In Good Health: Men’s Wellness and Health Habits
In Good Health: Men’s Wellness and Health Habits: Keep your health in good shape. Health means being emotionally, mentally, and physically whole. Health care helps people stay healthy in these important areas of life.
Healthcare prices in the US were $3.5 trillion in 2017, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).
Even though the U.S. spends a lot on health care, Americans live shorter lives than people in other wealthy countries. This is because of many things, such as lifestyle decisions and access to health care.
Being healthy is important for dealing with stress and having a longer, more active life. This piece talks about what “good health” means, the different kinds of health that people should think about, and how to stay healthy.
Health
When the World Health Organisation (WHO) described health in 1948, they used a phrase that is still used today.
Researchers who wrote an article in The Lancet in 2009 said that health is the body’s ability to deal with new illnesses and threats.
In the last few decades, modern science has made great progress in our knowledge of diseases by figuring out how they work and finding new ways to slow down or stop them. They base this definition on the idea that there may not be a way to completely eliminate pathology.
Different Kinds of Health
The two types of health that are usually talked about the most are mental and physical.
Overall health is affected by spiritual, mental, and financial well-being as well. These have been linked by doctors to less worry and better mental and physical health.
For example, people who are in better financial shape might think less about money and be able to buy fresh food more often. People who are spiritually healthy may feel calm and have a reason in life, which is good for their mental health.
Health disparities have different effects on each of us. Check out our hub to learn more about health gaps between groups and what we can do to fix them.
Physical Health
- Good physical health means that most of the body’s functions and processes are likely to be running at their best.
- This isn’t just because there aren’t any diseases around. A balanced diet, regular exercise, and enough rest are all things that can help you stay healthy. When it’s needed, people get medical care to keep their balance.
- Living a healthy life to lower your risk of getting sick is part of physical well-being. For example, staying physically healthy can protect and improve a person’s heart and breathing endurance, as well as their strength, flexibility, and body composition.
- Taking care of your physical health and well-being also means lowering your chances of getting hurt or having a health problem, such as
- reducing risks at work by using birth control when having sex, practicing good cleanliness, and not smoking, drinking, or using illegal drugs.
- Get the right medicines for the country or condition you’ll be visiting before you go.
- Having good physical health can help improve your mental health and quality of life as a whole.
- For instance, a 2008 Trusted Source found that mental illness, like depression, may raise the chance of drug use disorders. This can then have bad effects on your physical health.
Mental Health
The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services says that mental health is the state of a person’s emotional, social, and psychological well-being. As part of a busy, full life, mental health is just as important as physical health.
- Mental health is harder to define than physical health because a lot of psychological diagnoses rest on how a person sees their own experience.
- But because tests have gotten better, doctors can now use CT scans and genetic tests to find some physical signs of some types of mental illness.
- Not having any disorders like depression or worry is not the only thing that defines good mental health. Also, it depends on how well someone can do.
- Enjoy life, get back on your feet after a bad experience, and learn to deal with problems.
- balance different parts of their lives, like family and money, feel safe and secure, and reach their full potential.
- For instance, if a long-term illness makes it hard for someone to do normal things, it could cause sadness and stress. These feelings could be caused by money worries or trouble getting around.
- It is better to look at “health” as a whole than as a bunch of different things. All kinds of health are connected, and the keys to good health are general well-being and balance.
Things that Should Consider for Good Health
A lot of different things affect your health.
Genes and Traits
Every person is born with different genes. A genetic trend or change that isn’t normal for some people can make their health worse. Some health problems are more likely to happen to people who get genes from their parents.
Environment Factor
Our health is affected by things in our environment. The surroundings can sometimes be enough to hurt health. Sometimes, an environmental trigger can make someone sick who already has a higher genetic chance of getting a certain disease.
Even though having access to health care is important, the WHO says that the following may have a bigger effect on health:
where someone lives, the state of their environment, their genes, their income, their level of education, and their job position
These can be put into the following groups:
The social and economic environment: This can include things like how much money a family or town has, as well as the culture and quality of relationships.
The real environment: This includes the amount of pollution and germs that are in an area.
Personalities and habits: A person’s genes and the decisions they make about their lifestyle can affect their health as a whole.
