Guest Post: Personal Check-up by Coach Iris Slay

Keeping our physical bodies healthy is a value that many people esteem. Many people work out, eat healthy, and visit the doctor regularly. Specifically, most people visit the doctor when sick. It is easy for individuals to take care of their bodies since the body either looks or feels badly when a lack of attention is provided to a physical body.

Many individuals lack taking care of their emotional bodies, though. Are you one of these individuals? Would you consider yourself emotionally well or sick? When was the last time that you conducted a personal check-up?

When conducting a personal check-up it’s important to ask yourself several questions. These questions might be similar to what a doctor would ask when you entered his office for a regular check-up.

1. Am I being the person that I desire to be in my life?
2. Am I meeting my personal goals?
3. Am I treating people like I want to be treated?
4. Has my personality changed? If so, what specifically has changed? Has it changed for the better or the worse?
5. Am I staying as organized and driven as I want to be in my personal or business life?

If you find yourself saying ‘no’ to any of these diagnosing questions, you may be emotionally sick or getting emotionally sick. Just as a doctor would do, you must prescribe medicine for yourself. Here are several prescriptions to give yourself:

1. More sleep/regular sleeping habits
2. A new job
3. New friends/influences, or a new circle or community
4. Vacation
5. Lower stress (which can happen in a myriad of ways)
6. An adventure
7. A new hobby, or reviving one that you have neglected
8. An outlet—physical location, activity, friend, or even a room in your house
9. Better eating habits
10. Exercise
11. A consistent schedule and/or to-do list
12. More consistent boundaries
13. Time to think or pray

Find out what is missing in your life! Remember your passions and loves, whether work or personal or both. Whatever you need, but don’t have, incorporate it into your life if you have control to do so. If you do not have this control, you may need to close the door or grieve and let the person or situation go. Work on “healing” so that you can maintain your emotional health. Consistent progress to an emotionally healthy place in life will allow you to find that when you conduct your next personal check-up, you are emotionally healthy.

If you find yourself in a good place today, congratulations! Try to maintain your emotional health. What can you do to continue your healthy pattern so that when you have your next personal check-up, you are just as healthy?


Iris Slay has a passion and track record for helping overwhelmed women lacking balance who want guiltless freedom to say no and want to sit in the driver’s seat of their life once and for all. As the “Dating YOURSELF coach,” she guides women to establish what is most important in their lives, discover the lives they desire by restoring the deep connection with themselves, and the courage to turn intention into reality. During our growth sessions, she helps clients uncover their unique personality and core strengths. This process empowers clients to finally become the person they desire!  

Working together, we achieve growth for today! 

Contact her today for your free discovery growth session!  Or, visit her at http://www.growthfortoday.com/give-me-access.html.


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May is Mental Health Month
 

Repost - May is National Mental Health Month

This post originally appeared on our blog in May 2012. However, we felt that mental health is a topic that needs repeating.

Nearly 60 million people - approximately one quarter of the adult population in America - suffer from diagnosable mental health disorders each year. 

Since 1949, May has been designated as National Mental Health Month, in an effort to raise social awareness of mental health conditions and treatment. The website for Mental Health America is supporting this observance this year by providing an informative toolkit called "Do More for 1 in 4".  This toolkit is "a call to action for Americans to help the 1 in 4 American adults in their lives who are living with a diagnosable, treatable mental health condition". This toolkit provides information on some of the most common mental health disorders:

• Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD)
• Anxiety Disorder (including panic, obsessive-compulsive, post traumatic stress, phobias, and generalized anxiety disorders)
• Bipolar Disorder
• Clinical Depression

For more information on the "Do More for 1 in 4" project, please see this link: http://www.mentalhealthamerica.net/go/may.

If you are a member of the TWU community, you may be interested to know that the TWU Counseling Center provides a wide variety of services for students, faculty and staff. Their selection of resources includes counseling groups, outreach services, consultation services, and a variety of self-help materials. Additionally, they have many online resources, such as assessments and workshops. 

Please feel free to share any other mental health resources that you feel might be beneficial!

