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The Real Definition of Good Health

Admin — Sun, 03 Jul 2011 16:21:08 +0000

In 1948, the World Health Organization defined good health as; “Health is a state of complete physical, mental and social well being, and not merely the absence of disease or infirmity.”

This definition of health holds as true today as it did back in 1948. Though the WHO may have modified their definition since then, the state of health for many today is dismal. Diseases such as cancer, diabetes, arthritis and heart disease are increasing rapidly throughout the world and no one appears to have a clue as to how to cure disease other than treat it through drugs and surgery.

Ask anyone on the street and you are likely to get the answer that health for them means the absence of pain and illness. Many say they are healthy even though they take a pharmacy of drugs and medications to feel that way.

As the years have slipped by more people have adopted the Western style diet, a diet of highly refined foods loaded with sodium, sugar, fat and chemical additives. Highly stressed lifestyles combined with bad habits such as smoking and the pollutants in the food, air and water insure that the quality of life is severely compromised. There’s little good in living longer if those extra years are filled with pain an disease.

Today’s diseases are the result of poor lifestyle choices. Aside from the fact that most diets are high in fat, most of the produce on supermarket shelves is severely depleted of the essential vitamins and minerals that were abundant in the diet of those who lived a hundred years ago. Today’s food is mass produced and comes from farms whose soils have been sterilized and robbed of minerals. Food is made to look good and have a long shelf life, but not produced to promote health.

Today’s medical establishment projects the idea that sickness is a part of life and inevitable. The older you get, the sicker you will be and the more you’ll require medical intervention. But the truth is that a healthy body doesn’t get sick. A body with a strong immune system has many checks and balances that insure that good health is maintained. Even today you’ll find centenarians that don’t require crutches to get around or languish in a nursery home waiting for the bliss of death to take them. Health is not all due to hereditary factors.

Those centenarians have no special health genes to help them live so long. What they do have is what’s lacking in the lives of the majority of people today. Those healthy old folks are active. They eat fresh fruits and vegetables, foods high in fiber and low in simple carbohydrates. They get fresh air and don’t smoke or drink to excess. You’ll likely find them living in their own homes and getting about without walkers and canes.

Maintaining good health has to start with the belief that it is possible to become healthy and stay that way by implementing good lifestyle choices. Unfortunately, few people have the incentive to make those changes. A stressed and hurried lifestyle doesn’t allow many to stop and take an inventory of themselves and the goals for future well-being.

With all that we’ve discovered about the functioning of the body and its ability to heal itself, there is no excuse why anyone should continue to live an an unhealthy lifestyle that shortens the quality of life. The real definition of good health is by making a complete change of lifestyle through eating a good diet, exercising regularly, living relatively stress free, getting enough sleep and throwing out the cigarettes and drugs. Doing so would reduce the epidemics of today’s modern diseases and restore the balance and enjoyment that life should be.

The author is a freelance writer who writes mostly in subjects dealing with health, business and self-improvement. He is studying ad copywriting to provide a service to business in their efforts to make a profit from their blogs, websites, and ezines. He currently has a number of articles published on Helium:
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6 Dimensions of Wellness

Admin — Mon, 28 Mar 2011 13:09:21 +0000

By Aimee Whitfill -

When most of us think of wellness, we automatically think of physical health. We try to maintain a healthy body and hope that will ward off serious illness in the future. However, while physical health is crucial to good health, wellness has many dimensions beyond the physical. In fact, many experts believe there are 6 dimensions of wellness.

1. Emotional health

Understanding our emotions and finding healthy ways of expressing them is important to emotional health. Learn to accept your limitations and embrace ways to form healthy relationships with others. Maintain a sense of perspective, and learn to control emotions like sadness, anger, or frustration.

2. Spiritual health

Having a purpose in life and feeling that life is meaningful leads to spiritual health. Take some quiet time to discover the morals, ethics, and values that guide your decision making, and try to stick with those during problematic times.

3. Social health

Maintaining healthy relationships with others leads to a healthier you. Try to learn ways to relate well with others, whether they are family members, coworkers, or friends. Practice communication skills and try to be the kind of friend or spouse you would like to have.

4. Environmental health

A healthier planet leads to healthier inhabitants, so not only should you protect yourself from environmental hazards, such as wearing sunscreen or staying indoors on smoggy days, but you should also look for ways to help the earth’s health. Recycle or reuse items that you can, and donate used clothing, cell phones, or old computers to non-profit organizations that can refurbish them, thereby keeping them out of landfills.

