Personal Health Mean to You?

¶ … personal health mean to you?

Being in a state of good personal health means having the ability to enjoy the physical and social activities that make life meaningful. It means being able to perform the actions of daily life without pain, strain, or unpleasant effort. It means being fit enough to be able to enjoy exercising, rather than seeing exercise as a chore. It means being able to do more intensive chores, like shoveling out a car from a snowdrift, when necessary. It means being able to fully participate in social activities with my friends that are physical, such as dancing. It means being physically and socially functional.

Describe characteristics of a healthy person (also include what determines a person's health status).

According to the U.S. government's "Healthier U.S." project: a healthy person is defined as being a physically active person. This means engaging in at least 30 to 60 minutes a day of exercise to maintain cardiovascular health, flexibility, and a healthy weight. Being a healthy person also means eating a nutritious diet that has an adequate amount of calories to maintain a healthy weight. It means receiving age-appropriate screenings from medical professionals (such as routine check-ups and dental care) and avoiding risky behaviors like smoking and over-eating. A social life that is emotionally fulfilling is also a key aspect of mental health. Psychological health can affect a person's state of physical health. Having friends committed to a healthy lifestyle can also promote healthy behaviors (Thompson 2009).

Q3: Finally, what is needed to maintain optimal personal health throughout one's lifetime?