Week 6: Discussion Question 1: Response
Week 6: Discussion Question 1: ResponseWeek 6: Discussion Question 2 – Healthy People 2020 Response
****REFERENCES TO BE NO OLDER THAN 5 YEARS***
1. Living a healthy lifestyle requires some form of fitness and exercise. Exercise not only helps to maintain a healthy body weight, but helps to reduce the risk of cardiovascular disease and stroke, reduces the risk of certain cancers, strengthens bones and joints, improves muscle tone, and helps improve mental health (ODPHP, 2020). Proper nutrition, exercise, and maintaining a healthy body weight can help lower blood pressure, cholesterol, and improve diabetes (ODPHP, 2020). Exercise helps elevate mood, increase self-esteem, and overall feelings of joy and pleasure (Edelman & Kudzma, 2018). There are many obstacles patients can face however when trying to incorporate fitness and exercise into their lives such access to fitness equipment, a place to exercise, environmental factors, disabilities, and social and economic status (ODPHP, 2020).
Nurse practitioners (NPs) can help promote healthy lifestyles by educating patients on the benefits of exercise and by exploring limitations to compliance. NPs should discuss limitations and offer alternatives to fitness goals. For example, a patient could say that a barrier to exercise is a safe place to go outside to walk or run, but there are many alternatives to this limitation such as indoor aerobic exercise and strength training. There are several fitness apps available that require no fitness equipment and that can be completed in the comfort of one’s home. Exploring limitations is the first step in improving compliance in regards to exercise and fitness. Each fitness and exercise program can be individualized to meet the needs
