Health and Physical fitness

Today I am joined by Raskus Simsonyus who is going to discuss health and physical fitness. Hello and thanks for inviting me. Health is "a state of complete physical, mental, and social well-being and not merely the absence of disease or infirmity", according to the World Health Organization. Physical is (2) about the body. Mental is about (3) how people think and feel. Social talks about (1) how people live with other people. It is about family, work, school, and friends. Contents of todays lecture 1 Aspects of health o 1.1 Physical health o 1.2 Mental health o 1.3 Public health 2 Physical fitness

So, well be looking at different aspects of health. How are you going to start? Physical health Physical fitness refers to good body health, and is the result of (4) regular exercise, proper diet and nutrition, and proper rest for physical recovery. A person who is physically fit will be able to walk or run without getting breathless and they will be able to carry out the activities of everyday living and not need help. How much each person can do will depend on their age and whether they are a man or woman. A physically fit person usually has a normal weight for their height. (5) The relation between their height and weight is called their Body Mass Index. A taller person can be heavier and still be fit. If a person is too heavy or too thin for their height it may affect their health. Right, OK. I guess this isnt the only aspect of health! Whats next? Mental health Mental health refers to a person's emotional and psychological well-being. "A state of emotional and psychological well-being in which an individual is able to use his or her thinking and emotional (feeling) abilities, function in society, and meet the ordinary demands of everyday life." One way to think about mental health is by looking at how well a person functions. (6) Feeling capable and efficient; being able to handle normal levels of stress, have good friends and family, and lead an independent life; and being able to "bounce back," or recover from hardships, are all signs of mental health.

So, physical and mental health are important. Is there a third aspect? Public health Public Health refers to trying to stop a disease that is unhealthy to the community, and does not help in long life or promote your health. This is fixed by organized efforts and choices of society, public and private clubs, communities and individuals. (7) It is about the health of many people, or everybody, rather than one person. Public health stops instead of encouraging a disease through surveillance of cases. To prevent being sick, it is good to do healthy behaviors such as hand washing and vaccination programs. When infectious diseases break out, washing hands may be especially important. Great... I think for the rest of todays discussion you want to focus on an aspect of physical health. What can you tell us about fitness? Physical fitness According to the US Government, the word fitness defies concise definition, but there are a number of areas you should work on to improve your fitness. Most individual fitness training programs concentrate on one or more of these areas. The ultimate goal(s) of the participant dictate the areas of focus. But no program is complete unless it addresses the six fundamentals of fitness training: 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. Cardio Flexibility Strength Muscular endurance Body composition Skill training

(8) Cardiovascular fitness Occasionally called cardiorespiratory fitness, this is the ability of your heart, lungs, and blood vessels to deliver oxygen to your muscles during prolonged physical activity. (10) Flexibility This aspect of fitness training relates to the pain-free range of motion of your joints. If your day-to-day activity including your fitness and skill training is hampered by a lack of flexibility, you risk injury. Flexibility training should include: A general-purpose warm-up that takes joints through a controlled range of motion.

Light dynamic stretching after strength training workouts Gradual progress (12) Strength Strength training can be approached with two goals in mind: to maintain the muscles you already have, or to create additional muscle mass. In either case, the workouts are similar. The major difference is your diet: if you dont gain weight while lifting, you wont add significant muscle mass. Muscular endurance This is a measure of your muscles ability to perform (9) continuously without fatigue. For most of us, this aspect of fitness is probably more important than absolute strength. After all, how often during a typical day do you need to exert maximum effort to move something? Unless youre a refrigerator deliveryman, the answer is: almost never. Body composition Though not directly related to sports performance or quality of life, body composition is nevertheless an important component of fitness. Being overweight increases your risk of suffering heart disease, stroke, certain cancers, sleeping problems, arthritis, gout, and gall-bladder disease. It is important to pay attention to your body composition. (11) Skill training Finally, we all need skill training of one sort or another. Even if youre not a professional sportsperson, you still need to maintain skills like agility, balance, and basic physical competence. Unlike the other five fundamentals of fitness training, skill training is specific in nature. Adapt your skill training to your interests.

Thanks for talking to us today.