Maya Robinson is a 49-year-old female who owns a very successful flower shop. She studied business in college and is proud to be a small business owner. She also loves the creativity involved in designing floral arrangements. Her attention to detail is evident in her approach to business as she always strives to be on time and on budget.

Maya is a single parent of two teenagers — a daughter who is 18 and will graduate from high school soon, and a son who is 15 and learning to drive. While it is tough at times, she truly loves being a mother. She tries to attend every game and recital and be an active part of her kids’ lives, leaving little time to focus on herself.

Maya knows she has high blood pressure and assumes it is under control because of the medication she takes. She has tried to cut down on her salt intake, but doesn’t watch her snacking closely enough (below is a sample of Maya’s daily food consumption). In the past, her cholesterol levels have been just out of the normal ranges as indicated in her Personal Health Record (PHR). Two years ago (at the advice of her physician) she overcame her 30-year addiction – smoking cigarettes.

Maya is currently in charge of floral design for a very large wedding, and it hasn’t gone as smoothly as she had hoped, causing extra stress. She is tired, thinks she is seeing double and has the beginning of a horrible headache. But she doesn’t have time to slow down, the event is in two hours, and she has to attend her son’s football game afterward.

Maya sees that several tables have been overlooked and she starts to tell one of her employees to grab some vases for them. Her words are garbled, and it seems no one understands her. She begins to feel dizzy and light-headed, so she sits down.


  1. Review Maya’s Story: After reading about Maya, select all of the following health habits she could improve.
    1. Get more sleep
    2. Select healthier snacks
    3. Cut down salt intake
    4. Decrease her stress level
    5. Not smoke cigarettes

  2. Review Maya’s Personal Health Record (PHR): Go to the “Results section” and under the “Labs” column, match each test with the correct result: Good-(G), Borderline-(B) or At Risk-(AR)
    3. _____ Average Blood Glucose
    _____ Total Cholesterol
    _____ Good Cholesterol (HDL)
    _____ Bad Cholesterol (LDL)
    _____ HDL Ratio
    _____ Triglycerides

  3. Internet Research: What are the Daily Values for Maya, based on a 2,000 calorie-a-day diet, for each of the following:
    4. _____ Fat
    _____ Sodium
    _____ Carbohydrates
    _____ Total calories

  4. Review Maya’s Story: Using Maya’s Food Diary chart, compare Maya’s diet to the above recommendations for fat, sodium and carbohydrates. Which of Maya’s values are above the Recommended Daily Value?
    1. Carbohydrates, sodium and fat
    2. Sodium, fat and total calories
    3. Sodium and fat
    4. Carbohydrates

  5. Review Maya’s story: What current stressors is Maya facing?
    A. Attending all of her teenagers activities.
    B. Having high blood pressure.
    C. Her floral design job.
    D. Both A and C.


    6. View Maya’s Personal Health Record