When we talk about physical health, we tend to think it only concerns the body, but it is a more global issue than we imagine. Physical health is the optimal well-being of the whole organism, which is in good physical, mental and emotional condition.
There are different reasons that directly affect our physical health. Taking care of them is sometimes complicated, but we should prioritize them, take them into account and try to take care of them so that our physical health functions correctly and prevents possible damage.
WHAT AFFECTS PHYSICAL HEALTH?
Human biology. That is our genetics and chemistry. This factor is directly related to each person, so it is difficult to change. What is in our hands are all those habits that we establish in our lives to keep us healthy. While it is true that there are genetic and chemical factors that predispose us to disease, lifestyle influences and we can monitor the way we treat our diseases.
Healthcare services are those offered to help prevent, detect or treat illness and disease. The care received influences the health of each individual to a very high degree. Accessibility to medical care, price, and treatment are very important because they facilitate people’s well-being.
The environment influences our physical health because it includes everything from the quality of the air we breathe to the place where we live, to our surroundings. It also includes noise or water quality. The relationship between the environment and health is so significant that there is even a branch related to health called Environmental Health.
Lifestyle is the element of health over which we have the greatest control because the decisions we make about it, it can be said, are almost entirely individual, because there is a percentage in which our environment has an influence and our decisions will also have an impact on the environment. Lifestyle includes eating habits, personal hygiene, leisure, social relationships, and sexuality.
HOW TO IMPROVE YOUR PHYSICAL HEALTH?
To achieve good physical health, we have to attend to the following aspects. Even to have good emotional health, we must attend to the well-being of our physical health because they are directly related. Some ideas to take care of our body are:
- Maintaining good hygiene.
- Check our state of health.
- Attending to illness, wounds, and injuries.
- Eliminate, within our possibilities, toxics.
WHY IS PHYSICAL ACTIVITY SO IMPORTANT?
Sometimes we are not aware of how important it is for our health to be physically active. According to WHO, insufficient physical activity has been identified as a major contributor to global mortality and is on the rise in many countries.
That is why it is so strongly recommended that we keep moving with regular and adequate physical activity, because it reduces the risk of physical and mental illnesses, as well as improving the quality of life.
There is no need to run many kilometers or go to the gym, any activity that makes us move and have an active life is a form of activity. The important thing is to find something that motivates us and that lasts over time, and it doesn’t always have to be the same.
Active living can include activities as simple as cycling, walking to work, jumping rope, or dancing.
9 FACTS ABOUT PHYSICAL ACTIVITY
- Physical activity helps prevent and manage non-communicable diseases such as cardiovascular disease, cancer, and diabetes.
- Physical activity reduces symptoms of depression and anxiety.
- Physical activity improves thinking, learning, and judgment skills.
- Physical activity ensures healthy growth and development in young people.
- Physical activity improves overall well-being.
- Globally, 1 in 4 adults does not reach the globally recommended levels of physical activity.
- Up to 5 million deaths per year could be avoided if the world’s population were more active.
- People who are insufficiently active have a 20% to 30% higher risk of death compared to people who are sufficiently active.
- More than 80% of the world’s adolescent population does not get enough physical activity.