{"id":345,"date":"2012-03-14T01:49:27","date_gmt":"2012-03-14T05:49:27","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.honeyishrunkthegrief.com\/book\/?page_id=345"},"modified":"2016-12-11T06:39:58","modified_gmt":"2016-12-11T11:39:58","slug":"ch7-maintaining-health-significance","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"http:\/\/www.honeyishrunkthegrief.com\/book\/chapters\/ch7-maintaining-health-significance\/","title":{"rendered":"Ch7: Maintaining Health \/ Significance"},"content":{"rendered":"

www.HoneyIShrunkTheGrief.com<\/span>
\n \u00a9 2012 Eric Vaiksnoras<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cYou have a solemn obligation to take care of yourself, because you never know when the world will need you.\u201d<\/strong> ~Author unknown<\/span><\/em><\/p>\n

.<\/span>
\nI have long been attracted to the subject of health.\u00a0The analytical and curious parts of me like to know how and why things work.\u00a0The pleasure seeking parts of me recognize that the more I understand, the more pleasure I receive.\u00a0The widowed and heartbroken parts of me rely on my health awareness to provide relief from the pain of life being different.\u00a0These are some of the factors that contribute to an attraction to health that continues to be satisfying and rewarding \u2014 one that helps to keep me feeling strong, hopeful, capable \u2014 and is adding to my ability to appreciate and enjoy life.<\/p>\n

My curiosity towards health matters was first nurtured through much family support, particularly from my mom, who has always had a special intuitive knack for providing spot on health related guidance.\u00a0She was also incredibly supportive of my participation in many sports as a child, which I consider to be another of my greatest health resources.<\/p>\n

\"\"
\nMom & Me<\/strong><\/span>
\nOctober 2008<\/span><\/p>\n

\"\"
\nMy First Team!<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n

\"\"
\nSt. Mary Magdalene Football<\/strong><\/span>
\nFall 1986<\/span><\/p>\n

.<\/span>
\nI would also give \u201chealth nurturing\u201d credit to Kent State University, where I earned a Bachelor of Science in Physical Education in 2005, and a Masters of Education in Community Health\/School Health in 2008. As a student at KSU, I was immersed in the latest and greatest practices by some of the most respected professors in the Health and P.E. fields. And while I feel far from claiming to be an expert, I do feel competent and privileged enough to share and explore a bit of this complex and important subject of health.<\/p>\n

So what is \u201chealth\u201d anyways?\u00a0I\u2019ve thought long and hard about this as I considered what I\u2019d like to include in the preceding health chapters.\u00a0In a broad sense, health reminds me of the Christian concept of the Holy Trinity (the idea that God is one being, yet exists in the form of The Father, The Son, and The Holy Spirit).\u00a0I make this connection to health because I see health coming in three mystical connecting parts, as well, consisting of: The Mind, The Body, and The Soul.\u00a0Every health concept I can think of seems to fit nicely into one or more of these three parts.<\/p>\n

I find it important to recognize that maintaining my health consists of numerous activities, thoughts, and actions that each make an important contribution to a foundation that supports my overall health. This reminds me of the old saying that states a chain is only as strong as its weakest link, <\/em>or the concept that there is value in everything.\u00a0I see health as a dynamic and ever-changing thing, which is a very hopeful and powerful thought for me, because if I ever don\u2019t like how I\u2019m feeling, I know there are plenty of things I can do to change my situation.<\/em><\/p>\n

