University of Wisconsin- La Crosse eCHECKUP TO GO

Physical - the ability to maintain a healthy quality of life that allows us to get through our daily activities.

 

Optimal physical wellness requires eating well, exercising, avoiding harmful habits, getting enough sleep, recognizing the signs of disease, getting regular physical exams, and taking steps to prevent injury.

As you travel the wellness path, you will strive to spend time building physical strength, flexibility, and endurance while also taking safety precautions so you may travel your path successfully, including medical self-care and appropriate use of a medical system. The physical dimension of wellness entails personal responsibility and care for minor illnesses and also knowing when professional medical attention is needed. The physical benefits of looking good and feeling terrific most often lead to the psychological benefits of enhanced self-esteem, self-control, determination, and a sense of direction.

  • Exercise & Fitness: Exercise is key for maintaining an individual’s health.  Building muscle, toning, improving aerobic capacity, maintaining weight and even improved academic performance can all be linked to regular exercise and fitness. Including exercise in your life will improve your:
    • Strength
    • Flexibility
    • Balance
    • Endurance
  • Advantages of exercising
    • Decreases anxiety and stress
    • Burns calories
    • Increases metabolism
    • Increases self-esteem
    • Releases endorphins
  • Disadvantages of exercising
    • Overtraining
    •  

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General Health Guidelines

Type of exercise

Duration

Examples

Cardio

150 min/week of Moderate intensity exercise OR 75 min/week of vigorous intensity exercise

Walk, Jog, Bike, Swim, Soccer, Basketball, Kickboxing, Elliptical, Stairs, Jump Rope, Sprint etc

Muscular Strength & Endurance

2-3 days a week doing 8-12 exercises until fatigue

Arm Curls, Push-ups, Lunges, Squats, Wall Sits, Crunches, Bench Press, Leg Lifts, Leg Press, Calf Raises, etc.

Flexibility

Gentle stretch of each muscle group for 30 seconds each at least once a day

Arm Across the Body, Arm Overhead, Knee to Chest, Touch your Toes, etc


  • Nutrition:  By traveling the wellness path you will understand and appreciate the relationship between sound nutrition and how your body performs. Fitness and nutrition go hand in hand. Combining well planned, targeted workouts with quality food intake will maximize the benefits from your fitness efforts
    • A healthy diet requires some planning and an effort to include a variety of foods in your meals and snacks. Choose a variety of foods from the grains, vegetables, fruits, dairy, meat and beans, and oil groups.
      • Food Pyramid
        • MyPlate
    • An even distribution of food throughout the day helps with appetite and weight management and provides a more even level of energy. Try to eat approximately every 3-4 hours.
    • Packing food items to be eaten on the go prevents overeating which often results from letting hunger build throughout the day.
    • It is better to consume foods and beverages that enhance good health rather than those which impair it.
      • Alcohol
        • Alcohol eCHECKUP TO GO Link
          • Safe Drinking Tips

1. Decide what you want from your drinking

2. Count your drinks, space them out to about 1 per hour

3. Alternate between alcoholic and nonalcoholic drinks such as water or juice

4. Eat before and while you drink

5. Set a drinking limit - know how much you are going to have before you start

6. Never leave your drink unattended

7. Don't play drinking games

        • Short term effects: Distorted vision, hearing, and coordination, impaired judgment, altered perceptions and emotions, slowed reactions, hangovers
        • Long term effects: Can lead to alcoholism, damage to parts of the brain, damage to liver and other organs, intensification of mental health problems including depression
      • Drugs
    • Eating Disorders
      • Bulimia
      • Overeating
      • Anorexia Nervosa
    • Daily healthy recipes
    • A Registered Dietitian can streamline this process by helping you tailor the most effective strategies to your nutritional needs and lifestyle.

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  • Sex: Sexual health can be a difficult subject to talk about, but it can also be positive and informative. Sexual health consists of:
    • Relationships
      • Relationships should consist of mutual respect for each individual, open communication between each other, honesty, and support for one another.
      • A relationship is unhealthy when it involves mean, disrespectful, controlling and/or           abusive behavior.
        • Learn more information about dating/domestic violence
    • Sexual Orientation
      • Sexual Orientation is the overall term that is used to describe people’s physical and/or romantic attractions to other people.
      • LGBTIQQAA (Lesbian,Gay, Bisexual, Transgender,Intersex, Queer, Questioning, Asexual, or Allies)
    • Sexually Transmitted Infections (STI)
      • It doesn't matter what your situation is: hookups, friends with benefits, boyfriend, girlfriend, partner... you can get an STI. Using a condom can reduce your risk of contracting disease. Preventing most STI's is a lot easier than treating most STI’s
      • 20-25% of college students in the U.S. have either been infected with an STI or transmitted and STI to their sex partner(s).
      • Think you might have an STI? Learn more about STI's and if you might need to be tested
    • Protection
      • If you choose to be sexually active it is very important to protect yourself, whether that be from sexually transmitted infections or unwanted pregnancies. These methods will only help if they are used correctly.
        • To find out information about each of the possible methods, such as effectiveness and how they work, please visit http://www.sexetc.org/page/safersexguide to find which method works best for you.
        • And for more information on protecting yourself please contact the resources located on this page.
    • Abstinence
      • Abstinence is the only 100% effective method to avoid pregnancy and contracting an STI. Abstinence is the choice not to have sexual intercourse.

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  • Sleep: Sleep is an essential part of life. While you sleep your energy recharges, but other body systems also get a boost. Sleep benefits your immune system, helps repair your nervous system, helps brain matter repair and grow and aids hormone release. With proper sleep you can help yourself stay healthy, do better on tests and have lots of energy.
    • Guide on how to nap
    • Sleep is a necessary and vital biological function. It is essential to a person's physical and emotional well being. Studies have shown that without enough sleep, a person's ability to perform even simple tasks declines dramatically.
      • The effects of sleep deprivation and chronic lack of sleep
  • Fatigue, lethargy, and lack of motivation
  • Moodiness and irritability
  • Reduced creativity and problem-solving skills
  • Inability to cope with stress
  • Reduced immunity; frequent colds and infections
  • Concentration and memory problems
  • Weight gain
  • Impaired motor skills and increased risk of accidents
  • Difficulty making decisions
  • Increased risk of diabetes, heart disease, and other health problems

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