User talk:Nateofford

Health How are you doing today? What’s up? How’s it going? These are some questions that a person encounters on a daily basis. But I wonder how many people stop to think what these questions are asking. What does health mean? If you ask anyone what they believe health means, the answer will be something along the lines of, “health means not to be sick.”   When someone asks how you are, I am sure that they do not mean to ask how the internal organs are operating at that given moment. So what does this health question mean? To have health means to have wellness in three different areas of life. Physical health, mental and or emotional health, and social health. When these three areas of a person’s life are balanced, they achieve total health. When we look at the society in which we live in, one can see how difficult it can be to obtain these three areas of health. And even more difficult to maintain. In a world that is increasingly fast paced, where it is more important to have a career that keeps you running and grab fast food or some other processed, throw in the microwave meal. In a world of technology that keeps kids on the couch than experiencing the outdoors. Technology that allows people to do their shopping, dating, banking, etc. online, rather than get out into the world and have interactions with people on a daily basis. These are some of the issues that people are up against to try and balance the three areas of health. Because health involves three different aspects of a person’s life, it is important to break down each of the parts. Societal health is having the ability to communicate with others, the ability to make and keep friends, build positive relationships and be comfortable in their surroundings. Mental health means that a person is happy with themselves. These individuals view obstacles in life and new situations as growing and learning opportunities. Physical health is the most observable of the three. The most basic definition would be that the body is physically well. It means that all systems in the body are functioning at their optimal level. These three areas make up a person’s wellness. There are many arguments of the benefit of technology in our lives today. It is obvious that many advances have in fact been an asset to our society in regards to having physical health. People are living longer and can have a higher quality of life than they did even just fifty years ago. Technology has put us in contact with the entire world. Children can communicate with another classroom on the other side of the world. This of course is beneficial but what about the technology that keeps children from playing. This not only hurts their physical health but also their mental and social health. The number one problem that is facing the youth of America today is child obesity. This alone affects all three aspects of a person’s health. This is not to say that adults are exempt from this problem which is predominantly in America. Heart disease, cancer, stroke, the three leading causes of death in the United States are all, for the most part, preventable diseases. It is the diet and the lack of physical activity which gives America the stigma of being a less than healthy society. It is the responsibility of each individual to achieve and maintain their health. It is important for one to realize that each area of health can affect the other. An aspect in physical health can benefit or hinder another aspect of their health. One must be proactive and self-directed when learning about their own health and how to embrace it. Each person is responsible for their own health and to know what their current level of health is in order to make adjustments to their lives in order to do so. So the next time that someone says, “how’s it going?” take a moment to really evaluate yourself and think about these areas of your life in order to answer this question.