Dying to be Well
Reaction Sheet
By Dave Merker
Read the following statements and try to formulate a reaction to the questions.
- "Wellness . . . is a way of living that stresses taking steps to prevent
illness and prolong lives. In addition, wellness represents something to strive
toward--the optimum state of health and well-being that each individual is
capable of achieving, given his or her own set of circumstances." (The
Wellness Encyclopedia)
1. How would you define wellness?
- "New Age and Holistic Health Movements, in theory, exist independently,
but are united philosophically by one central theme: the individual person
is responsible for his/her own life and for seeking out the means of transformation
needed to achieve a better quality of life." (New Age Almanac)
2. What's behind wellness for you? What are you really searching for?
- "Each year, companies spend as much as $109 billion on employee medical
services and prescription drugs and lose an estimated $18.2 billion because
of lost productivity due to costly ailments such as diabetes, lung cancer
and stroke. They hope to change their sagging bottom lines, low productivity
figures and how their employees view fitness by offering corporate fitness
programs and monetary incentives." (Ebony)
3. What are some of the financial implications of this movement you've experienced
in your own situation?
- "But a paradox has emerged. It is now necessary to question the claim
if something is good, more is even better. A prevalent assumption, which we
now must challenge, is that the more oxygen your lungs and heart can process,
the healthier you will be. In other words, is it possible to be fit but unhealthy?"
(Dr. Kenneth H. Cooper)
4. In your opinion, When is enough, enough?
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