What is Health and wellbeing?
Health is a state of physical, mental and social well-being in which disease and infirmity are absent. (Wikipedia)
History
I was long believed that the definition of health was simply of a biomedical perspective. However, this has recently changed with the uprising of other factors such as mental and social well-being being defined as overall health.
Determinants
Many factors determine whether an individual is classed as healthy, these include but are not limited to:
Income and social status
Education and literacy
Employment/working conditions
Social & physical environments
Healthy child development
Biology & genetics
Gender
Culture
People can improve their health through factors that they are able to control. For instance, getting enough exercise, not smoking and sleeping enough will automatically increase your overall health.
Environmental factors are a large part of people's mental health. It was reported that urbanised areas with a lack of parks had higher levels of obesity compared to those with these amenities.
It was recently discovered that genetics could play a major role in the way people deal with stress. Simply put, some people deal with stress much better than others.
Mental health
Mental health is not the absence of mental illness. Rather, it is a state of wellbeing where the individual realises their own abilities, can work productively and fruitfully, can cope with the normal stresses of life and can also contribute to their community. (WHO)
Having a mental illness can severely impair, temporarily or permanently, the mental functioning of a person. Mental health is really important when it comes to living a productive lifestyle.
Roughly 1 in 5 US adults has a mental illness. This can range from ADHD to PTSD.
Factors that can induce mental illness include:
Genes & brain chemistry
Trauma or abuse
family history of mental health
Maintaining your health
Diet
Possibly the most important aspect of a healthy lifestyle is your diet. 'You are what you eat' is a popular saying, and for good reason. If you eat bad food, you will feel bad, not just mentally, but physically. Macronutrients must be balanced for a healthy lifestyle. If you consume too many carbs, you will see an increase in body weight, too little and you will see a decrease.
We have an entire section dedicated to nutrition that I recommend you take a look at as it may offer you some valuable information.
Exercise
Performing exercise is paramount when it comes to the health of your muscles, bones and cardiovascular system. There are multiple different types of exercise and they should all be performed regularly for the best results.
Sleep
Sleep is an underrated factor when it comes to health. If you sleep 6 hours or less a night, you are 4 times more likely to catch an illness than those who sleep 7 or more. Sleep deprivation can cause severe impairment in reaction time and give off a groggy mood.
Occupational
In developing countries, occupational illnesses can range from Pneumoconiosis to Asthma due to the particles that workers are breathing in on a day to day basis.
In modern society, the occupational health crisis has shifted to a more sedentary lifestyle. Increases in obesity and heart health issues have caused a significant amount of deaths in recent years.
The Takeaway
The health and wellbeing of a person are based on a multitude of factors. All of which are of equal importance. To ensure that you have a healthy lifestyle and the best quality of life it is paramount that you understand the importance of each aspect of your health. Learn more about your health and your body below!
We also have free PDFs in the resource section of this website that teach you about the importance of health and wellbeing!
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