Faculty Showcase: Interview of Dr. Julio Guerrero

Dr. Julio Guerrero

As many of you already know, Dr. Julio Guerrero is the newest faculty member of the TWU Health Studies Department family. He became our new assistant professor in August of 2012. We were able to interview him to gain some insight into his life. 

1). Where did you receive your education? 

“I just earned my PhD in Health Education from Texas A&M in December 2012.  I defended my dissertation in August and walked the stage in December.  Prior to that, I earned a master's degree in Applied Exercise Science from Oklahoma State in 2007, and a bachelor's degree in Health & Physical Education from Northwestern Oklahoma State in 2003.”

2). What are your current research projects?

“My research focus is metabolic syndrome prevention among Mexican-Americans.  Currently, I am examining the relationship between acculturation and chronic diseases.   I am involved with the health disparities research group on campus, and we are in the process of developing collaborations with Latino-serving communities in the DFW area.  Eventually, we would like to start conducting studies that examine how particular aspects of acculturation affect health outcomes among Mexican-Americans.”

3). What made you decide to go into the health studies field?

“A lot went into my decision to go into health studies.  First, I had wanted to become physician when I started college, so I focused on completing the pre-med curriculum.  But I was also an athlete, which prevented me from completing the pre-med courses while I played.  So I was forced to change majors for the time being, and decided on Kinesiology.  However, I completed the pre-med curriculum and applied to medical school after I completed my athletic career.  I didn't get accepted the first round, so I decided to pursue a master's degree to strengthen my applications for the next year.  I was accepted into the Applied Exercise Science program at OSU.  I learned how exercise and nutrition affected the body and prevented disease.  However, my research lab was only involved in performance improving projects among elite athletes.  I simply felt I wasn't doing enough by helping elite athletes become better; I felt could have more of an impact working with a different population, one that actually needs help.  So I developed an interest in health promotion and education, especially among my fellow Latinos who often complained about not knowing how to engage in healthier behaviors.  So when I decided to pursue a PhD, I applied for Health Education programs and got accepted by Texas A&M.  During my doctoral years, I learned how to work with individuals, communities, organizations, and policymakers to develop health improving strategies that positively affect Latino and impoverished communities.”

4). Why did you decide to start teaching health studies?

“I wanted to teach for two reasons: 1) teaching gives me an opportunity to develop community relationships that allow me to engage with individuals and communities regarding health.  2) teaching allows me to directly impact future health professionals.  I had my share of great AND poor professors throughout my academic career, and I just wanted to make sure that current students had a chance to be guided by another good professor who has genuine passion for health and for professionally developing future health professionals.”

5). If you could give any advice to current or future health studies students what would it be?

“I have the same advice for students of any discipline: 1) have passion - be genuine and sincere in what you do and success will happen.  2) be ambitious - take pride in what you do and fulfill your potential. 3) be determined – always realize the greatest rewards come at the greatest costs, so don't let adversity define your life or your career.”

6). What are your most recent publications about and who are the co-authors?

“I'll be submitting two manuscripts from my dissertation with my doctoral advisor, Dr. Ranjita Misra.   I also plan to collaborate with Dr. Abraham Wang in Family Sciences.  Eventually, I will publish results from my research team's health disparities project.”

Later, Dr. Guerrero explained that the health disparities project is a collaborative project with group on campus that consists of several TWU departments. It is a detail extensive research project and he hopes to gain some insight about how acculturation affects factors for metabolic syndrome and other chronic diseases. Good luck, Dr. Guerrero! We are glad to have you as part of the Health Studies Department.

