Health and Fitness-The Importance of Good Health

Definitions of Health and Fitness

Health

1.Health is a state of complete physical,mental and social well-being and not merely the absence of disease or infirmity.

2.Health is also defined as the condition of being well or free from disease

3.Health is also defined as the overall condition of someone's body or mind

4.Health's definition is the condition or state of something.

Fitness

1.Fitness's definition is the state or condition of being fit;suitability or appropriateness.

2.Fitness is also defined as good health,especially good physical condition resulting from exercise and proper nutrition.

3.Fitness is also defined in biology as the extent to which an organism is able to produce offspring in a particular environment.

Essay on Health and Fitness

Many people do not realize, and often underestimate,the importance of good health.Health,as they say,is wealth.Good health is necessary to carry out daily tasks.When discussing healthy,many people would consider the condition of their bodies and forget about the condition of their minds.However,health is not only about alleviating and being free from physical aspects of health.It also means being healthy in mind too.

An unhealthy mind results in an unhealthy body.Good mental health helps you to make the most of life and enjoy it.Good mental health offers you a feeling of well-being and the inner strength needed in times of trouble or unrest.Everyone knows how to care for their bodies.This is done almost every day by the majority of people.Exercise and eating the proper foods are the best ways of keeping the body healthy.But,how does one keep the mind healthy?A healthy mind requires a lot of work,as well as,a combination of the right foods and exercise.

Most often, the food consumed has a pivotal effect on the body,as well as,the mind.A healthy diet consists of the right food groups with right number of calories.It does not contain an excess of sugar,salt,fat and alcohol.Selecting the right foods that provide energy helps the body to be healthy.This also helps the mind.An energized person is a happy person.Happiness is a state of mind.Without proper energy,a person can become angry,tired and sad.These are not good for the mind.

Exercise is extremely important to staying healthy both in body and mind.Being active can help a person continue to do things they enjoy and be independent as they age.Long term physical activity increases the benefits of long term health.This is the reason many health experts advise individuals to be as active as possible and to set aside at least three days a week for some form of activity that keeps the heart beating at a steady pace.Physical exercise also has many mental benefits.For example,a person diagnosed with depression or anxiety is most often asked to conduct some form of physical activity apart from taking medication.This is because,the body produces the hormones known as endorphins which improve mood and relieve stress.Depression can be alleviated by improving mood and anxiety can be relieved by reducing stress.

Another method of keeping the mind healthy is to exercise it as often as possible.Just as physical exercise is good for the body,so is mental exercise for the mind.There are numerous ways to ensure a healthy mind through activity.For example,doing cross word puzzles,calculating sums in the head,learning anew word every day etc. can be extremely beneficial for the mind.This form of mental exercise is not only for the elderly.It is for all individuals who wish to keep their minds healthy.

Feel younger,live longer.It's no slogan - these are actual benefits of regular exercise.People with high levels of physical fitness are at lower risk of dying from a variety of causes,according to a recently study published in the Journal of the American Medical Association.

Physical Fitness:What the Benefits of Exercise Mean for You

There's more good news.Research also shows that exercise enhances sleep,prevents weight gain, and reduces the risk of high blood pressure,stroke,type 2 diabetes, and even depression.

"One study found that when breast cancer survivors engages in exercise,there were marked improvements in physical activity,strength,maintaining weight, and social well-being," explains Rachel Permuth-Levine,PhD,deputy director of the office of Strategic and Innovative Programs at the National Heart,Lung, and Blood Institute of the National Institutes of Health.

"Another study looked at patients with stable heart failure and determined that exercise relieves symptoms,improves quality of life,reduces hospitalization, and in some cases,reduces the risk of death," adds Dr. Permuth-Levine.She points out that exercise isn't just important for people who are already living with health conditions: "If we can see benefits of moderate exercise in people who are recovering from disease,we might see even greater benefits in those of us who are generally well."

