Physical Health Education, JSS 3, Week 5
Topic: Health and Wellness
Contents:
- Meaning of Health
- Components of Health
Health
Health is a dynamic process because it is always changing. We all have times of good health, times of sickness, and maybe even times of serious illness. As our lifestyles change, so does our level of health.
Those of us who participate in regular physical activity do so partly to improve the current and future level of our health. We strive toward an optimal state of well-being.
As our lifestyle improves, our health also improves and we experience less disease and sickness. When most people are asked what it means to be healthy, they normally respond with the four components of fitness mentioned earlier (cardiorespiratory ability, muscular ability, flexibility, and body composition).
Components of Health
- Social health – The ability to interact well with people and the environment and to have satisfying personal relationships. This has to do with the quality of relationships one has, such as friends, family members, teachers, and others one is in contact with. To achieve wellness in this area one must respect others the way they are, avoid people who treat you with no respect, know how to handle problems by assertively talking and listening, without the need for fights, expresses needs to others, avoid peer pressure.
- Environmental Health – This means keeping your air and water clean, your food safe and the land around you enjoyable and comfortable to live in.
- Mental health – The ability to learn and grow intellectually. Life experiences as well as more formal structures (e.g., school) enhance mental health. Mental health is the ability to recognize reality and cope with the demands of daily life. In this area, one must be free of mental disorders, such as hypochondria, phobia, bipolar disease, schizophrenia, etc. It also means having high self esteem, being confident and comfortable, trying new things, and knowing how to relate to others and decision making.
- Emotional health – The ability to control emotions so that you feel comfortable expressing them and can express them appropriately. Emotional health is expressing your emotions in a positive, non-destructive way. A healthy person in this area would ask for help when sad to cope with unpleasant emotions and not get overwhelmed by them. The most common struggles are stress, depression and anxiety
- Spiritual health – A belief in some unifying force. It varies from person to person but has the concept of faith at its core.
- Physical health – This component deals with nutrition, how balanced a healthy one eats, exercises, and rests. This has to do with the proper functioning of your body system and freedom from all kinds of diseases.
Meaning of Wellness
Wellness is the search for enhanced quality of life, personal growth, and potential through positive lifestyle behaviours and attitudes. Wellness is the optimal state of health of an individual. Wellness is generally used to mean a healthy balance of the mind, body and spirit that results in an overall feeling of well-being.
If we take responsibility for our own health and well-being, we can improve our health on a daily basis. Certain factors influence our state of wellness, including nutrition, physical activity, stress-coping methods, good relationships, and career success.
Each day we work toward maximizing our level of health and wellness to live long, full, and healthy lives. The pursuit of health, personal growth, and improved quality of life relies on living a balanced life. To achieve balance, we need to care for our mind, body, and spirit.
Benefits of Physical Activity
As fitness professionals, we spend a great deal of time inspiring and assisting others in their pursuit of improved health. Education is an important aspect of this. We must promote the benefits of regular activity and help people understand why they should be active.
Activity Guidelines according to the American College of Sports Medicine (ACSM)
- Perform 30 minutes or more of moderate-intensity physical activity on most days of the week for cardiovascular health. The 30 minutes need not be continuous.
- Performing 1 set of 8 to 12 repetitions of resistance training for the entire body is necessary to maintain and develop muscular strength and endurance.
- Flexibility training should be performed daily, including stretches for all major muscle groups, in order to maintain mobility.
A well functioning health system responds in a balanced way to a population’s needs and expectations by:
- improving the health status of individuals, families and communities
- defending the population against what threatens its health
- protecting people against the financial consequences of ill-health
- providing equitable access to people-centred care
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