Guest Post: Healthy Eating at the Office by Colleen "Miss Petite Sweets"

Although most of my co-workers probably don't know it, I love sweets, especially sweet baked goods. I also enjoy baking and preparing desserts although I don't have as much time now nor as much inclination since I lost weight and shifted to a healthier lifestyle a few years ago. But I still keep an eye out for good recipes and that is how I discovered Miss Petite Sweets, a blog by a "health nut with a sweet tooth." When I read her recent post on healthy eating at the office I knew it would be an excellent fit for our online community here at TWU Health Studies.  I contacted her and Colleen, the amazing woman, behind Miss Petite Sweets, graciously agreed to let us reprint her post. I hope you enjoy it and if you want more visit her blog!
                                                                                                           Morgan

Healthy Eating at the Office

by Colleen Berendt aka Miss Petite Sweets

I recently read that although most young people are really concerned with “The Freshman 15″, what we really need to worry about is what they’re calling “The Cubicle 30.” In college we are constantly walking to and from classes, meetings, jobs, and parties and it’s easier to fit in exercise without even realizing it. Whereas once we enter the working world, long hours sitting at a desk often cause the pounds to creep up. And since not everyone is crazy like me and thinks running at 5:30 in the morning is fun, I thought I would share a few tips on how to maintain a healthy diet while working 9 to 5.

1. Eat a good breakfast: I always have a hearty breakfast before I head out to work. This way I won’t be be tempted by the pastries and donuts present at our 10am meeting. I try to eat something with protein and fiber like oatmeal with peanut butter or Kashi Go Lean cereal and a banana. Plus, breakfast is my favorite meal of the day so skipping it would truly be a travesty.


2. Pack your own lunch. As tempting as it would be to take advantage of the hundreds of restaurants within walking distance of my office, I bring my own lunch pretty much every day. This way I can pack my own healthy salads and sandwiches rather than hopping over to Jimmy John’s at lunchtime. My coworkers and I usually go out to lunch together every other Friday and it is always a special treat. We take turns picking new restaurants to try each “Friday Fun Day” and it is always a fun little escape from the office. If we did this every day, it wouldn’t be as special and I know healthy eating would kind of go out the window.


3. Stash Some Snacks: I always have a few healthy snacks stored in one of my desk drawers just in case hunger strikes late in the day. This way I have some healthy snacks on hand so I’m not tempted to visit the vending machine for a pop tart or a bag of m&ms. I always have a few granola bars, trail mix or Greek yogurt at the office just in case. Believe me, snack drawers are the way to go!

4. Indulge in moderation: I’m a Sales & Catering Manager, so every now and then our chef will bring us some samples from the catering menu. I know, it’s a tough job But if I indulged in the cookies, pizzas and hefty gourmet sandwiches that he brings by a few times a week, I would most definitely be a “little cook” no more. So I sample the new items so I can better sell them to our clients, but I don’t indulge every single day.

5. Listen to your body. At my office, we have a ton of unhealthy food laying around everywhere. There’s coffee cake in the break room, boxes of cookies given to us from clients, and monthly birthday parties with huge cakes and tubs of ice cream. And though it would be easy to just to just dive into these sugar bombs just like everybody else, I try to listen to my body, and only indulge when I really want to. More often than not, I don’t really find myself craving a big piece of cake at 2 pm because I know it will most likely leave me feeling a little sick and sleepy afterwards. So I politely decline. That doesn’t mean I never partake in the office birthdays, I just make sure I’m not grabbing a piece of cake just because everyone around me is.

So there you have it. And though I am by no means a nutrition expert (um..have you seen how many desserts I bake?) these are some tips that help me stay on track at work. Tomorrow we’ll go back to some baked goods. I promise.



Colleen is a 24 year old hotel Sales and Catering Manager living in the Metro Detroit area and the author of Miss Petite Sweets. She started her blog in March of 2011 as a way to share recipes and food musings with family and friends.  Little did she know that she would enjoy “sharing my life through food” so much.
The name “Miss Petite Sweets” came from the fact that she is only 4 foot 11 and have a love of all things sweet. Colleen spends most of her free time baking, running and discovering new restaurants and recipes. The recipes you will find on her blog are a balance of healthy dishes and decadent desserts because she truly believes a healthy diet is a mix of both.

Job Openings - UNT Health Promotion Lecturer Positions

There are two lecturer position open at the University of North Texas Department of Kinesiology, Health Promotion, and Recreation.

You can download the description here:

http://www.slideshare.net/modo23/unt-hlth-kine-2013-lecturer-position

 You can download the description here:

http://www.slideshare.net/modo23/unt-health-promotion-2013-lecturer-position