Can a competitive swimmer with Down Syndrome or a high school teacher with bipolar disorder experience good health? They certainly can when health is disconnected from limitations.
The concept of health is undergoing a profound change. A new understanding of health, as highlighted in the 2009 issue of The Lancet, challenges the traditional negative conception of health as the absence of disease.
Physical activity
There is strong evidence that regular physical activity reduces a person’s risk of heart disease, stroke, diabetes and high blood pressure; strengthens bones and muscles and increases flexibility and energy. It is also linked to better mental health and lower levels of stress.
However, it is important to note that physical activity includes all movement and not just structured exercise. Activities such as house chores, walking to school, gardening or playing a sport can be considered physical activity. Exercise is a subcategory of physical activity and is planned, structured, repetitive and purposeful in the sense that improving or maintaining physical fitness is the objective.
Current guidelines recommend adults aim for 150 minutes of moderate-intensity aerobic activity each week and two days of muscle-strengthening activity. The key is to find an activity you enjoy and can fit into your daily life. Then stick with it. Regular activity can help you live longer, healthier lives. And it’s not as hard as you might think!
Healthy eating
What you eat plays a key role in your overall health and well-being. Healthy eating helps prevent disease, manage weight, and lower your risk for chronic (long-term) diseases like heart disease and diabetes. It also helps protect you from malnutrition, which can happen when your diet is low in important nutrients.
You may be bombarded with nutrition and diet advice, but what’s most important is to develop an overall healthy eating pattern that suits your lifestyle, preferences, culture, and budget. A healthy diet emphasizes fruits, vegetables, and whole grains; is low in sodium (salt); and includes a variety of protein foods like seafood, lean meats and poultry, eggs, soy products, and beans.
For a simple guide to creating balanced meals, use the Healthy Eating Plate (PDF – 1.7 MB). This can be downloaded in over 25 languages and is available for free. You can also speak to your physician or dietitian for more tips on healthy eating.
Stress management
Stress is a part of life, but too much long-term stress can lead to health problems. Some of these problems include a weakened immune system, high blood pressure and heart disease, depression and anxiety, gastrointestinal issues, musculoskeletal pain and sexual dysfunction.
Stress management involves using techniques to improve your response to stressful situations and reduce chronic stress. It also involves developing healthy coping skills.
The first step is to identify the causes of your stress. This can be difficult and requires careful thought. Try to group the causes into those that you can change, those that will resolve themselves over time and those that are out of your control.
Once you’ve identified the sources of your stress, it’s important to find healthier ways to cope with it. This may mean reducing the amount of junk food you eat, spending more time socializing and participating in physical activity or finding other stress-reduction methods. It’s also a good idea to seek professional help if you need it.
Sleep
Insufficient sleep and a lack of quality sleep have been linked to many health conditions, including depression. Some cancers, such as breast and lung, may be more common in people with poor sleep quality. Sleep and immune function are closely connected. A lack of sleep can make it harder to fight off germs that cause illnesses like the common cold.
Research has shown that sufficient sleep is important for learning, memory consolidation, emotional regulation, judgment and decision making, and healthy aging. Modern medicine’s understanding of sleep is a bit like a partially assembled jigsaw puzzle: experts know some of the pieces but don’t yet understand how all of them fit together.
Dr. Weaver reports consulting with Fred Hutchinson Cancer Center and the National Sleep Foundation and receiving grant support from NSF during the conduct of the study. Dr. Klerman reports grants from the National Institutes of Health and Havard University, and is a member of the NSF Sleep Timing Variability Consensus Panel.