Firstly, what is health? In dictionaries it is generally defined as an absence of illness or disease. One internet dictionary came up with ‘the condition of being sound in body, mind, or spirit’. I like this definition, but I would change the ‘or’ to an ‘and’. I would say that health involved the freedom to do, physically, what we want to do, with ease and without pain or discomfort. This could be playing with the kids, walking the dog, working in the garden, playing footie in the park, exploring the Peak District or taking part in a competitive sport; and anything and everything in-between!
What makes us healthy?
There are many elements to a healthy body and most of them are inter-connected with a healthy emotional and mental state. Our posture makes a big difference to our health, both physically and mentally. If we liken our bodies to a car chassis, poor posture has the same effect on our bodies as an accident has on a car. Water is an essential element of being healthy. It’s so important that I shall repeat it – WATER IS ESSENTIAL TO HEALTH. The recommendation is 200ml per stone of bodyweight. Good quality food is also vital for health. When shopping, buy foods that are as close to their natural state as possible. If buying something that is packaged, check the ingredient list and put the item back on the shelf if the list is long or if you struggle to pronounce what’s on it! Our bodies thrive on being active. The guidelines for health are 30 minutes of moderate exercise a day. This needs to be at a level where we feel warm and slightly out of breath. I’d also recommend that you use any excuse to move – for example, use the stairs rather than standing on an escalator! Stairs are fabulous exercise, both going up and coming down. Lastly, our state of mind affects our health – the more positive, happy, loving thoughts you can have, the healthier you will be!
What benefits does health bring us?
A sense of feeling good and comfortable in our own skin, along with greater self-confidence, is a prime result. More energy is one of the most noticeable, and rewarding, benefits of good health - imagine a life without tiredness and lethargy! The condition of our skin, hair and nails all improve enormously too, as does the functioning of our digestive system. Being healthy also reduces the likelihood of illness and injury. When we are in a state of health our body manages to find its natural, optimum weight. Good health brings us so many benefits and these are just some of them. I believe that everyone should have access to optimum health and the information that can help them to attain it!
