Mental Health and Physical Fitness: A Healthy Lifestyle
The term “well” refers to the total state of health where sickness, disease, injury, pain and infirmity have been completely cured. Health is a condition of total physical, emotional and social well being where illness and infirmity are totally absent. The goal of health is to lead a long, productive and happy life free from ill health. The challenge is to maintain this state throughout one’s life. The term “healing” implies that recovery is possible but only after achieving total healing. Conditions such as cancer, heart disease, Alzheimer’s disease, diabetes, stroke and other serious illnesses cannot be healed.
Living a healthy and productive life entails an appropriate diet, regular exercise, relaxation, adequate sleep, stress management and appropriate stress reduction techniques. Living a healthful lifestyle also involves following some simple steps to improve your state of health and eliminate any diseases that you may be experiencing. A well balanced diet with plenty of fruits, vegetables and whole grains; getting sufficient exercises and sleep; avoiding unhealthy habits such as smoking, drinking alcohol and eating junk food; maintaining a positive and relaxed attitude all contribute to a healthy lifestyle. A healthy lifestyle does not exclude the use of medication or treatments recommended by doctors for certain conditions, when these are prescribed it is always advisable to follow them strictly to achieve the best health results. The absence of medication and treatment does not imply that you can be as healthy as you wish without taking any medicine or treatment.
Stress is one of the major factors that contribute to the emergence of any health condition. Therefore, proper stress reduction techniques like regular exercise, meditation, yoga, tai chi and taking rest on a frequent basis are necessary to maintain good health. Environmental factors like pollution and smoking affect people in a negative way. Illness and disease often develop because of environmental factors. Hence, to prevent such cases it is necessary to maintain clean environments free from dirt, dust and pollution and to keep the personal hygiene at its optimum level.
In the past, it was thought that disease had no relationship with diet; hence, it was believed that eating healthy could reduce the risk of getting an illness or disease. However, research has proved that there is a direct relationship between diet and health. Environmental factors that directly or indirectly cause illness or disease can be reduced by adopting a good health and lifestyle routine. This promotes the body’s immune system and keeps the individual resistant to illness and disease.
A healthy lifestyle means eating the right kinds of food, exercising on a regular basis, sleeping properly and avoiding all forms of stress. It also includes daily use of sunscreen protection and avoidance of diseases and disorders that can be contracting due to unhealthy lifestyle. Prevention is better than cure. Thus, to avoid getting sick or becoming disabled it is advisable to adopt a healthy lifestyle. A combination of a healthy diet and physical fitness practices can ensure optimal wellness and lead a normal life with less illness or disability.
An absence of good mental health and physical fitness will result in a higher occurrence of disability among elderly people, addictions, poor health and increased death rates. Elderly people may experience different conditions like arthritis, cardiac problems, high blood pressure, stroke and various kinds of paralysis. Each of these conditions can be potentially life-threatening. Taking preventive measures to avoid these conditions will not only improve elderly people’s health but their quality of life as well. They may live longer and healthier lives and at the same time contribute meaningfully to the elimination of all forms of illness and disability.