There are many components of health, including spiritual, emotional, physical and mental health. The practices of good health vary for each individual but include physical activity, healthy eating, social interaction and support from others. The importance of practicing good health shows in every part of your life, from your relationships to your mental and physical condition.
Exercise
Physical activity is one of the key components of practicing good health. According to the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, a lack of exercise increases your risk of heart disease, diabetes and stroke; makes you more likely to suffer from accidental injuries; and may shorten your lifespan. Although some people may dread beginning an exercise routine, you can make physical activity be a rewarding part of your life by picking something that ignites your passion, whether it is rock climbing or walking through your neighbourhood. Incorporating exercise into your daily life strengthens your body, helps you look better and feel better about yourself.
Healthy Eating
In today’s fast-paced world, healthy eating can be a challenge for anyone trying to practice good health. The Mayo Clinic website explains that a healthy diet includes a variety of foods from all the food groups in the right amounts for your sex, age, weight and other considerations such as whether you are pregnant or have a health condition such as diabetes. By working with a nutritionist or your physician, you can create a plan for healthy eating that meets your nutritional requirements and fits into your budget and lifestyle. Eating healthy supports all of your body’s activities, from your ability to fight off illnesses to your ability to make decisions and learn.
Social Support
Maintaining a strong level of social support helps in practicing good mental and emotional health. According to the Mayo Clinic website, strong friendships help in increasing your sense of belonging, boost your happiness and improve your self-worth. Making friends with like-minded people may also help you maintain other healthy behaviours such as good nutrition and regular exercise. Having friendships of many types, from a few very close friends to a large circle of acquaintances, is the basis of a strong social network that helps you deal with life’s stress.
Stress and Coping
At some point during life, everyone has a stressful situation to deal with. From minor everyday annoyances such as traffic jams to a catastrophic event such as the loss of a child, the ability to cope with stress is an important part of practicing good health. Helpguide.org explains that practicing healthy stress management includes either changing the situation or changing your reaction to it. Focusing on the positive in the situation, getting a massage, reading a book or playing with your pet are ways to practice good health in the face of stress.
The care of the body regarding food, cleanliness, exercise, rest and protection against disease, are essential for the preservation of sound health. Life is for living. Without health, life is deprived of not only much of its usefulness but also its joys and pleasures.
The stream of life will be rich and lasting in proportion to the sources which nourish it. These sources belong to every person. They are food, exercise, and proper posture, care of bodily functions, avoidance of alcohol and tobacco and wholesome mental and emotional attitudes
• You do not have to suffer frequent or chronic physical pain and dis-ease. This, by itself, is already a huge incentive!
• You do not have to live in constant fear of developing (or having already developed) a life-threatening illness.
• You can save time and money on doctors, drugs and hospital visits.
• You will have more energy and vitality, and thus can do more things with the same amount of time i.e. increased productivity and efficiency. • As you fall sick less often, time spent recuperating and “out of action” will be lessened.
• You will probably live longer.
• The time saved and “gained” can be spent with your loved ones.
• The time saved and “gained” will also enable you to do things which you otherwise would not have the time for.
• The increased energy and vitality means you can do things, including your work and hobbies, better i.e. increased quality.
• You will be able to better enjoy what you do. Again, this includes both work and play.
• You will be better able to enjoy physical activities, such as your favourite sports.
• You may in fact be able to stretch yourself and do things which would otherwise be impossible, such as climbing a mountain.
• You will be able to enjoy more and better sex.
• You will be able to think clearer. •You will enjoy better emotional wellbeing. • You will enjoy better spiritual health, and have a closer relationship with God.
• In old age, you will be able to keep up and play with your grandchildren.
• By not being ill, you will not have to be a burden on your loved ones, and on society.
• In fact, by being healthy, you will be better positioned to take good care of your loved ones.
• Good health will also make you physically more able to extend a helping hand to others.
• If you are strong and healthy, you can be a shining example to others, and teach them how to also achieve vibrant health.
Are these good health benefits sufficient to convince you of the importance of good health? I believe that the answer lies in a holistic approach to health – one that places importance on the connection of body, mind and spirit and encourages a life which is in harmony with nature. And when we have a diet rich in these “foods,” we have the best chance of being in a state of vibrant health. One diet book says to stay away from carbohydrates, another warns against fat, one says you must count calories; the next one says calories don’t count. Pesticide, herbicides, fungicides and chemical fertilizers have long been implicated in causing cancer.
According to the National Cancer Institute, one in seven woman can expect to get breast cancer at some time in her life and according to the Canadian Cancer Society, one in eight men will develop prostate cancer during their lifetime. Conventional methods of raising dairy cows use growth hormones to increase milk production and this has been strongly implicated in an increase in breast cancer, ovarian cancer and prostate cancer. It leads to coronary heart disease, our number one killer, contributes to diabetes, breast cancer and a general feeling of fatigue that keeps us from doing what we are here to do – living our lives to the fullest and enjoying every day.
A Call to Action:
