to some degree harm the body and mind. Avoid them completely.

Meditation

 

There was this article in Newsweek about disease prevention that asked for one hour of meditation a day. I was exercising daily, I was eating well, but meditation? What is that? I had often repeated that verse about the meditation of my heart being acceptable, but that is as far as I got.

There is no doubt that my life is somewhat in disorder. I experience stress because all the parts of my life do not fit together well. I have some square pegs in round holes, and that can be unhealthy and painful. So in meditation I put out my life before God and He helps me set things straight. He helps me in my priorities and tells me what is really important and what is unimportant. He help he put things in my life in order and that is healing.

As I was walking on my meditation walk, I came across 19 bags of grass clippings on the curb in True Value bags. The slogan on them read: Help is just around the corner. But it is amazing how seldom we seek that help from God. We go on in life, neither turning to the right or left.

After a talk on meditation, a lady came up to me, telling me that she was healed from paralysis by meditation. For me, meditation reduces the stress in my life. Meditation can help in both specific and general healing.

Meditation is  considering a subject in the mind through serious reflection and contemplation. It may be healing, leading to goodness and health. But meditation on negatives can be harmful. Healing meditation  fosters peace and reduces stress by a) putting all aspects of life into their proper places, and b) reducing negative thinking which harms the person. 

Stress is the internal or external force that causes a person to become tense, upset or anxious. Meditation is one of the forces that counteracts stress. It does so by bringing the body, mind and spirit into peaceful harmony.

 

Get a Good Night's Sleep

 

  • Set a schedule:

    Go to bed at a set time each night and get up at the same time each morning. Disrupting this schedule may lead to insomnia. "Sleeping in" on weekends also makes it harder to wake up early on Monday morning because it re-sets your sleep cycles for a later awakening.

  • Exercise:

    Try to exercise 20 to 30 minutes a day. Daily exercise often helps people sleep, although a workout soon before bedtime may interfere with sleep. For maximum benefit, try to get your exercise about 5 to 6 hours before going to bed.

  • Avoid caffeine, nicotine, and alcohol:

    Avoid drinks that contain caffeine, which acts as a stimulant and keeps people awake. Sources of caffeine include coffee, chocolate, soft drinks, non-herbal teas, diet drugs, and some pain relievers. Smokers tend to sleep very lightly and often wake up in the early morning due to nicotine withdrawal. Alcohol robs people of deep sleep and REM sleep and keeps them in the lighter stages of sleep.

  • Relax before bed:

    A warm bath, reading, or another relaxing routine can make it easier to fall sleep. You can train yourself to associate certain restful activities with sleep and make them part of your bedtime ritual.

  • Sleep until sunlight:

    If possible, wake up with the sun, or use very bright lights in the morning. Sunlight helps the body’s internal biological clock reset itself each day. Sleep experts recommend exposure to an hour of morning sunlight for people having problems falling asleep.

  • Don’t lie in bed awake:

    If you can’t get to sleep, don’t just lie in bed. Do something else, like reading, watching television, or listening to music, until you feel tired. The anxiety of being unable to fall asleep can actually contribute to insomnia.

  • Control your room temperature:

    Maintain a comfortable temperature in the bedroom. Extreme temperatures may disrupt sleep or prevent you from falling asleep.

  • See a doctor if your sleeping problem continues:

    If you have trouble falling asleep night after night, or if you always feel tired the next day, then you may have a sleep disorder and should see a physician. Your primary care physician may be able to help you; if not, you can probably find a sleep specialist at a major hospital near you. Most sleep disorders can be treated effectively, so you can finally get that good night’s sleep you need. Source: http://www.ninds.nih.gov/health_and_medical/pubs/understanding_sleep_brain_basic_.htm

    • Stress and Helping Others

    Self-centered behavior is one of the causes of stress, while altruistic behavior reduces stress. Stress affects most body systems and is one of the causes of many diseases. Lack of life purpose, unhealthy lifestyles and negative thinking patterns contribute to stress. Vengeful behavior is stressful, forgiveness heals stress.

    Focusing away from oneself reduces life stress. Helping someone makes you forget your own problems. It empowers you, gives you a courage, purpose and peace of mind. But in this, like in everything, it is important to pace yourself, for excessive care-giving can cause stress.

