Are You Healthy

 

            Are you healthy? The spare tire that sits above your waist may indicate otherwise. When people think of their health, they generally think about their weight and their eating habits. What people fail to realize that there is more than a single type of health. Health has been defined by the World Health Organization (WHO) as “a state of complete physical, mental, and social well-being and not merely the absence of disease or infirmity.” So there is the question, are you healthy? I think the answer would vary by the individual. Yet, overall health should be a goal that we all strive to achieve. Yes, many of us make a New Year’s resolution to lose weight or something related to that. Our goals should not only be improvements in physical health, but our mental, and social health as well.

Physical Health - This is perhaps the easiest to improve. Yet, it also the easiest to be lacking in. It is apparent that our society functions in a very unfit fashion. Fast food, for example, is unhealthy for us. We all know that, but what is it that makes it unhealthy? I’d like to call this understanding your food. When you understand the nutritional value of your food you can actively make decisions to eat healthier. Physical health also involves how well our muscles can perform. Most people have weak muscles, mainly because the public does not know how to train. Now I’m not talking about going to the gym and doing a million bench presses. Correct stretching maybe be most overlooked way of correcting muscle imbalances and actually encouraging muscle growth and flexibility. There are a myriad of ways to increase your physical health.

Mental Health – I’m sure we have all heard the cliché “You can do whatever you put your mind to.” This is actually a reference to mental health. First of all, being mentally healthy is a tough task. The W.H.O. defines health as “a state of well-being in which the individual realizes his or her own abilities, can cope with the normal stresses of life, can work productively and fruitfully, and is able to make a contribution to his or her community.” In my own words, it’s all about perspective.  Are you an optimist, or a pessimist? Increasing your mental health maybe a tedious task, but there are major benefits to it.

Social Health – This encompasses all of your social interactions and relationships. Having over a thousand friends on Facebook does not make you socially healthy. Being socially healthy means that you have close friends or family members, or aren’t afraid to make new ones. You can be in a new social environment, and thrive. Now for those of you that tend to keep to yourselves, you too can be socially healthy. Make the bonds that you do have stronger, and don’t be afraid to give back to those who have helped you in your life. Being socially healthy is the final stage of overall health.

            Now that you know a little more about being healthy, I hope you can make better decisions about your health. Refer back to this blog weekly for advice on increasing your health in every aspect. I’ll shed light on common health mistakes and hopefully we can all become healthier together.