5. Intellectual health

You’ve probably heard of the phrase “use it or lose it.” That is particularly true for the brain. As we age, there is a natural progression of a slowing of the brain’s functions, but you can combat this by working your brain every day. Keep your mind active with learning, creativity, and problem solving. Read up on current events each day. Paint, draw, or build something with your hands. Take a continuing education course at a local college, or join a book club. Even working a crossword puzzle each day can help to keep the mind active.

6. Physical health

Maintain a healthy body through proper nutrition, exercise, and the avoidance of harmful habits, such as smoking or alcohol abuse. Make sure you exercise at least 30 minutes each day. Eat lots of fruits, vegetables, whole grains, and healthy fats, such as those found in olive oil. Visit your dentist regularly, since dental health can affect the rest of your body. Seek medical attention when necessary.

Since our bodies and minds are interrelated, true wellness depends of integrating all of the above factors for a more holistic approach to good health. Monitoring and trying to improve in these 6 areas can lead to a happier, healthier you, which can ward off illnesses or diseases.

Physical health is probably the easiest to monitor. For a baseline of your body’s physical health, consider getting a mobile health screening, which is convenient, painless, and non-invasive. You will find information quickly about your risk for heart attack or stroke.

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Feeling in Control of Your Physical Health

Guest Contributor — Wed, 13 Oct 2010 12:40:44 +0000

By Darius Maslow -

When you start paying attention to your physical health, you start to feel better about yourself. When you start watching what you eat, exercising on a daily basis, you will start feeling better and noticed that you have a certain amount of control over your health and well-being. Once you realize that you are in control, you will have a different outlook on your physical health, as well as the rest of your health.

By taking care of your physical health, your immune system will be in a lot better shape to fight off any diseases or illnesses that come its way. Eating healthy foods and exercising on a regular basis will surely help your immune system keep you running efficiently. Get rid of anxiety and stress and bring in positivity and happiness. Having a good attitude is another key aspect of good health. Once you get yourself in good health, you will really enjoy the control you have over your life. When stress starts to come back in your life, you will remember that you have a certain amount of control and do what is necessary to get rid of the stress.

You must stay motivated to stay healthy. If you personally know what having control of your health and feeling good feels like, then you should be a would’ve figure out your reason why you want to be healthy. When you deliberately do what is necessary to achieve optimal physical health, a certain part of you becomes addicted to feeling good all the time. The energy you possess will be your reason why you want to keep living the same healthy lifestyle.

Do something that motivates you to help you move towards good health. Some people really enjoy walking and jogging. If you have a hard time getting motivated, you need to get an iPod and put some of your favorite songs on it. Music is a great motivator that will help you stay energized. When you stimulate your brain, it gets flooded with neurotransmitters that make you feel good about what you are doing. Once you start this process, it will be very hard for you to stop.

But keeping yourself physically healthy, you will possess a higher energy level. This higher level of energy will help you take the stairs instead of the elevator next time you have the choice. You won’t care about parking your car in the back of the parking lot and walking 100 extra steps to get to the store. You will be able to burn more calories and feel great while you do it. Once you experience the feeling of control that you will possess of your physical well-being, you will not want to turn back. If you do start have issues, you will remember that you do possess a certain amount of control and can exercise that control at any point in time.

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Enjoying Good Health and Happiness – Four Ways to Achieve Total Well-Being

Guest Contributor — Tue, 07 Sep 2010 13:58:51 +0000

By Christina Fields -

Good health is essential for the enjoyment of life.

Good health encompasses physical fitness and mental health. If you are feeling physically well, you will benefit with a healthy mind too. When looking to enjoy good health we must, therefore, take an approach that encompasses both body and mind.

1. Eating Well

We all need to provide our bodies with the energy and nutrients required to function well and feel great. When it comes to a healthy diet, balance is the key to getting it right.

That means eating a wide variety of foods in the right proportion, so that over time we get all the nutrients we need to keep ourselves healthy. Not only does good food make you feel better inside, but you will have the extra energy to pursue your goals and aspirations.

2. Exercise

Exercise is great in so many ways. It provides us with an outlet, as anyone who has ever used a punch bag will agree! Exercise can be very therapeutic and can help to take your mind off your worries. Exercise also provides you with improved energy levels and can also improve your sleep.

I used to hate exercise. Until I found a sport that I love, swimming. Now when I exercise it does not seem like a chore, but a fun way to spend my time. Be creative with what you do. Any form of exercise is good, but try to find something that you enjoy doing. If you don’t enjoy running for instance, walk instead or find something else you enjoy. There are plenty of activities that can give you an outlet and can even improve your social life.