     3. EatWell

    Eat mainly a variety of whole grains products and whole fruits, vegetables, legumes and nuts.

    If your are overweight or have total cholesterol over 160 mg/dL, eliminate animal products, free fats and free sugars.

    The emphasis here is on mainly eating the recommended foods while minimizing other eatables. Whole grain products include whole grain breads, whole grain pastas, and brown rice. Free fats are mainly oils, butter and margarine. Any fat that is added to food is free fat. Any sugar that is added to food is free sugar. The most nutritious nuts are walnuts, hazelnuts, almonds, and pecans. Drinking 6-8 glasses of water and a multi-vitamin-mineral capsule a day is also recommended. Use EatWell as guidelines but do not stress over a small periodic deviation.

    Review these LearnWell online courses: Better Weight, Food for Health, Cholesterol 160.

    3.1 Why eat plant foods whole? Processed plant foods loose many nutrients and are not as beneficial as whole plant foods.

    3.2 Why eliminate animal products? Animal products contain cholesterol that can contribute to elevated blood cholesterol.

    3.3 Why eliminate free fats? Fats contribute to obesity. The fats from grains, fruits and nuts is adequate for a balanced diet. 

    3.4 Why eliminate free sugars? Free sugar clogs the system and hinder the function of helpful body functions.

     

    Eat Fruits and Vegetables

    Fruits and vegetables look good, taste great and contain vitamins and minerals. Eating 5 to 9 Fruits and Vegetables A Day is quick and easy. A serving is a medium-size piece of fruit; ¾ cup (6 fl. oz.) of 100 percent fruit. You can get your 5 to 9 A Day in many ways because fruits and vegetables come fresh, frozen, canned, dried, and as 100 percent fruit or vegetable juice. Wash fresh fruit and vegetables thoroughly in water. Buy ready-to-eat packaged fresh vegetables that are already cleaned. Pre-cut vegetables and salad mixes are a terrific 5 A Day time-saver. You'll find them at your local supermarket.

    A fast food alternative? Your local supermarket may offer prepared items, including sliced melons, fresh pineapple, salad mixes, and a salad bar to satisfy your hunger.

    Fruits and vegetables are nature's original fast food. When it's snack time, grab

    Fruit— an apple or orange, or a zip lock bag and fill with sweet cherries, grapes, dried dates, figs, prunes, raisins, or apricots

    Vegetables— carrot sticks, broccoli, or some red, yellow, and green pepper. Try dipping your vegetables in low-fat or non-fat salad dressing.

    Not sure how to eat 5 to 9 A Day? Start the day with 100 percent fruit or vegetable juice. Slice bananas or strawberries on top of your cereal. Have a salad with lunch, and an apple for an afternoon snack. Include a vegetable with dinner and you already have 5 A Day. If you need more than 5 servings per day (see chart above), try adding a piece of fruit for a snack or an extra vegetable (like carrots or green beans) at dinner.

    There are so many choices when selecting fruits and vegetables. Have you ever tried kiwifruit? How about asparagus? Try something new that helps you reach your 5 to 9 A Day.

    Keep things fresh and interesting by combining fruits and vegetables of different flavors and colors, like red grapes with pineapple chunks, or cucumbers and red peppers.

    When you keep fruits and vegetables visible and easily accessible you tend to eat them more; for instance, store cut and cleaned produce at eye-level in the refrigerator, or keep a big bowl of fruit on the table.  Source: http://www.cdc.gov.

     

    Water

    We hear a lot about what we should eat to stay healthy, but there's one thing we need even more than food each day - and that's water. Although we all know the importance of drinking enough water during the hot summer months, many people don't realize they need to drink plenty of water all year round. Every part of your body needs water to work properly, but water is particularly important for keeping the kidneys healthy. Dehydration (lack of water) is one of the reasons why people develop kidney stones.

    I don't need water because I don't get thirsty, some people say. But that's because thirst can be slow to develop - often we don't feel thirst even when our bodies need fluid. We often confuse thirst with hunger too. Sometimes when you think your body is asking for food, what it really needs is water. This is why it's a good habit to drink water regularly - whether you feel thirsty or not. Source: http://www.mhcs.health.nsw.gov.au/health-public-affairs/mhcs/publications/3055.html

     

    Cholesterol

    Two types of lipoproteins and their quantity in the blood are main factors in heart disease risk:

    • Low-density lipoprotein (LDL)--This "bad" cholesterol is the form in which cholesterol is carried into the blood and is the main cause of harmful fatty buildup in arteries. The higher the LDL cholesterol level in the blood, the greater the heart disease risk.
    • High-density lipoprotein (HDL)--This "good" cholesterol carries blood cholesterol back to the liver, where it can be eliminated. HDL helps prevent a cholesterol buildup in blood vessels. Low HDL levels increase heart disease risk.

