Health is a state in which a person feels good physically and mentally and can be active. The state of health is not affected by any negative form such as diseases or illnesses that reduce health. In order to be healthy, many body processes interact with each other, allowing the perfect interaction of all parts of the body. Health can be easily affected, but can be regained through various measures in most cases.
What is health?
Health can be interpreted in very different ways. So, for many, it is a state in which one feels well physically, mentally and socially, without being sick or having an infirmity. Health can be interpreted very differently. So, for many, it is a state in which one feels good physically, mentally and socially without being sick or having an infirmity. Health is also a very individual perception of overall condition for each individual. In addition to physical health, this also includes factors such as stress behavior, relaxation, leisure activities, hobbies or friends, as well as an overall stable and balanced life that makes one happy or satisfied. According to numerous studies and research on health, it has been found that non-physical aspects such as an active social life, communication with friends, family or leisure activities also have an immense impact on physical health. In today’s Western performance-based societies, health has a very special value, as individuals should be resilient – so more positive attributes are also attributed to healthy people. It seems obvious that in this compulsion for health and perfection there is also a great potential for stress, for all those who are not healthy. This can often have a counterproductive effect. Closely related to health is Antonovsky’s salutogenesis, which looks at risk factors and protective factors for health. The stressors (risk factors) increase the risk of disease or injury. The protective factors limit the effect of the risk factors. Overall, medicine is now paying more and more attention to supporting the maintenance of health at an early stage, rather than restoring it after it has been limited. This is known as prophylaxis and is used in dentistry, among other fields.
Function and task
Many people do not realize the importance of health until it is impaired. Health has a very important personal and also social value. Intact health is not only important for children and young people. Offers to promote one’s own health are good opportunities for preventive care. These include regular check-ups by family doctors, weight reduction in the case of overweight, a healthy diet and physical activity. Many health problems only become apparent at an advanced age, which is why individual health management and the practice of sports that are easier on the joints or more active are best integrated into lifestyle habits right from the start. In a healthy body dwells a healthy mind. The circumstances of life, the demands of society, social status, income and the fact of what value is placed on health all have an impact from an early age. Here it is necessary to find one’s own way and to realize one’s inner needs. This can often seem enormously difficult psychologically, but ultimately no healthy body can exist without a healthy mind. Someone who has not done any sports so far or for a long time can achieve a new body image even in old age after a corresponding adaptability and slowly building up training units and can engage in sports. If health-promoting measures and possibilities are not available and unhealthy nutrition or the like are added, illnesses and secondary diseases, but also autoimmune diseases are possible, which can also result in enormous expenditures for treatments, therapies, rehabilitation, operations, etc. If everyday life is very sedentary, e.g. due to office work, there is a wide range of exercise options with which individuals can indulge their preferences. The variations range from fitness training, yoga, Pilates and apparatus gymnastics or an active membership in a gymnastics or sports club.Depending on the focus, sports are available on land, in the water, with high demands such as surfing or kite surfing, or more leisurely sports such as swimming or walking. Whether trend sports, skiing or line dancing – no matter which sport is practiced, the most important thing is the feel-good factor and that factors such as pre-existing illnesses or limitations as well as the current level of performance are taken into account. The fun, not necessarily the excessive ambition should be in the foreground, because only with fun and endurance is an adequate and constant sports training program effective and meaningful.
Diseases and ailments
Some of the main problems for poor health are unhealthy diet, stress, alcohol, smoking, obesity and lack of exercise. Many so-called diseases of affluence can be traced to factors of modernity that have a massive impact on an individual’s health. If I move too little and eat too much food that is rich in fat, sugar and carbohydrates, I am bound to become overweight or even obese. But obesity not only puts a strain on the joints and the psyche, it is often the harbinger of other diseases such as diabetes mellitus, cancer and problems with organs such as the kidneys or liver. If the psyche is burdened, this is often also reflected in sleep disturbances.
Heart and circulation in particular depend on stable health. Diseases such as cardiovascular weakness, heart attack or stroke, as well as high or low blood pressure, require regular medical check-ups. Lipid metabolism disorders, arteriosclerosis and other vascular diseases impair physical well-being and are also influenced by negative factors such as nicotine consumption, alcohol or a poor diet. The risk of cardiac arrhythmias, coronary heart disease or cardiac insufficiency can be significantly reduced in advance by regular exercise. Cancer and cardiovascular diseases in particular rank high among diseases with fatal outcomes, which cannot necessarily be prevented completely by a healthier lifestyle, but can at least be influenced. Stress at work, shift work or special stresses caused by extraordinary events also have a negative effect on the body. Depression, burnout, back and shoulder pain, and gastrointestinal disorders often reflect excessive stress, which can be reduced through appropriate health-promoting measures.