3. Setting Milestones

Have you ever said to yourself, or a friend, where do you see yourself in 5 years time? I have and, although my aspirations at the time seemed unrealistic, it’s amazing that it really focussed us to both achieve our goals and see how far we could reach.

When the 5 years came to an end, we both assessed our achievements and compared them to our goals, and then decided to do it again for the next 5 years – aiming even higher.

It’s fun to do and interesting to have a purpose and work towards something you want to achieve in your lifetime.

4, Managing your Emotions

Emotional well-being is essential for enjoying good health. When our emotions are stable, we are far more resilient to problems we face. If you bottle things up, annoyance turns into anger and jealousy to hatred.

Managing your emotions gives you control over your feelings and actions, leading to a positive happy attitude.

Here’s to your happiness!

Christina Fields

http://www.theartofpositivethinking.com

Christina Fields is the creator of the Power Charm Formula and provides all readers with the secrets of The Art of Positive Thinking at her website http://www.theartofpositivethinking.com

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How to Maintain Good Health

Guest Contributor — Sun, 08 Aug 2010 15:11:17 +0000

By Jane Chaster -

Maintaining a good health requires a lot of effort, perseverance and determination. You must be knowledgeable about a lot of things in order for you to do that. You must realize that it is not magic and hard work is vital to attain your optimum level of functioning.

If you have good health you will be able to experience a lot in your life. Your life will be more fun and enjoyable. Family activities will be enjoyable because you can participate without any hindrance physically. Also, you can save your money for any possible hospitalization because you are less vulnerable to diseases.

There are things that you can do to improve or maintain your health like exercise, diet and proper rest or sleep. Exercise is an important factor of having a good health because it keeps your body active and functioning. It gives you the sense of self fulfillment and confidence when you see your body fit and healthy.

Exercise burns excessive fats and calories in your body. You can keep yourself less vulnerable from chronic diseases like diabetes, heart diseases and osteoporosis by having a regular exercise. You can do biking, swimming and jogging with your family to enjoy physical exercises better.

A good and healthy food will feed your hungry body with good nutrients and needed energy. You can eat healthy foods by choosing those with low to moderate fat, low calories and high in protein foods. These foods will be enough for your body.

You must not eat less or more than what your body requires. Always remember that your body functions because of the energy that you take in through food. Any excess will be harmful because it will be deposited as fat and any less will cause breakdown of organs and tissues.

Sleep is also important in maintaining your healthy body. It is very vital for you to rest after a hard day to repair any damages in your body. You have consider sleeping at least 6-8 hours a day to maintain a fit body.

These three factors are very vital for you to maintain a healthy and fit body. You must have the balance and harmony of these three interacting factors in order for you to attain your optimum health and function. You will attain good health if you can balance your life accordingly.

Exercise regularly for a better health. Learn to use Treadmill Running Machine and attain your optimum health.

Learn more about motorized treadmill to exercise in a unique and enjoyable way.

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The Real Definition of Good Health

Guest Contributor — Sat, 07 Aug 2010 14:43:23 +0000

By Mario G Carini -

In 1948, the World Health Organization defined good health as; “Health is a state of complete physical, mental and social well being, and not merely the absence of disease or infirmity.”

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General Fitness For Health and Well Being

Guest Contributor — Sun, 13 Jun 2010 18:30:08 +0000

By Ghandi Joseph

General fitness refers to overall health. It means having the correct body weight and an ability to handle physical activity without wearing down too quickly. General health is being fit in a well rounded kind of way. Weight loss and maintenance of that loss is considered general fitness if varying activities were used to achieve good health. These activities include over all toning exercises or cardiovascular exercises. In other words, running or swimming at a moderate pace in order to get the heart pumping and increase oxygen to the rest of the body are the types of exercises used to gain and maintain general fitness. Lifting weights and strength training are also general fitness exercises.

However, when workouts are done to improve performance within a particular sport, then it becomes “specific fitness” as opposed to “general fitness.” As an example, hiring a personal trainer to help you improve your golf swing as a means of breaking onto the PGA circuit of professional golfers, is specific fitness training. Golfing itself falls into the general category of fitness.

General fitness workouts include walking, brisk walking or cardiovascular walking exercises. All of these forms of walking tone legs and arms in a general sort of way, meaning the muscle groups can be used to function in other sports and activities without specificity. These exercises contribute to overall good health. Good over all health reduces the risk of diseases associated with lifestyle and diet like heart disease, or adult onset diabetes, or obesity in general. A proper diet and regular exercise will all but eliminate certain “lifestyle-caused” diseases. This is general fitness functioning at optimum.