Some studies show that a person’s socioeconomic class (SES) affects how likely they are to be healthy, have a good education, get a well-paying job, and be able to afford good medical care when they get sick or hurt.
They also say that people with low socioeconomic class are more likely to be stressed out by things that happen in their daily lives, like money problems, problems in their marriages, and losing their jobs.
People with lower social status may also be more likely to be sick because of social factors like being left out and discriminated against.
A low SES often makes it harder to get medical care. There is a study from 2018 in Frontiers in Pharmacology that says people who live in developed countries with universal healthcare have longer life spans than people who live in developed countries without universal healthcare.
The Most Important Signs of Good Health
WHO says that being healthy is more than just not being sick or hurt. It means having full physical, mental, and social well-being. Our bodies are always telling us things about our health. All we have to do is pay attention to them and fix what doesn’t seem right. Given below are some basic signs of good health, along with ideas on how to achieve them:
1. Regular and Restful Sleep Habits
There are many things in modern life that can make it hard to sleep, like not having a regular bedtime pattern getting too much sleep, drinking, or using caffeine.
2. Going to the Toilet Normally
Either going through stools too quickly or too slowly is not normal and could be a sign of stomach problems. It is best to find ways to deal with either of them if they last for a long time.
Here are some signs that you are having a good bowel movement:
- People should empty their stomachs as often as they don’t feel bloated or in pain.
- You poop easily and without having to work. This graph shows what you should see before you flush. It’s called the Bristol Stool Scale.
- Getting about 2 to 4 liters of water every day.
- Fiber, which makes your stools bulkier and helps them move, should be eaten every day in amounts of at least 30 to 40 grams.
- Adding whole grain foods to your diet and eating 5–9 servings of fruits and veggies each day.
- Eating foods that contain probiotics is good for the gut bacteria.
3. Urinary System That Works Well
Our urinary system is very important because it cleans our blood and gets rid of trash, extra water, salt, and toxins (healthy kidneys make “detox diets” unnecessary). Having a healthy urine system keeps our bodies clean and working at their best.
4. Skin that is Healthy and Shiny
Our skin is a barrier that keeps outside things like pollution from hurting us. It needs to be protected all the time in order to do its job well. Another thing it says about our health is that healthy, shiny skin shows that our bodies are healthy and well-fed.
5. Heart health
The heart beats and moves blood around the body so that our organs get the oxygen and chemicals they need to work right. Also, it helps the lungs get the carbon dioxide back so we can breathe it out. When our heart works well, our bodies get the oxygen and nutrients they need through the blood. This gives us the energy to keep up our busy lifestyles. The brain working well.
It goes without saying that a healthy brain is important for having a long and full life. It manages all of our senses, gets and interprets messages all the time, and handles a huge number of thoughts at the same time. Our brain, unlike other systems, is in charge of both our physical and mental health.
6. Very Strong Immune System
Our immune system is what keeps us safe from getting sick or being hurt by other things. When it works right, our immune system finds any possible threats, like viruses, germs, and parasites, and gets rid of them from our body. This is the part of our body that heals wounds, keeps us from getting sick, and keeps infections and foreign things away.
7. Eyes That Are Healthy
We don’t need to talk about how important eyes are or how lucky people are to be able to see. Taking care of your eyes is important if you want to keep your vision clear and avoid getting infections or damage to your eyes over time.
8. Strong bones
Our bones hold our bodies together and keep our important organs from getting hurt. Bones store important things like calcium and phosphorus, and that’s also where our WBCs, RBCs, and blood cells are made. Bones that are strong and work properly are a very clear sign of good health.
These are signs that your bones are healthy:
- It’s easy and comfortable for you to hold on to things.
- It’s easy for you to walk long distances, and your joint doesn’t hurt when you run or jump.
- You can go up and down a flight of stairs without any pain or soreness.
Conclusion
Finally, this thought exercise has changed how I understand the phrase “in good health.” Before, I had never really thought about the term; I just took it for granted. Anyway, I’ve learned that at best, it only works for the time, doesn’t promise anything, might give you a false sense of security, and is just my opinion, whether it’s a professional one or not. So, from now on, I will be careful and only use the term rarely, if at all.