Health, according to the World Health Organization, has been defined as “the condition of being capable of following a regular lifetime of healthful activities and maintaining the same in the face of any physical challenges”. Different definitions have been employed over the years for various purposes. Health is a very important concept because it affects the way people live their lives and the way the society looks at them. People need to know what health is because they are the ones who will be affected by a poor health.
One important component of health is the level of personal hygiene. It covers the habits and behavior related to bathing, diet, sleep, exercise, and body maintenance. There are a lot of health conditions that can cause changes in your body and change your overall lifestyle. Some of these are diseases, birth defects, lifestyle, and stress. A low health status will lead to changes in the following areas:
Stress is considered one of the major causes of illnesses or poor health status. Stress is characterized by a combination of physiological, psychological, social, and environmental elements. Some of the physical risks factors include obesity, cardiac illnesses, digestive disorders, insomnia, ulcers, depression, gastrointestinal problems, cancer, and other health conditions that affect the immune system, endocrine system, blood pressure, and digestive system. These factors can also create other types of illnesses and diseases like stroke, heart attack, and gastrointestinal complications.
Mental wellness includes the ability to adapt to the environment and self-management skills. The ability to manage stress is essential to optimize state of health. This is also a major determinant of physical and mental disorders. Stress is the number one preventable cause of death among American adults. Poor stress management has been found to be associated with a number of cancers, coronary artery disease, type II diabetes, and other diseases and conditions.
Emotional wellness includes emotional well being and mental health. There are many types of stressors that can affect an individual physically, mentally, and emotionally. When an individual experiences emotional stress they may experience physical illness. People who are physically ill often turn to alcohol or drugs to ease the pain and suffering, this is unfortunate as these drugs and alcohol can worsen the physical illness and can ultimately cause the individual to become ill physically. It is important to learn to manage and control stress to maintain optimal emotional health.
Health is wealth and the pursuit of good health is a necessity. We all need to think about our bodies and how they are functioning to ensure that we are feeling our best and are not at risk for disease. The pursuit of good health is important regardless of age or any other category. It is important to get routine checkups on your body, and have a healthy diet that is rich in fiber. These are just a few examples of the reasons why regular physical activity and a healthy lifestyle are so important to one’s overall well being and the prevention of illness.
