What Does It Mean to "Be Healthy"?
What Does It Mean to "Be Healthy"? If you were to take a picture of your current state of health, how would it look? How are you feeling? Are you well rested? Are you ready to take on whatever challenges the day holds in store for you? Is your outlook positive? Do you get along with family members, teachers, and peers? What about yesterday? Did you eat well and get plenty of sleep? Your answers to these questions provide a picture of your general level of health. If this surprises you, the reason may be that, like many people, you think health is the abstinence of sickness. Health, however, is so much more than that. Health is the combination of your physical, mental and emotional, and social wellbeing. Your health affects everything about you, including how you look, how you feel, and even how you act. It affects your attitudes and performances in school, work, and recreation. It affects how you feel about yourself, how successful you are in your relationships, and helps to determine some of your goals and aspirations. Be aware that health is not an absolute state, being healthy doesn't mean that you will never be sick. Instead, being healthy means striving to be the best you can be at any given time. Physical health is the way the parts and systems of your body work together. It means your body has the ability to cope with the stresses of normal daily life. It means having the strength and energy to pursue physical, mental, emotional and social challenges and changes. To gain or maintain physical health, you need to have proper nutrition, regular physical activity, and enough rest and sleep. You need to practice good hygiene to prevent disease, and get regular medical and dental checkups and treatments when you need them. Good physical health also includes paying attention to what you put into your body. It means resisting tobacco, alcohol, and other drugs. Mental and emotional health includes your feelings about yourself, how well you relate to