Healthy lifestyle

Health is a state of complete physical, mental, and social well-being, and not merely the absence of disease or infirmity, thus a state in which all tissues and organs function properly and not only ensure internal balance but also the ability to adapt to the surrounding conditions - including social ones. The WHO defines health as a state of complete physical, mental, and social well-being, and not merely the absence of disease or infirmity.

Positive health, also known as functional health, can be measured in three ways:

•     Functioning - how our body functions physically and mentally (e.g., ability to cope with life demands or positive attitude towards others).
•     Absence of signs of poor health - absence of disease symptoms.
•     Longevity - length of healthy life and duration of maintaining physical activity.

Health is not just the absence of physical pain and suffering but the actual state of our body and mind in which we can enjoy and make the most of life without hindrance. Adopting a proper diet, regular exercise, living in a healthy environment, changing bad habits, and managing stress effectively can help achieve optimal health.

Definitions of Health

•     WHO - health is a state of complete physical, mental, and social well-being, and not merely the absence of disease or infirmity.
•     R. J. Dubos - health is not only the absence of disease but a combination of positive attributes that enable the use of all creative possibilities and the achievement of strength and happiness.
•     M. Kacprzela - health is not only the absence of disease or ailment but also a good feeling and a degree of adaptation.
•     K. Dąbrowski - mental health is the ability to develop towards comprehensive understanding, experiencing, discovering, and creating increasingly higher hierarchies of reality and values, up to specific individual and social ideals.

Lifestyle

A healthy lifestyle is crucial for our bodies. It gives us health and better well-being. A healthy lifestyle undoubtedly involves exercise, movement, and taking care of a nice figure. However, nowadays we often swing from one extreme to another, either allowing ourselves to gain weight quickly or tormenting ourselves with a diet. We cannot give up eating. Yes, we can limit it, but in a rational and thoughtful way, not just give up meals because we want to lose weight. Such behavior can quickly lead our bodies to exhaustion. We can easily develop anemia because the lack of normal meals reduces the level of hemoglobin and hematocrit, which are the basis for diagnosing this condition. We must remember that a healthy lifestyle also includes proper nutrition.

The Role of Nutrition for the Human Body:

•     Providing the body with the necessary components for cell and tissue construction and rebuilding.
•     Supplying components needed for energy production.
•     Supplying regulatory components for processes occurring in the body.

Most of us derive pleasure from eating. The wealth of available products allows for very healthy eating on the one hand, but on the other hand, it can lead to overweight and obesity. In other words - it's not enough to just eat, you have to nourish yourself! A proper diet should provide an individualized amount of nutrients necessary for energy production and maintaining physiological processes.

Principles of a Healthy Lifestyle:

•     Observing personal hygiene principles.
•     Maintaining a high level of comprehensive physical activity.
•     Proper nutrition.
•     Toughening the body.
•     Maintaining the body's defense mechanisms in constant readiness.
•     Developing stress coping skills.
•     Shaping and strengthening an active attitude, ensuring coping with various life situations.
•     Eliminating addictions.
•     Kindness towards others.

Health Education is defined as the provision of opportunities for learning to facilitate making a previously specified change in behavior. It aims to improve and protect health by stimulating the learning process towards voluntary changes in individual behavior. Health education is a process in which people learn how to take care of their health and the health of the community in which they live.

Objectives of Health Education:

•     Assisting people in making appropriate decisions and choices that support human health and its harmonious development.
•     Helping shape a healthy lifestyle.
•     Assisting in identifying one's own health problems and taking actions to solve health problems.