Personal Health and Fitness, 2nd edition

For courses in Personal Health.

Personal Health and Fitness is designed to help you think more about your health and wellness. Ultimately, my goal is for you to reflect more deeply on obvious and less obvious health related topics. Most of us know we should eat better, be more physically active, sit less, manage our stress, take care of our mental health, practise safe sex, and so on, yet we do not do these things as often as we should. If you are ready to become more aware of your health and wellness and are willing to make decisions that foster it, then this book will provide the stimulation and knowledge you need to get you there. Small changes maintained over time in our attitudes and behaviours will allow us to reach higher levels of physical and mental health and wellness.

New to this Edition

• For this edition, we worked with an Indigenous advisor, Melissa Hardy, to expand on topics pertinent and relevant to Indigenous communities across Canada. These topics include Indigenous perspectives on health and wellness; the concept of mino pimatiwisin (Algonquian, loosely interpreted as “living the good life”) and its connection to health and wellness; the Indigenous concept of water and its living spirit; water activist Autumn Peltier from Wiikwemkoong First Nation; water security among Indigenous communities; Indigenous food security in Canada; the First Nations Food, Nutrition, and Environment Study (FNFNES); and Canada's Food Guide and the nutritional needs of Indigenous communities.
• We also worked with a Black scholar, Dr. Ornella Nzindukiyimana, to expand on and include topics relevant to our Black communities, whether recently living in Canada or living in Canada for generations. These topics include the concept of Ubuntu, which Professor James Ogude described as humanity and generosity for others, inequities in health care related to pain medications, immigrant risk of drowning, racism in fitness and recreation, and body image issues.