An Overview of Healthy Living and Good Health
Health is a condition of body, mind and spirit where infirmity and disease are absent. Various definitions have been employed over the years for various purposes. One of them is to be healthy and another one is to be happy. According to popular perception health is subjective, emotional, and personal. Happiness on the other hand is objective, social and psychological.
The three factors, together, form the general concept of health which covers all the three aspects of general well-being. The first aspect is the physical health, which comprises the capacity of body organs to function normally. It includes the capacity of the heart to pump blood, the ability of lungs to take in air and the condition of the digestive tract. A healthy intestine and colon as well as good respiratory system are also included in the factor of overall health status.
The second aspect is mental health, the ability of an individual to deal with his daily activities and deal successfully with life obstacles. This also includes the capacity of the mind to learn and grow intellectually. A healthy body and mind go hand in hand to attain wellness. A happy mind can provide inspiration to others to follow their own dreams and aspirations thereby increasing personal happiness and well-being.
The third aspect of good health is social or interpersonal health which defines health as having positive interpersonal relationships. It encompasses family, community and society at large. A healthy and socially cohesive society has less health disparities than those countries or states that experience higher levels of health disparity. The world as we know it today is a world of differences. The fact is that people living in different societies and communities have varying perspectives and values when it comes to their understanding of good health.
There are a lot of different factors that contribute to health status and wellness. These include genetics, lifestyle, diet, physical activity level, social environment, stress, nutritional status, nutritional intake and medical history. One’s genetic make up may be influenced by external factors such as genetic predisposition or heredity. Hereditary or genetic conditions are often caused by poor nutrition, stress, medications, and exposure to harmful environmental factors.
In addition, health disparities can be influenced by changing lifestyles, being exposed to different diseases and conditions, and the number of years one has been living with the condition. Lifetime consumption of alcohol and tobacco is one of the largest factors that contribute to the discrepancies between health and physical health. Although any one could be born with physical health but there are instances wherein even healthy individuals who may possess healthy lifestyles could still be at risk of developing some form of disease because of lack of regular preventive and check-up services and medical care.