“Design environments that support your best intentions. Nature abhors a vacuum and will-power is not very powerful. So surround yourself with the places, things, systems, technologies, and conveniences that will make it easier to make it successful. The more you focus on what you want, rather than on what you don’t want, the more possibilities you will see.” – Bob Tschannen-Moran (www.LifeTrekCoaching.com, Provision #598: New Year’s Resolutions).
C.H.A.R.G.E. #013
In last week’s C.H.A.R.G.E., we discussed three important issues regarding our wellness; stress, nutrition/weight management, and exercise. By changing our surroundings in a positive way, we can greatly increase our chances of success in these areas. In this C.H.A.R.G.E., we will take a look at three more common areas where we tend to get stuck.
1. SLEEP – With the normal hustle and bustle of life (work and family), off-the-chart stress levels, large quantities of caffeine consumption, and the tendency to over-extend ourselves in all areas of life, it’s no wonder that our sleep patterns are adversely effected. Consider these statistics:
- Over 70 million Americans are diagnosed with disorders of sleep and wakefulness.
- Over 18 million Americans experience sleep apnea.
- Sleep problems add approximately $15.9 billion to national health care costs.
How many hours of sleep a day do you need to function at your best? What is it going to take to ensure that you will get that amount regularly? What other areas in your life need modification to help you get the sleep you need?
2. WORK/LIFE BALANCE - I don’t think there is any question that we by choice or necessity work too much. The demands in the workplace only seem to grow as businesses seek to increase productivity. Our health and the following statistics are true indicators of that fact:
- In 2000, the World Health Organization reported that by 2020, clinical depression would outrank cancer and be second only to heart disease as the greatest cause of death and disability worldwide.
- A Families and Work Institute 2001 study revealed that 1 in 3 American employees felt over-worked as a chronic condition.
- In an Overwork in America study, employees had higher stress levels, more symptoms of clinical depression, reported poorer health, and were more likely to neglect self-care.
How can you address the issue of being over-worked? What practices can you put into place at your work to become more efficient? What limits could you implement into your day that would allow you to have more free-time?
3. HEALTH - Just look at the numbers…they are staggering! Our health is deteriorating due to any number of reasons. Consider the previous five issues we have talked about and they all affect our health: STRESS, NUTRITION/WEIGHT MANAGEMENT, EXERCISE, SLEEP, and WORK/LIFE BALANCE. Changing the environment of any of these can have a substantial effect on our wellness, for better or worse. Take a look at these statistics:
- According to the National Center for Health Statistics, the average person visited the doctor’s office three times in 2000. There were 823.5 million visits to the doctor’s office in 2000 (non-emergency or urgent care) – up 2.7% from 1980, due to greater awareness in preventive care. These increases are due to the baby-boomer population (i.e. the “hyper-informed”).
- Those on the other-side of the “hyper-informed” are suffering from the diseases related to obesity. High blood pressure, sleep apnea, joint pain, and diabetes have all increased. Type II diabetes moved from the 10th most common diagnosis in 1980 to the 3rd most in 2000 (Center for Health Statistics).
What value do you place on your health? What will it take for you to raise your level of awareness in regards to your health? What changes in your life need to be made to create a more health conscious environment?
In order to reach our “Maximum Wellness”, we need to pay more attention to our sleep habits, our work -life, and our current health. Take some time to answer the questions listed above, to see where you can make improvements. You have the choice to successfully design your life. How will you choose?
*http://www.sleepmed.md/page/1896
*http://familiesandwork.org/site/research/summary/overwork2005summ.pdf
*http://www.forbes.com/2003/07/15/cx_kf_0715health.html
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