health ranger report

health ranger report

The Importance of Health and Wellness

1. Introduction

At the very start of the paper, we lay the groundwork for a great need for health and wellness within our grand society. This point is made very clear yet with some knowledge. With the use of many real-life examples and different kinds of data, this section will present, we are able to establish and come to the same conclusion together that there is no question about it, health and wellness is an important factor in anyone’s life. Through the use of personal examples from both his life and the fictional life of a hopeful future Generation Y family, the author can show how better health and wellness at different times in one’s life can affect the well-being and happiness of a person. A daughter born with a birth defect and light cerebral palsy, the author explains his need for greater health and wellness with a story of the child overcoming her disabilities to make a major college in the two-year period and make the Dean’s list. With this and other various personal examples, the reader gets a clear idea of how health and wellness play a major role in the life of somebody. The author Giles is able to expand thoroughly on that point and get the reader to see the same pattern in their life. He relates how health and wellness are a major impact on success and self-efficacy, thus helping somebody to pursue a right life mission, looking optimistically into the future. This directly ties into how the author explains today’s society. The products and advertisements that resources are spent towards are the exact opposite of health and wellness and have implications of a lesser quality of life. Yes, some products do serve a purpose, but many are taken advantage of and our society is eaten alive with trends. This is a stage where everybody needs to stop and think about how the current state of their being is and how it has affected their quality of life. The author has explained this whole sequence of ideas in greater depth and Gee’s point on the quality of life and how health and wellness play an important factor are clearly seen with the examples and data presented in this section.

2. The Impact of Health on Quality of Life

Good mental health is also a crucial part of good health. The World Health Organization defines good mental health as “a state of well-being in which the individual realizes his or her own abilities, can cope with the normal stresses of life, can work productively and fruitfully, and is able to make a contribution to his or her community.” Not only has it been shown that those with good mental health will have a greater quality of life, it has been found that those with good mental health will be at a lower risk for certain physical diseases. On the flipside, good physical health has been shown to benefit mental health. Both of these statements show just how heavily health status can impact the quality of life.

Unhealthy people can suffer from less stamina, as muscle strength decreases a lot due to inactivity. Small things like climbing stairs or doing household chores can make them feel very tired. The weakening of muscles is one of the main reasons for muscle fatigue. The more fatigued a person is, the less likely they are to engage in physical activity, leading to a higher chance of heart disease and stroke. An important concept to understand about the relationship between health and physical activity is that a person does not have to be a marathon runner in order to reap significant benefits on health. Even moderate exercise such as 30 minutes of brisk walking on most, if not all, days of the week has a proven record in health improvement. Weight control is another important factor regarding health. A person with a BMI that is considered unhealthy has a higher risk of many diseases.

3. The Role of Nutrition and Exercise in Maintaining Health

Nutrition, exercise, and health are deeply interrelated. Nutrition is the supply of food to the cells of the body, and exercise is the source of energy. We need energy to perform all the processes which keep us alive – our bodies not unlike a car which requires fuel to run. There was a time when it was hard to single out the effects of nutrition from the effects of the amount of physical activity a person was getting because nutrition and exercise are so deeply intertwined, and because now this is an obesity epidemic it is still hard to see the independent effects of each on health, but in fact in many areas of the world it is only through malnutrition that we see the effects of lack of exercise on health. For heart disease and from diabetes we see the effects of a poor lifestyle on health as people get older. This is because diet and exercise can affect development and progression of these diseases. There are some things that can be reversed and it is related to the accumulation of fats in blood vessels and weight gain. Fats (free fatty acids) are a more efficient source of fuel than glucose and promote insulin resistance. High intensity aerobic exercise can reverse this by burning off the fats stored in muscles and restoring insulin sensitivity lasting up to 24 hours after the activity. This is also effective for the diabetic whose problems stem from glucose intolerance. An increase in physical activity will increase the body’s demand for energy it will result in increased food consumption suiting for the needs of the body decreased intake will result in increased weight loss. This is effective with the broad approach of restricting dietary intake to controlling body weight to improve lipid and glucose metabolism. High amounts of exercise can be bad for an individual with the lack of proper nutrition. This can result in low energy availability which will impair normal physiological function and athletic performance. Stepwise dietary improvements will first enhance the diet quality of the active individual therefore it will further improve health and performance and health professionals would agree that the first step towards improving the diet is to alter the food selection and food preparation.