Very few individuals take the time to care for themselves with busy lifestyles and schedules.However,taking care of yourself is the best way of ensuring you live a long healthy life,not only physically,but also mentally.

Obesity

Did you know that over one-half of all Americans;approximately 97 millions;are overweight or obese?Obesity is a condition of excess body fat.Obesity can affect any person from young children to older adults.There are many causes of obesity such as over-eating,genetics,hormones,the environment, and lack of physical activity.There are many effects of obesity like health issues,depression,eating disorders, and death.There are also many solutions to obesity such as dieting,medication,exercise, and even surgery.Obesity tends to run in families,implying genetic factors.The search for an obesity gene is complicated because families also tend to share eating habits and lifestyle habits.In one study,however adults who were adopted as children were found to have weights closer to their biological parents than to their adopted parents.In this case,the person's genetic make up had more influence on the development of obesity than the environment in the adoptive home.Other research has shown than often normal weight children of obese parents have a lower metabolic rate that normal weight children of non-obese parents.Again,this suggests that obesity can also be inherited.Many studies have found a genetic link to obesity,showing the pattern of deposition of fat.This is the way the fat builds up around the body, and the degree of being overweight can both be inherited.Body shape,for example,generally falls into one of three categories-exomorphs,endomorphs, or mesomorphs.The slighter frames of ectomorphs reflect a low capacity of fat storage.

Endomorphs have the most fat-storage capacity.Mesomorphs have an ability to store fat that falls somewhere in between.Fat storage is also more evenly distributed.These are stereotype body shapes.Most people are a combination of two of all three.It is undoubtful whether a person's body shape and fat distribution is sufficient enough to cause obesity.

In her book,The Hungry Gene,Ellen Shell promoted the idea that leptin may be one of the causes of obesity.Leptin is a naturally occurring hormone that controls the appetite.When full,fat cells release the hormone leptin,it curbs the appetite.If leptin production is changed,the fat cells are unable to signal that they are full and weight gain occurs.Research into leptin is just beginning.A small minority of cases of obesity can be explained by gland or hormonal problems.One such problem is clinical hypothyroidism.This is where there is not enough thyroid hormone to control normal rates of metabolism.Sex hormones can also affect obesity.In women,body fat levels during adolescence,pregnancy and menopause are determined by the balance of the female sex.Weight is also affected by gender.

Depression

Depression is not only a state of being sad,it is a disease that conquers the ability to feel emotion,whether good or bad,whatsoever.Depression not only involves the mind,it also involves the body and thoughts.In different cultures some complain of excessive headaches and extreme pain and this is identified as depression,moderate or otherwise.This disease can be passed down through genes or can flow external events or can be caused by a chemical imbalance in the brain.Depression affects twenty percent of all Americans,some without even knowing it,at sometime during their lives.Depression is not a disease that only influences males or children of the age three to eleven.Every human being is prone to depression.Although women are three times more likely to become depressed than men,men are five times more likely to commit suicide when depressed than women.Some think that women have a less pleasing social role and their hormones make them more susceptible to depression.Men are more subject to keep their emotions bottled up inside of them because of their role in society and that they do not have the society's permission to express their feelings openly.

Major Depression is the most severe case of depression that there is.The symptoms for Major Depression are just like any other type of depression.To be Majorly Depressed you do not have to have been hospitalized or medicated.Lots of people get depression confused with extreme sadness.Depression is not a term just to be thrown around;it is a severe state of being.

Dysthymic Depression is a low level of depression that lasts up to at least two years and most cases longer.When one is diagnosed with Dysthymic Depression they are very resistant to treatment.Although Dysthymic Depression's symptoms are not as severe as Major Depression's symptoms,they are still important.Dysthemic will undergo a Major Depression episode sometime during their dysthymic period.

