The Definition of a Healthy Body - Essay Example

Maintaining a healthy body The definition of a healthy body varies from one person to another.The main determinants of a healthy body are the height, weight, age as well as the percentage of fat in a person’s body along with the dietary consumption of a person. A healthy body can hence be defined as the proper body with a normal weight according to the person’s height and age along with proper distribution of fat in the body according to the sex and age of the person. The healthy body ratio can be determined by means of different formulas and calculations which include the body mass index as well as the ratio between the height and the weight along with the body fat ratios. The body fat ratio is also an important factor because with the increasing age, the body fat keeps on increasing and there is also a higher amount of fat present in the body of females as compared to males. The lifestyle choices of a person along with the diet that he consumes as well as proper hydration are also determinants of health. This is because a healthy life style choice which includes proper physical activity and exercises assists in the maintenance of a healthy body (Atlanta, GA: U.S. Dept. of Health and Human Services, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Coordinating Center for Health Promotion, 2008 and Guyton et al 2006). For a healthy body, a person needs to maintain proper health and carry out activities that promote health and hence improve the quality of life as well as increase the life expectancy. The maintenance of a well balanced diet is extremely essential for promoting health. The proper recommendation for a healthy diet is that it should contain 45 to 65% calories from carbohydrates, 20 to 35% from fat and 10 to 35% from proteins. When choosing a healthy diet it is necessary to keep these ranges in mind and preferably the calories from fat should be the minimum recommended amount. A healthy diet is one which includes all the essential foods with the right amount of calories and less fat especially saturated fat because it increases the risk of heart diseases. The consumption of vegetables and fresh fruits is also important because they provide the body with antioxidants, vitamins and fibres and hence assist in making the body systems healthy (Guyton et al 2006). Physical activity is also very important to keep a person healthy. Exercises can be chosen from a wide range which include swimming, walking or playing outdoor games. A routine of at least one hour of physical activity can be very helpful. Apart from this routine exercise, if on some specific day ,the accepted caloric value intake is increased, a person should make sure to increase the time of physical activity and exercise. Research has proved the fact that the maintenance of a healthy body with proper diet and exercise assist in increasing the life expectancy. This is because physical activity and a healthy diet assists in maintaining a proper weight for the person. It also improves the functioning of the cardiovascular system as well as the respiratory system which leads to increased quality of life for a greater number of years and a higher life expectancy (Atlanta, GA: U.S. Dept. of Health and Human Services, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Coordinating Center for Health Promotion, 2008 and Guyton et al 2006). Proper hygiene and cleanliness is also central to the promotion of health because unhygienic conditions serve as reservoirs for diseases via pathogenic microbiological agents. Thus it is necessary to clean oneself as well as the surroundings in which a person lives. Care should be taken during cooking to avoid contamination of food. Oral and dental hygiene is also extremely important. Other factors include proper sleep according to the requirements of a person as well as management of stress (Guyton et al 2006 and Kumar et al 2005). Wrong lifestyle choices can lead to disease conditions and thus for maintaining health, a person should avoid certain things. Lifestyle diseases refer to the diseases caused by the way one lives his life. These diseases are related to environment of the man, if the environment is not a healthy one then the individual tends to have lifestyle diseases. If an individual smokes he will develop lung cancer, coronary diseases and other various diseases. If a person eats more than the needs of his body then he will be counted in the group of obese people. If a worker works in a place where his body is exposed to the radioactive radiations then he will get skin cancer and most probably mutation can occur in his genes which will affect his DNA (Serfontein 2004). The major factors contributing to lifestyle diseases are smoking, dietary excesses, poor nutrition, lack of exercise, working at a place where the radioactive emissions are frequent, less sleep, air and water pollution and excess of alcohol (Gluckman 2008). The lifestyle diseases can be prevented by; Regular exercise, Avoiding alcohol, Avoiding tobacco use, Decreasing pollution, Avoiding high fatty and high salty ingredients in diet, Using green vegetables and fruits excessively in diet (Waldhäusl 2007, Kumar et al 2005 & Kumar 2003). Thus, a healthy body is one with the most appropriate weight according to the height and sex of a person. There are many scientific ways which include calculations to determine whether a person’s body can be considered to be healthy or not. It is necessary to maintain a healthy body and this requires many measures. A healthy diet which includes the right amount of calories and the most nutritious foods is very important. Physical exercise and activities are the next important measure. Proper sleep and hygiene are also very essential. A person should opt for a healthy lifestyle to enhance his quality of life as well as increase his life expectancy. This includes avoiding factors which can harm a person’s health. Smoking and alcohol use should be avoided. A clean environment is to be opted for and saturated fats should also be avoided. A healthy life style and living enhances the functioning of the bodily systems which include the cardiovascular system and the respiratory system and enhances their effectiveness and work output. This leads to proper maintenance of health. Thus a proper lifestyle can assist in promoting health and at the same time it can prevent the occurrence of disease and pathologies. Bibliography: Bottom of FormGluckman, Peter D., and Mark A. Hanson. Mismatch: The Lifestyle Diseases Timebomb. Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2008. Top of Form Guyton, Arthur C, and John E. Hall. Textbook of Medical Physiology. Philadelphia: Elsevier Saunders, 2006. Internet resource. Bottom of Form Kumar, R., and Meenal Kumar. Guide to Prevention of Lifestyle Diseases: Live a Healthy Lifestyle to Fight Diseases. New Delhi: Deep & Deep Publications, 2003.Top of Form Kumar, Vinay, Abul K. Abbas, Nelson Fausto, Stanley L. Robbins, and Ramzi S. Cotran. Robbins and Cotran Pathologic Basis of Disease. Philadelphia: Elsevier Saunders, 2005. Print. Top of Form Physical Activity and Good Nutrition: Essential Elements to Prevent Chronic Diseases and Obesity. Atlanta, GA: U.S. Dept. of Health and Human Services, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Coordinating Center for Health Promotion, 2008. Internet resource. Bottom of Form Bottom of Form Serfontein, Willem. Feel Better, Live Longer: Beating Lifestyle Diseases Before They Start. Cape Town: Tafelberg, 2004. Top of FormWaldhäusl W. "Motivation Needed to Cure Lifestyle Diseases." Nature. 450. 7172 (2007) Read More