4. Preventive Measures for a Healthy Lifestyle

Exercise can also be a preventative measure for disease. By staying active and keeping to a regular exercise pattern, you can lower your risk of developing diseases such as diabetes and heart disease. High-intensity exercise is often not necessary, and an activity such as walking can provide adequate benefits. So, to maintain good health, it is essential to rid your lifestyle of damaging activities and adopt a healthy way of living.

It is advisable to avoid smoking, drinking alcohol, and using drugs. These have been proven to be damaging to your health and can add to the risk of developing certain diseases. This has been shown in the Royal College of Physicians report that looked at the effects of smoking on health and has been researched by the Cancer Research UK organization. Measures such as these can seem more difficult when facing stressful situations. In times where you feel stressed, it is important to try to deal with the issue and avoid the use of stress-relieving agents, which are often damaging to your health.

The best measure against disease and health problems is the prevention of them. This can be done by living a healthy lifestyle, consuming the right foods, and getting regular exercise. It is also important to have a regular check-up with your GP. This might involve a regular visit to see the practice nurse to have your blood pressure checked. The reason for this is that when we are feeling well, we do not visit a doctor, so there may be underlying health problems that go unnoticed.

5. Conclusion: Taking Charge of Your Health

If discussed thoroughly, health is the basic foundation of our life, the original wealth. It is defined as a state of complete, physical, mental and social well-being, and not just merely absence of disease or infirmity. Health is something which everyone of us is striving to have and sustain. Health is really about the choices and habits an individual make and take over the time. This is a result of the combined factor of where and with whom we live, the state of someone’s environment, education and personal choices. Unfortunately, health is often taken for granted, due to lifestyle it shouldn’t be. By the time one realizes the importance of health, it might be too late. On a bottom line, everyone felt their life so busy and pressured that reflects to their health. Stress, pollution, other illness, food, all taken its toll on health. Now consider this, right now, what are the potential outcomes of the decisions that have been made, are they the best for you over the long run. Is the quality and length of your life important to you? The good news is, it’s never too late to start living a healthier lifestyle. In fact, the American Cancer Society has calculated health choices can affect the risk of cancer, heart disease and diabetes by a staggering 70%. Through today’s era of advanced modern medicine, surely prevention is still the best cure. To maintain or achieve good health, one may need to make a planned effort. Over time, have you ever felt better when doing something good for yourself. Visualize a student with good study habits in comparison to a student with poor habits. Part studies show that the student with good habits had a higher self-esteem in correlation to one’s health and the ability to avoid health risks. This is why prevention is a choice and wise decision for the long-term future that should be applied sooner than later. The best way to adopt a prevention of illness is identifying risk factors and staying clear of them. Behaviors and attitudes can be assessed through a risk factor screening. Then prioritize the risk factors and focus on change to those specific factors. Realize that change will take time, so ease into it with small steps for an improvement will boost confidence. A support system will make the task easier; family members or friends can be the best support. Remember, the idea is to eliminate the risk factor and substitute it with a healthier benefit. This is a personal challenge and worth trying to improve. Adapting new habits and making changes can feel great and is one of many ways to increase quality of life. As a result of this movement towards a prevention of illness, it can lead to the ultimate goal of self-actualization. This is an understanding and acceptance of whom and what a person is, and his individuality. This is all that it means to be healthy and it’s a terrific way to show it. Self-actualization is the top of a pyramid of Maslow’s hierarchy of needs, which starts with a basic level of needs. This may be used as a guide to become a healthier person. If one is already healthy, remember that always we can do better. Now is the time to take a good look at yourself and your lifestyle. Health is not a gift, it’s an achievement. So, let better health be a way of life.