Although all age groups are open to depression,teenagers are the most common to be heard of being affected by the disease.This is probably because of peer pressure and the changes in their life.Although the rate of suicide as a whole has decreased in the past twenty five years,the fixed amount of suicide from those between fifteen and nineteen has sky rocketed and quadrupled.The number of deaths due to suicide each year is roughly the same number of deaths from AIDS.

Sometimes depression can be avoided all together.Having a good home life and a high self-esteem would be primary for people not to be depressed.Although in some cases you are predisposition to have depression,little things do help.Talking about your problems and not bottling them up helps immensely to avoid emotional breakdowns and blowups.Avoiding extreme "stressers," like putting yourself in a situation you cannot get out of,also helps.Avoidance of cigarettes and alcohol also helps with staying healthy and happy.

Depression is not a matter to take lightly.It is not something to dismiss regularly,but to take to heart and find help.Hundreds of people commit suicide each day because of depression.If you are or know someone who is depressed get help.Do not hold it in forever,for you may be liable to do the same thing.

Work and Play

In society,there are usually two groups when associated with their mentality towards work.But there is a distinction between work,play and creative expressions.Art is anything that requires creation or imagination.An artist,a writer, or a pianist probably enjoys what they do for a living because they have that talent to make that happen for them in their career.You can say that an artist will never retire because they have that passion and dedication to draw even when they get old.Sad to say,most people who do retire probably never liked their job or what they did for a living.Otherwise,why retire to something you love so dearly?

"Live to Work",by Dorothy L. Sayers examines two classifications of people and their work.One group looks to work as a dreaded necessity,while the other group looks at their work as an opportunity for enjoyment and self-fulfillment.Altogether,their values,interests and hard work all come down to money.For many, a "successful" worker is one who makes the most income and achieves the most fame.When it comes to interviews,the main questions and are wages and hours.These people often fail to consider if the work is their actual passion-to do something they love.Partial blame goes out to our capitalist system and industrial machinery.We forgot why we wake up each morning lose focus of what work really should be.But overall,the fact is that we must arrange our ideas where everybody has an opportunity to work hard and find happiness in doing well the work that needs to be done.

I believe working in factories in the most difficult job to have because the machines practically takes over.Most workers have the same routine over and over again.No wonder these workers hate going to work.For those who see it as a career,they have to face the job for almost their whole life;gradually,their indifference eats up the enthusiasm,giving them nothing to look forward to each morning.No wonder people die to retire early.Since our economy is now based on industrial machinery,majority of the workers either work at factories or industries.It leaves us with no imagination and by the end of the day,we become exhausted by lifting,moving,rearranging, or whatever factory work entails.There is absolutely no form of creative expression or art anywhere.

However,art does not necessary mean drawing,or filling a blank canvas.It simply means being open or idealistic in what you do.Many people lose the option to choose what they want to do because physical stress or financial stability becomes the main concern.If that is the case,then we all should attempt to see work as an opportunity to associate with strangers,to learn, or just to be satisfied with your own accomplishments.In the end,you are the only person to motivate yourself at having a good time.If you start thinking that work is pain and stressful,you will have no passion or motivation to do anything in your life.Spice it up a bit!

So if all this stress and negativity is in your way,why continue to work?Most people would say money.Some families are on welfare,trying to earn as much income for their family,while others are simply trying to find ways to live in more luxurious homes.Due to distractions,many employees tend to believe that the only time to relax and live in comfort is to retire with the money they earned.Perhaps this is why people choose high paying jobs,where they have little affinity.

Besides industries and corporations,what happens with the people who paint and write for a living?I can't say that they have or will earn as much money as others out there.But the certainly the majority of these kind of "workers" end life with a greater sense of achievement and perhaps satisfaction.Certainly,their passion will allow them to continue working after that "certain" age.Maybe that's what people mean by never retiring.

The Uses & Value of Games

Games and sports have always been taken as a necessary part of a nation's life.Games were played in olden times as much as they are played today.

