Chapter 1 Living a Healthy Life - McGraw-Hill Ryerson

CULTURECulture refers to the collective beliefs, customs, and behaviours of agroup. This group may be an ethnic group, a community, a country,or a specific part of the world. The language your family speaks, thefoods you enjoy, the traditions you have, and the religion you practiseare all part of your cultural environment. Your culture givesyou a sense of identity. Understanding culture can help you knowyourself better and be tolerant of others.AttitudeThe way you view situations—your attitude—greatly affects thechoices you make. For example, in order to practise good healthhabits, you must believe that there is some benefit to you and thatproblems may result if you don’t develop these habits.Attitude can play a major role in health and wellness. Studieshave shown that people who tend to see the positive in situationsare more likely to have better health than those who see only thenegative. Try to view challenging situations positively and think inrealistic terms. Doing so will help you make healthful decisions,reach your goals, and successfully manage your life.Maintaining a sense ofhumour can help you handlethe difficulties thatinevitably occur in life.How can humour be usedto ease tension duringdifficult times?BehaviourAlthough you have no control over your heredity and only limitedcontrol over your environment, you have a great deal of controlover your behaviour. Suppose your family has a history of heartdisease. This doesn’t mean that you will “follow in their footsteps.”You can lower your risk of developing the disease by practisinghealthy habits, such as reducingyour intake of high-fatfoods and engaging inregular physical activity.14 MHR ● Chapter 1 Living a Healthy Life