    One of the primary ways LDL cholesterol levels can become too high in blood is through eating too much of two nutrients: saturated fat, which is found mostly in animal products, and cholesterol, found only in animal products. Saturated fat raises LDL levels more than anything else in the diet.

    Several other factors also affect blood cholesterol levels:

    • Heredity--High cholesterol often runs in families. Even though specific genetic causes have been identified in only a minority of cases, genes still play a role in influencing blood cholesterol levels.
    • Weight--Excess weight tends to increase blood cholesterol levels. Losing weight may help lower levels.
    • Exercise--Regular physical activity may not only lower LDL cholesterol, but it may increase levels of desirable HDL.
    • Age and gender--Before menopause, women tend to have total cholesterol levels lower than men at the same age. Cholesterol levels naturally rise as men and women age. Menopause is often associated with increases in LDL cholesterol in women.
    • Stress--Studies have not shown stress to be directly linked to cholesterol levels. But experts say that because people sometimes eat fatty foods to console themselves when under stress, this can cause higher blood cholesterol.

    Cholesterol levels are measured in milligrams per deciliter (mg/dL). The National Cholesterol Education Program developed the following classifications for people over age 20 who do not have heart disease:

    • Desirable blood cholesterol--Total blood cholesterol is less than 200 mg/dL; LDL is lower than 130 mg/dL.
    • Borderline high cholesterol--Total level is between 200 and 239 mg/dL or LDL is 130 to 159 mg/dL.
    • High blood cholesterol--Total level is greater than 240 mg/dL or LDL is 160 mg/dL or higher. For patients with heart disease, LDL above 100 mg/dL is too high. In addition, an HDL level less than 35 mg/dL is considered low and increases the risk of heart disease. Source: http://www.fda.gov/fdac/features/1999/199_chol.html

    HDL (good) cholesterol protects against heart disease, so for HDL, higher numbers are better. A level less than 40 mg/dL is low and is considered a major risk factor because it increases your risk for developing heart disease. HDL levels of 60 mg/dL or more help to lower your risk for heart disease.

    Triglycerides can also raise heart disease risk. Levels that are borderline high (150-199 mg/dL) or high (200 mg/dL or more) may need treatment in some people. http://www.nhlbi.nih.gov/health/public/heart/chol/wyntk.htm#numbers 

    Much of the world population averages a total cholesterol level of under 160. High levels of cholesterol are found mainly in developed nations. In many cases, total cholesterol may be lowered by reducing or eliminating the eating of animal products. All animal products contain cholesterol.

     

    EatWell to Protect against Heart Disease:

    To remember LDL, think as "L" standing for "Litter Bugs". In the same way, in HDL, the "H" stands for "Helper Bugs." In a simple way, the Litter Bugs (LDL) are the bad guys that clog up the system and you want less than 100 of them. The Helper Bugs (HDL) are the good guys that clean it out and you want more than 60 of them.

    TopWell advocates changes mainly through MoveWell, JoyWell and EatWell. Medications to lower cholesterol levels may be needed in some cases but usually should be used in conjunction with TopWell. (This is a general health education statement and not medical advice.) 

     4. CleanWell

    Use clean water, clean hands, clean food, clean air and sanitary elimination and healthy reproduction.

    The CleanWell course is Hygiene.

     5. PreventWell

    Use all means at your disposal to prevent diseases and accidents. Know the risk factors.

    PreventWell courses are Disease Prevention and Wellness

    Wellness Library: Wellness Workbook  Psychological Self-Help   http://www.fitness.gov/funfit/10tips.htm

      Test 

    Study this web-site for 3 hours for an approved (RN-CEP 11430, MFT- PCE 39) 3-hours Continuing Education Certificate (0.3 CEUs)  Click here for the self-correcting test & online payment, and 2) receive your certificate immediately online. All is online, nothing by post-mail. 

    Take one more course.