Outdoor games include football,hockey,cricket,baseball,etc.Indoor games include cards,carom,chess,table tennis,etc.Some games like badminton can be played inside a building as well as outside.

Games improve our health and make us active.Outdoor games give a lot of exercise to the body and make us healthy if we play them regularly.A person playing a game like hockey,football or tennis every day hardly ever falls ill.

Games teach us well how to compete with others in life.They make us brave.We do not lose heart or get discouraged when we fail to win.We do not become sad or angry because we know defeat is a necessary part of playing.

Games and sports, in fact build our characters.They make us bold and hopeful.They make us honest as we accept the just decisions of an umpire and do not mind our defeat.

Yet there are some abuses of games as well.Firstly,it is harmful for students to play games when they should study their books or prepare for their examinations.

Playing indoor games like cards and chess very often and over long hours is harmful to the health.A player has to keep sitting for hours while playing them and doe snot have physical exercise at all.Gambling in nay game is its worst abuse.A person who gambles can lose all his wealth.It is quite common in games like cards,chess and horse racing.

We do not play a game like true sportsmen if we are not prepared to accept defeat.we should not be proud of our skill in nay game even if we happen to be the best players.

Games are very useful if they are rightly played.We should try to play the games suited to us in a regular way.However,we should not play at the cost of our studies or duties in society.

Health and Wealth

"Health is wealth" is a well known proverb often quoted by our parents and teachers. When people meet,they usually ask one another"how are you?""how are you getting on?".

There is nothing in our life that is more valuable than good health. Without health there is no happiness,no peace and no success. A person with bad health cannot enjoy the pleasure of being wealthy.

Health is more valuable than money. Money cannot buy health and happiness. But a healthy person remains in a state of bliss and happiness.

A healthy person is completely free from any illness or injury. A person with sound health also enjoys a stable health also includes a healthy mental condition. Our health depends upon several factors,such as food,pollution,sleeping habits,mental condition,air,water and sunlight. Morning walks and physical exercises are very helpful for the fitness of our mind and body. We should take proper care of our health so that we can enjoy our life completely.

On the other hand,one with good health enjoys his life. When he works or plays he is never tired. A healthy person enjoys good food and sound sleep. For him the world is beautiful and life is all joy.

A healthy person sings the glory of life and works hard to realize his dreams. He never complains. He is always happy and cheerful. He may be poor,he may have to work very hard to earn his living,but even the richest man would envy him for his good health. Health is precious and certainly a great blessing of Allah almighty. Hygienic environment,personal cleanliness,wholesome food and a regular way of life are conductive to health. Early to bed and early to rise,meals at regular times,recreation and rest are sure to make a man healthy,wealthy and wise. Young people,who have plenty of energy,need to take vigorous athletic exercises in the fresh open air. In case we are run down,overworked,or dreadfully sick we consult a good doctor. He gives us a tonic,or prescribes a special diet. "you are working too hard",he may say,"that's what the trouble is. You cannot go on burning the candle at both ends."

There is nothing in our life that is more valuable than good health. Without health there is no happiness, no peace and no success. A person with bad health cannot enjoy the pleasure of being wealthy.

Health is more valuable than money. Money cannot buy health and happiness. But a healthy person remains in a state of bliss and happiness.

A healthy person is completely free from any illness or injury. A person with sound health enjoys a stable health that also includes a healthy mental condition. Our health depends upon several factors, such as food, pollution, sleeping habits, mental condition, air, water and sunlight. Morning walks and physical exercises are very helpful for the fitness of our mind and body. We should take proper care of our health so that we can enjoy our life completely.

When we are all ill or we do not want to play or work, our bad health robs us of sound sleep and appetite. Life becomes a burden for one, who is constantly ailing. Life has little charm for him. He feels tired of life, always complaining about one thing or the other.

On the other hand. one with good health enjoys his life. When he works or plays he is never tired. A healthy person enjoys good food and sound sleep. For him the world is beautiful and life is all joy.

