Element 1.1 Understand the concepts of health and well-being

The World Health Organisations definition of health: (source http://www.who.int/suggestions/faq/en/index.html)

Health is a state of complete physical, mental and social well-being and not merely the absence of disease or infirmity. The bibliographic citation for this definition is: Preamble to the Constitution of the World Health Organization as adopted by the International Health Conference, New York, 19 June - 22 July 1946; signed on 22 July 1946 by the representatives of 61 States (Official Records of the World Health Organization, no. 2, p. 100) and entered into force on 7 April 1948. The definition has not been amended since 1948

Well-being - a contented state of being happy and healthy and prosperous (according to the free online dictonary http://www.thefreedictionary.com/well-being)

My personal thoughts on health and well being are a good balance between work, exercise, healthy eating and getting the right amount of sleep will enable you to feel your best and as such be in a healthy state both mentally and physically. Everyone is different and depending on your job and your hobbies the amount of additional exercise and the your diet will vary greatly.

The British Heart Foundation (www.bhf.org.uk) has this to say about a healthy lifestyle: "Taking enough exercise, eating a healthy diet, encouraging children to be heart healthy and being aware of dangers such as smoking, drinking, high blood pressure and stress."

How much exercise is the right amount of exercise?

First of all everyone is different so the following is a guideline. From my own personal experience you need to work within your own limits and build of the amount of exercise and its intensity slowly and at a rate you are comfortable. If it has been a long time since you have exercised then it will not be uncommon for you to ache for a few days afterwards, this is a result of microscopic tearing of the muscle fibres. Your body will get used to the exercise and the aching will eventually subside. Stretching correctly and warming up before exercise will prevent this to a certain extent but it will not eradicate it entirely. 

30 minutes moderately intense exercise is the recommended amount for adults under the age of 65. One of the reasons for this is your body starts to burn fat after about 15 minutes of exercise instead of burning glycogen and carbohydrates. Short periods of intense exercise will use your instant energy store of glycogen and carbohydrates, it will also raise your heart rate for a short amount of time until you recover. Exercising for a longer period at 65% of your ability will increase your heart rate, build your stamina and burn fat. 

Some examples of exercise ideal to do for 30 minutes

Brisk walk

Jogging

Cycling 

Swimming

Playing football

Circuit Training

The effects of physical activity

Short term: Raises heart rate, feeling of being out of breathe, aching muscles, redness of skin

Medium term: Physical appearance improves, feeling of achievement, 

Long Term: Improved level of fitness, muscle development, more efficient respiratory system, improved bone density, improved circulation, Increased production of red blood cells.

Change of lifestyle can improve your health and well being - practical example

As a practical test I have been personal training one of my friends (Scott Hopkins). We started with light exercise and then built that up to running 4.5 miles 3 times a week, 2 sessions of weight training twice a week and a sensible healthy diet. In 4 months Scott lost on average 1.5 lbs a month and has improved his fitness and recovery time. His physical appearance has greatly improved as has his confidence and general feeling of well being. 

What happens if you don't exercise and eat a healthy diet?

If you don't live a healthy life style you are much more likely to to contract one of the following diseases. It is also more likely that you will encounter one of the following if there is a history of the disease in your family. Smoking and drinking as well as a history of heart disease in your family will mean you are very likely to suffer from it yourself if you don't do something to improve your lifestyle. The most common lifestyle diseases are: