Weight & Life Style Management

Personality Profiles & Orientation to Health: Why this is Important

    A person’s “orientation” toward health includes their views of nutrition, exercise and food intake.  One part of being human is how we view our bodies in relation to what food does for us and what it means to us.  Some individuals see food as “fuel” for living, some a source of emotional satisfaction, others as a reward or reinforcement for behaviors.    Seldom do person simply view food in only one way.  Most have a blend of views about what food is about.

    Nutrition is another important factor in life style management and healthy living.  Understanding how nutrition works is important.  If I know I am about to exercise intensely and I eat foods with nutrients that will enhance my work out I will have a better result in my work out.  My body will work better during the workout and I will support my body’s digestion and energy output based on the nutrition intake of food. 

    Another part of one’s psychological makeup has to do with how they orient to exercise.  If I look at exercise as important to my well-being, my overall health and productivity in life, then I am significantly different from the person who does not understand or has never been taught to view exercise as important or who does not have a firm grasp on how food-intake affects the mind, body and (yes) the soul.

    The staff at 8 Step has put together a profile of how persons orient to important dimensions of well-being important to your enhancing your health and (therefore) life.  We at 8 Step firmly believe that the individual can take control of their lives in areas of diet, exercise and nutrition.  An individual does not, we believe, need to spend a lot of money on programs nor do they have to let others dictate or influence their decisions to get healthy and maintain health. By completing this questionnaire you are assessing behaviors and attitudes relevant (what we at 8-Step call “orientations”) to your health and well-being.

    We also feel it is important to know what “you are up against” in terms of the culture of society you live in.  In many cases, the society that surrounds a person does not support a healthy life style.  For example, in many industrial (or western societies like the United States) there is little support in the media and in many social settings for healthy food consumption or for appropriate exercise regiments.  We at 8 Step do not shy away from informing our clients about the importance of such messages and lack of support in social systems.  Decades of behavioral science research has established that the power of one’s social or cultural systems are very important when it comes to working on getting and staying healthy.

    One final note on your profile:  It is important that you approach your profile score without any sense of shame or blame.  People get to certain points in their life by simply getting there.  Events happen to us all that shape our attitudes and behaviors.  Certain “variables” the person cannot control influences our orientation to things like diet and exercise.  For example, genetics can influence your temperament and your views of health and well-being.  Notice we say “influence” vs. control or dictate.  This is because it had been demonstrated over and over again in study after study that humans are indeed influences by certain events and “variables” (like their genetics) but in the end, a person has the opportunity to make choices and decisions that guide and determine their destinies.

    So it’s important to view the outcome of your FNEQ as information for you to use in you taking control of your life style, not as statement on your character or life.  Your orientation toward your FNEQ should be a positive one.  No matter how you “score” you have made the decision to move toward a healthier lifestyle by choosing to do the 8 Step Program.  Your profile score is data that can be utilized to enhance your achieving a hale and hearty life.  By working the 8-Step Program you are taking charge of your well-being.  With enthusiasm and positive regard read ahead, complete the FNEQ and interpret you score.  Use the information provided to enhance your utilization of our program!

Dr. Steven Byers - Clinical Psychologist  - Denver, CO. 80206