July 24, 2023
International Self-Care Day is celebrated annually on July 24th, symbolizing that the benefits of self-care are experienced 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. It was founded in 2011 to increase awareness of the significance of self-care and to equip individuals with the information and skills necessary to prioritize self-care and make it part of their everyday lives.
According to the
World Health Organization, self-care is “the ability of individuals, families and communities to promote their own health, prevent disease, maintain health, and to cope with illness and disability with or without the support of a health worker.” Individuals are empowered to take control of their own health and well-being, and to draw on support from peers and professionals.
The
International Self-Care Foundationuses a seven-pillar framework of self-care, including: 1) knowledge and health literacy; 2) mental well-being, self-awareness and agency; 3) physical activity; 4) healthy eating; 5) risk avoidance or mitigation; 6) good hygiene; and 7) rational use of products, services, diagnostics and medicines. It focuses on self-care in the preservation of health and well-being and the prevention of lifestyle diseases.
Registered exercise professionals can support individuals in taking control of their health and well-being and making self-care part of their daily routines. Specifically, registered exercise professionals can:
- Reframe self-care away from guilty pleasures or selfish pursuits, and toward investments in lifelong physical and mental health and well-being.
- Model active behavior and encourage their clients/members to model active behavior for their families and communities.
- Provide accountability to clients/members to develop and follow-through on behavior change and habit formation plans that incorporate physical activity and other self-care pillars.
Check out our registry to find registered exercise professionals in your community.