In addition, general fitness contributes to an improved mental outlook on life, it gives a sense of belonging and self confidence. Fitness helps to achieve healthy body weight, low body fat and better bone density, while improving circulation and heart function. This improved circulation will lower the risk of heart disease and regulate blood pressure and cholesterol. Regular workouts bolster the immune system and enable the body to heal itself faster.

However, is there a point when you’ve exercised too much? The American College of Sports Medicine says cardio should be done at a minimum of three times per week for at least 20 minutes per session. Ideally, anyone concerned about overall health and general fitness should workout everyday for at least 30 minutes per session. These general workouts should include a healthy amount of cardiovascular exercise like running or jogging or walking, combined with strength and weights training on alternate days. If you want to lose weight, adjustments in calorie intake should accompany the daily workouts.

It is important to vary your routine regularly to keep the muscle changing and challenged. It is also important to keep you challenged and motivated in continuing your workouts. Set goals and work toward the keep you going forward. When you reach a goal, set another one and start working toward the new one.

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Health and Your Relationships – Good Relationships Are Important in Staying Healthy

Guest Contributor — Sun, 23 May 2010 16:12:41 +0000

By Joe Kosterich

Humans are social creatures. We rely on relationships for our well-being. Relationships can broadly be regarded as external (those with others) and internal (which covers your view of yourself, your values and spirituality). Both are important to your health. If your relationships are out of balance then your health will be affected.

Arguably the most important relationship you have is the internal one you have with yourself. How you see yourself governs your mood, attitude, behavior and beliefs. These beliefs and attitudes lie at your core. At another level are your thoughts and emotions.

Our external relationships are first and foremost with other people. This includes our family, our friends as well as those we work with. There are many relationships that we have in our lives. Two fairly recent studies highlight the correlation between good relationships and good health.

The first looked at life expectancy in older people. Those who have a good network of friends lived longer than those who did not. Other studies have looked at the role of friendship in cancer and heart disease and again found “good” relationships made a difference.

Whilst nobody has done a “reverse “study looking at the health impacts of bad or “toxic” relationships, I have had many people particularly with cancer tell me over the years how they felt toxic relationships had contributed to their illness.

The second looked at how marriage continues to “hold up” in this changing world. It has long been shown that the health of men in particular is improved in a good relationship (marriage or partnership). I have also seen recent reports about the adverse health affects of divorce.

Now the key in all of this is good relationships. Staying in a bad relationship for the sake of it is not the way to go. Equally life is not necessarily perfect so one always needs to be “working” at ones relationships. Perhaps tending them (like one might tend a garden) is a better analogy. After all if it feels like hard work then that may tell you something .

We also have relationships with our environment -our home and workplace, and the broader environment. We all know that some places “feel ” right and other do not. Sometimes even the colors in a room affect how we feel. The in-depth study of this is of course Feng Shui.

There is also our relationship with the cosmos, universe, spirit world, or whatever term sits comfortably with you.

The first relationship to get “right” is the one with yourself. This is about acceptance of who you are in this current moment. You can strive to be better but not make your self-acceptance conditional on some future achievement. It is about forgiving yourself, and it is about being “present” in the moment.

All other relationships that you have will in some way be a reflection of this central one. Relationships are pillar 7 of DIY Health.

For great health info you can use to be a better you, sign up for your free newsletter at http://drjoe.net.au.

Dr Joe’s Do it yourself health (DIY Health) is based on the principle that your health is directly influenced by how you live your life.Do not wait to be a victim of disease.Visit my website to get knowledge and tips on ways that you can take charge of your own health today.You will look and feel better.

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Good Health is a Way of Life, Not a Summer Project!

Guest Contributor — Fri, 20 Nov 2009 14:36:48 +0000

By Christopher Heffron –

Everybody understands the benefits of weight loss, and why it’s something people want. You’ll feel better about the way you look, and feel better in your clothes. You’ll have more energy, and less risk for health complications later in life.

People that are in good shape often times have an easier time being happier with themselves in general. Obviously, it’s something everybody wants to understand how to obtain, but there’s a lot of debate among the experts about how to get there. The general ideas have been long established; watch the things you eat, and make a real effort to exercise more. The problem is in hammering out the details.

Starting a new weight loss plan is a bigger commitment than a lot of people realize, and that’s one of the biggest reasons why they don’t succeed. Sometimes they’ll go for a while without seeing any results, get frustrated, and give up. Sometimes they’ll start to see results, and their discipline will begin to slack.

