Posted on 15th September, 2023 at 6:37:45 AM
“Health is a state of complete mental, social and physical well-being, not merely the absence of disease or infirmity.”
-World Health Organization, 1948
The meaning of health has gone through an evolution over time. In keeping with the biomedical perspective, early definitions of health used to focus upon the theme of the body's ability to function. Health was seen as a state of normal, the function that could encounter mild to massive disruption from time to time by diseases. Health is often defined as a state characterized by anatomic, physiologic, and psychological integrity; ability to perform personally valued family, work, and community roles; ability to affect physical, biological, psychological, and social stress.
People can improve their health through exercise, enough sleep, spending time in nature, maintaining a healthy weight, limiting alcohol use, and avoiding smoking. Health and illness can co-exist, as even people with multiple chronic diseases or terminal illnesses can consider themselves healthy.
Maintenance and achievement of good health is an ongoing process which is majorly shaped by both the evolution of health care knowledge and practices along with personal strategies and properly controlled interventions for staying
healthy.
Good health plays an immensely crucial role in our overall well-being. The alarming increase in the number of reports covering a variance of ailments has made it impossible to overlook or ignore the importance of good health in our lives. Keeping good health is not an easy task, but strong willpower certainly helps us sail through the journey.
1. Living a happier life:
With good health, we feel happier. This is mainly because we do not have any fear or concern regarding our health condition. Also, it enables us to live a stress-free life compared to people suffering from chronic diseases. On the contrary, with poor health, various enjoyable activities that may have been pursued otherwise by us get completely missed out on.
2. Increase in longevity:
Being healthy clearly states that we have a greater chance of living longer compared to people with chronic ailments or poor health conditions, who not only have to deal with financial worries but also encounter mild to severe stress and depression – two key impacts triggered by poor health.
3. Improvement of energy:
Everyone experiences a lethargic feeling at at least some point of time in their lives. But with optimal health, our body becomes more capable of managing the energy level. Good health also helps to deliver nutrients and oxygen to the tissues and makes the cardiovascular system function more efficiently. It boosts our energy level thereby helping us perform daily activities and even lets us enjoy sound sleep at night. When in good health and full of energy, common ailments associated with poor sleep like diabetes, high blood pressure, heart disease, etc. get alleviated as well.
4. Enhanced self-esteem:
When you’re enjoying good health, it’ll automatically improve your self-esteem. A balanced life filled with a nutritious diet and lots of physical activities majorly contribute to an improved confidence level. In addition, being healthy also means that you’d be better able to help others. Knowing that you’re aiding other people will also increase your self-confidence. All these things heavily contribute to enhancing your self-image and give your self-esteem a big boost.
5. Increased capacity for fighting diseases:
Good health helps avert certain diseases including high blood pressure, stroke, heart disease, etc. When we maintain good health, we become capable of keeping our blood pressure and cholesterol within a safe range. This makes our blood circulation smooth, lowering the risks of various cardiovascular diseases. In addition, good health comprising of proper diet and regular physical activity can also prevent or help us better manage health problems such as diabetes, depression, metabolic syndrome, arthritis, and certain kinds of cancer, among others.
6. Improvement of mental clarity:
Having a healthy body and mind makes us think clearer. Whenever we experience a crisis and need to seek a solution quickly, we tend to make a wise decision if we are in good health. This is because being fit – both physically and mentally, lets us concentrate better on certain things and encourages our clarity of thoughts. On the contrary, if we possess a poor health condition, our mind becomes exhausted easily when we try to concentrate on things. Also, we get distracted easily by the discomforts associated with our health issues.
7. Enjoy physical activities:
Being in good health condition enables us to perform almost anything we desire, especially carrying out strenuous activities and sports. As a matter of fact, one becomes capable enough to enjoy physical activities when fit. Regular participation in physical activities is not only great for the mind and body but it also boosts the immune system and alleviates the symptoms of depression. On the other hand, with a poor health condition, you’ll become tired quickly and thus won’t be able to enjoy the physical activities that you do.
8. Weight control:
Maintenance of proper body weight is highly crucial for having good health. When a person is fit, it becomes much easier to reach weight-loss goals. Even if one possesses proper body weight, good health conditions can aid in boosting one’s immune system, improve cardiovascular health, and improve energy levels to a great extent.
Generally, the perspective with which a person lives life is of great importance for both his health status and quality of life. It is increasingly recognized that health is maintained and improved not only through the advancement and application of health science but also through the efforts and intelligent lifestyle choices of the individual and society.