Even though health is a subject that continues to add to my life, I find that there are also elements of it that present a recipe for great conflict, which at times can lead to unwanted tension and frustration.\u00a0I believe that much of my current health conflict derives from the fact that the world is constantly presenting me with money driven \u201chealth prescriptions\u201d.\u00a0I sometimes find myself taking misleading health messages too personally, and this brings out the fight instinct in me.\u00a0But, being driven by an overly emotional reaction, or sulking in the \u201cwrongs\u201d of a situation, rarely takes me anywhere good, so I\u2019d rather choose another path.\u00a0Maybe I need to learn to simply view health messages with more of a consumer perspective?\u00a0I can turn it into a game of sorts and take a closer look at what the message is selling.\u00a0Is it health?\u00a0Or is it a misleading message or product, disguised as health, in an attempt to make money?\u00a0I think this kind of tweak in perception can help me in the future.\u00a0Instead of feeling overwhelmed by health messages where I feel taken advantage of, it will help me to take a step back and be the one to decide how a message will impact me.\u00a0I believe this minor but important change in outlook will also help me to remain proud of being a Health Educator and all the pure reasons I am drawn to the profession.\u00a0I can help to make Health Education what I know it could and should be\u2014a very positive and influential thing in people\u2019s lives.\u00a0\u201cBe the change you want to see in the world\u201d, right?\u00a0Ok then, that\u2019s what I am going to work on being.<\/p>\n

\u25e6\u00a0 \u25e6\u00a0 \u25e6\u00a0 \u25e6\u00a0 \u25e6\u00a0 \u25e6\u00a0 \u25e6<\/p>\n

The three chapters that follow all pertain to the subject of Health Maintenance and have been organized into Mind<\/em> (Ch.8), Body<\/em> (Ch.9), and Soul<\/em> (Ch.10).\u00a0Each chapter is made up of specific things that have helped to maintain my health and get me through my grieving days.<\/p>\n

I also want to provide some sort of disclaimer expressing the fact that I am well aware the content I chose to include is just the tip of the iceberg.\u00a0These health chapters were difficult to put together because they address such a huge concept in such a limited space.\u00a0I have included things that are significant to me because they\u2019ve helped to bring balance and joy to my life. I know my experiences are limited and I have much to be exposed to (remember, I\u2019m still just a young<\/em> widower!<\/em>), so I hope you can forgive my inexperience while still finding some comfort in the experience I do have.<\/p>\n

.<\/span><\/p>\n

.<\/span><\/p>\n

.<\/span><\/p>\n

~ \u00a0 ~ \u00a0 ~ \u00a0 ~ \u00a0 ~ \u00a0 ~ \u00a0 ~
\nClick here to continue to the next chapter (Chapter8)<\/a>, but before you go\u2026
\nIf\u00a0you\u2019ve\u00a0connected with any of the content you\u2019ve just read in Chapter 7, please consider posting a response below to share your valuable thoughts and experiences with others.<\/em><\/p>\n

Click here to order the newly released full-color paperback version of this book<\/u><\/a><\/span><\/p>\n

.<\/span>
\nNow on Facebook!
\nhttp:\/\/www.facebook.com\/HoneyIShrunkTheGrief
\n<\/a>Now on Twitter!
\nhttps:\/\/twitter.com\/#!\/EricVaiksnoras<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

www.HoneyIShrunkTheGrief.com \u00a9 2012 Eric Vaiksnoras \u201cYou have a solemn obligation to take care of yourself, because you never know when the world will need you.\u201d ~Author unknown . I have long been attracted to the subject of health.\u00a0The analytical and … Continue reading →<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"parent":219,"menu_order":7,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","template":"sidebar-page.php","meta":{"footnotes":""},"class_list":["post-345","page","type-page","status-publish","hentry"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"http:\/\/www.honeyishrunkthegrief.com\/book\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/345","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"http:\/\/www.honeyishrunkthegrief.com\/book\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages"}],"about":[{"href":"http:\/\/www.honeyishrunkthegrief.com\/book\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/page"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.honeyishrunkthegrief.com\/book\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.honeyishrunkthegrief.com\/book\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=345"}],"version-history":[{"count":38,"href":"http:\/\/www.honeyishrunkthegrief.com\/book\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/345\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":1637,"href":"http:\/\/www.honeyishrunkthegrief.com\/book\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/345\/revisions\/1637"}],"up":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.honeyishrunkthegrief.com\/book\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/219"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"http:\/\/www.honeyishrunkthegrief.com\/book\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=345"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}