The fact that escapes some people about diet plans is that once they’re on them, they had better get used to the way it feels. The weeks after someone comes off of a diet plan is when they experience the most negative progress, and regression back to the way their body used to be. That can be terribly frustrating, and sometimes people have a tendency to give up and just accept what their body seems to want to do.

Those that embrace healthier lifestyles as the permanent change that they’re meant to be are the ones that are most likely to not only lose weight, but keep it off as long as they want. It’s effortless to them because they have learned to enjoy the new way they eat. Exercise is a hobby to them. Like any contact sport, losing weight has more to do with your mind than your body. If you think positive thoughts instead of seeing your diet as a chore, you’re far more likely to get positive results.

No matter how you decide to alter your lifestyle in terms of nutrition and exercise, be certain to get yourself on a good multivitamin, and to detox your system regularly.

Without the proper vitamins, minerals, and detoxification, you may be halting your weight loss efforts before they even begin.

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How Much Do You Value Your Health?

Guest Contributor — Tue, 03 Nov 2009 13:42:24 +0000

By Carolyn Hansen –

Studies have shown that ‘exercise deficiency syndrome’ is the biggest health risk we face once we get past 30 years and as the years start to accumulate. Thanks to modern technology and mechanization most of us can totally avoid any physical ‘work’ in the course of our day. Nothing we do any more requires any real effort as we sit most of the day at our work and sit in the evenings maintaining our addiction to television.

We are slowly becoming aware of the negative impact this is having on our health. Even children being born today are predicted to have a 20-30 year shortened lifespan. One of the main reasons for this is there is simply not enough vigorous physical activity left in our lives for a human being to remain healthy.

Most of us probably view any sort of exercise as ‘work’, which is probably the biggest reason we likely avoid it. Well, you are correct, exercise is ‘work’ and is the hard labor that our ancestors were required to do to stay alive. We not longer need to work to stay alive but we do still need this work to remain healthy whether we like it or not.

We are now aware of how much better our bodies function and how much longer they last when we get regular muscle building and maintaining exercise. Whether you choose to believe, accept and act on that reality or not will affect both the short term quality of your life and the longer term length of your life.

The symptoms of the ‘disuse’ are everywhere, overweight, obesity, lack of endurance, muscle weakness, stiffness and soreness, low back pain, low breathing capacity, intolerance to stress, increased blood fat levels, elevated resting heart rate and blood pressure, depression and the list goes on and on.

An exercise program is so vital to our wellness that not only does it make us feel so much better and happier, more alert and productive it also helps to prevent disease especially the ‘big three’ heart disease, cancer and diabetes that are epidemic in our modern world.

Vigorous physical activity on a regular basis is needed in order to prevent our bodies slowly sliding down the slippery slope of deterioration. A proper exercise program is not an optional luxury, but a necessity if you wish to remain healthy and well.

It seems pointless to work hard all of your life then risk your life being cut short prematurely before you even have a chance to get to know your grandchildren that’s if you even get to meet them. Imagine with just a bit of effort on your part a couple of times a week you could protect both your working life and your retirement years. The last third of your life could be just as enjoyable and productive as the first two thirds.

To receive the very best and quickest benefits from your exercise program it is important that it is set up properly by a fitness professional. The program needs to be mainly strength training exercise which will give you the ‘most bang for your buck’ in the way of results.

Forget long, slow, steady state recreational activities like walking, jogging or cycling. These things are great as part of an active lifestyle but can never ever replace a proper program of muscle building and maintaining exercise. This is the only type of exercise that will maintain our functional body units and to also keep a reserve physical capacity to handle emergency situations.

We actually have far more control over the rate and extent of the aging process than we previously thought. We don’t have to sit and watch our life go by; we can take an active role in maintaining our wellness. Regular vigorous exercise is a very logical, cost effective way of reducing the risk of every chronic disease known to man.

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Carolyn Hansen is a certified fitness expert and fitness center owner who coaches clients to look and feel younger. In her nearly 30 years of fitness and bodybuilding competition experience she has helped thousands of people start their journey towards being strong, fit and youthful at any age.

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The Self Improvement Blog » Good Health

The Real Definition of Good Health

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6 Dimensions of Wellness

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Feeling in Control of Your Physical Health

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Enjoying Good Health and Happiness – Four Ways to Achieve Total Well-Being

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How to Maintain Good Health

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The Real Definition of Good Health

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General Fitness For Health and Well Being

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Health and Your Relationships – Good Relationships Are Important in Staying Healthy

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Good Health is a Way of Life, Not a Summer Project!

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How Much Do You Value Your Health?

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