In the life human being health occupies an important place. Preservation of health should be the primary duty of mankind. Health is man's normal condition,his birth right. There is no yardsticks for measuring health. Health is often taken for granted and its value is not properly realized until it is lost. However,during the past few decades,there has been a reawakening that health is not merely a precious possession,but also a 'resource'. So it is desirable to maintain and promote health.

Sometime staying at one place,year in and year out,tends to make us weary and stale. It is a signal that what we need is a complete change in our environment. If we go to some other place at the hills or in the countryside,it does us to a world of good. Change and fresh air are better than all the tonics in the world. Eating out is generally avoided by health-conscious men and women. Home-made cookies are the safest and the best in the world.

Sports and Games

Sports and games play an important role in the development of human personality. They are no less important than food and fresh water. The developed countries like England,France and U.S.A have made games an essential part of education at the school level. It is interesting to note that there are many nurseries and training centers for games in these countries. They admit boys and girls for necessary training to become future athletes,gymnasts and sportsmen.
Sports and games are very important for us. They keep us healthy and fit. They offer us a change from the monotony of daily life. It is a useful means of entertainment and physical activity. Sports and games help in character building. They give us energy and strength,
Sports and games are means of mental and physical growth. During sports we come to learn many things. We learn how to maintain mental balance in the midst of hopes and despair. They make us learn how to tackle the difficult situation. Sports develop a sense of friendliness. They develop us in team spirit. They help us in developing mental and physical tooghtness. They shape our body and make it strong and active. They give us energy and strength. They remove tiredness and lethargy. They improve blood circulation. This improves our physical well-being.

Sports and games improve our capability. They improve our efficiency. Either study or work alone makes us exhaust. We remain no longer efficient to do any work. Sports remove our mental exhaustion. Sports are integral part of education. Education without sports are incomplete. Keeping their value in life,children are taught some sorts of games in the very early stage in school. These days' sports are a part of academic curricula.

No doubt,games and sports are becoming popular in Pakistan schools as well. The facilities,of course,are not adequate at present. The situation is expected to improve in the near future.

Sports are the spring of joy. But this joy comes only from intense and undivided interest in it. Unless one takes the games and sports seriously one cannot reap the full benefit of it.

The Pakistanis school boys and school girls know fully well the meaning of the proverb"all work and no play makes jack a dull boy". They know that their growing bodies need regular physical exercise to keep themselves healthy and fit.
General sports include hunting,fishing(angling),riding,cycling,mountaineering(mountain climbing), is becoming favorite sport of Pakistani schoolboys in summer time among the mountains of Muree, Nathiagalli,Swat,Chitral,Kaghan and the Karakoram highway.
A number of school clubs and societies hold athletic contests. These contests include walking,jogging,jumping,swimming,rowing,wrestling,boxing,hammer/disc throwing,weight lifting and gymnastics. An athlete is trained to be perfectly fit to engage in such contests.moreover,football,hockey,cricket,tennis,badminton and table tennis are among the favorite organized games in schools. All such sports and games certainly benefit both mind and body. They create cheerfulness,discipline,fellowship,confidence and physical fitness.

Games and sports are not only important for success in studio but it is important for success in every walks of our life. Games and sports include all outdoor and indoor games and also athletics. In ancient Greece they formed the principal part of education. In the advanced countries of the present day also they are a regular feature of the school and college curriculum.

Games and sports may be of various kinds. Apart from school or college sports, boys and girls may practice races, jumps, discuss throw and javelin throw and thus pass their afternoon in useful activities. They may play various games like football, cricket, hockey, volleyball, basket ball, badminton etc.

Every civilized nation values the importance of games and sports and spends large sum of money on improving the standard of games and sports among its players and athletes. The standard of games and sports in Pakistan is far from satisfactory. So, the Government should take steps to improve this standard.