This term at university, one of my modules is called "Health Promotion" - it's a fascinating module and I'm enjoying learning about what health is and how health promotions can encourage people to become healthier.
It seems like a simple question, at least it did to me. What is health? But the more I read, the more I am realising that it is a difficult question to answer because of people's opinions, cultural/social expectations and political priorities.
Traditionally, a healthy person was a person who didn't have a diseases, they didn't need treatment. They didn't need medicine, so they were considered healthy. Many of us feel healthy because we fit into this category - we don't need to visit the doctor, so we assume that we are fine. We live our lives eating what we want, exercising when we feel like it and not really thinking about our health.
But, this approach leaves out so much of what we now believe about healthy living. Today, most professionals also consider mental health - which can rarely be tangibly seen with the eye, but is a crucial factor of 'feeling' healthy. They also consider emotional and social health - consider a person who doesn't have a disease, but they don't have a community of family or friends, they don't leave the house, they are isolated. They are sad. They struggle to make connections with people. Some professionals today would suggest that this person isn't living a socially healthy life. There are other factors than simply our physical health.
But - is health just a feeling. If someone is living with a long term illness like diabetes or chronic fatigue - but they manage their illness, they have a job they enjoy, they have a positive social life and their mental health is in a good condition, would we consider them healthy? If someone feels 'healthy' does that mean they are healthy?
Or is health not simply about being healthy, but also about making healthy choices - I believe that many people eat food that is well known to be unhealthy, drink too much alcohol and even smoke because they feel fine. Even those people who have symptoms like a smokers cough, regular hangovers, or sluggishness don't consider those things to be truly 'unhealthy' because they don't stop them from the things they want to do. They feel healthy - even though their body might not be.
Is health also about fitness and strength? Is it about being able to run up hill, climb a tree and do 10 sit ups? There is substantial evidence that regular exercise protects your heart from cardiovascular disease (the number one killer of people in Europe) but how many of us therefore actually exercise now to protect our heart for later? I fall so short in this area.
There are so many people in this world who are born with ill health - life long diseases or illnesses that affect the way they live. Others are born into places where health is not an option - societies marked by poverty, war and famine. These things are completely out of people's control.
I believe that my health is a gift. And for me, this means learning how best to take care of myself - physically, emotionally, socially and mentally. I want to be healthy. I want to do whatever I can now to protect my body as it ages. This requires a lot of self-discipline and the ability to see the bigger picture - I might feel healthy now, but I still need to take action so I feel healthy later in life. I'm not saying I am perfect - far from it, but I have decided that health is going to be a daily priority. Walking more, eating right, drinking water more, sleeping more, and intentionally learning more - these are my daily commitments to my health.
So, what is health to you? Would you say that you are healthy?
It seems like a simple question, at least it did to me. What is health? But the more I read, the more I am realising that it is a difficult question to answer because of people's opinions, cultural/social expectations and political priorities.
Traditionally, a healthy person was a person who didn't have a diseases, they didn't need treatment. They didn't need medicine, so they were considered healthy. Many of us feel healthy because we fit into this category - we don't need to visit the doctor, so we assume that we are fine. We live our lives eating what we want, exercising when we feel like it and not really thinking about our health.
But, this approach leaves out so much of what we now believe about healthy living. Today, most professionals also consider mental health - which can rarely be tangibly seen with the eye, but is a crucial factor of 'feeling' healthy. They also consider emotional and social health - consider a person who doesn't have a disease, but they don't have a community of family or friends, they don't leave the house, they are isolated. They are sad. They struggle to make connections with people. Some professionals today would suggest that this person isn't living a socially healthy life. There are other factors than simply our physical health.
But - is health just a feeling. If someone is living with a long term illness like diabetes or chronic fatigue - but they manage their illness, they have a job they enjoy, they have a positive social life and their mental health is in a good condition, would we consider them healthy? If someone feels 'healthy' does that mean they are healthy?
Or is health not simply about being healthy, but also about making healthy choices - I believe that many people eat food that is well known to be unhealthy, drink too much alcohol and even smoke because they feel fine. Even those people who have symptoms like a smokers cough, regular hangovers, or sluggishness don't consider those things to be truly 'unhealthy' because they don't stop them from the things they want to do. They feel healthy - even though their body might not be.
Is health also about fitness and strength? Is it about being able to run up hill, climb a tree and do 10 sit ups? There is substantial evidence that regular exercise protects your heart from cardiovascular disease (the number one killer of people in Europe) but how many of us therefore actually exercise now to protect our heart for later? I fall so short in this area.
There are so many people in this world who are born with ill health - life long diseases or illnesses that affect the way they live. Others are born into places where health is not an option - societies marked by poverty, war and famine. These things are completely out of people's control.
I believe that my health is a gift. And for me, this means learning how best to take care of myself - physically, emotionally, socially and mentally. I want to be healthy. I want to do whatever I can now to protect my body as it ages. This requires a lot of self-discipline and the ability to see the bigger picture - I might feel healthy now, but I still need to take action so I feel healthy later in life. I'm not saying I am perfect - far from it, but I have decided that health is going to be a daily priority. Walking more, eating right, drinking water more, sleeping more, and intentionally learning more - these are my daily commitments to my health.
So, what is health to you? Would you say that you are healthy?