Physical Fitness this World Health Day

Dear Diary,

The 7th of April is World Health Day. It is a day declared by the World Health Organization (WHO) so that they can raise awareness for health every year.

Let’s read on to understand this better.

What is World Health Day?

World Health Day is a yearly event that marks the founding of WHO in 1948.

Each year WHO sets a theme to bring attention to the actions required for us to work towards physical fitness and general health. The idea is to create a movement across the planet so people can focus on their well-being.

For 2022, the theme of World Health Day is “Our Planet, Our Health”.

What is health?

Being healthy means being in a state of emotional and physical well-being.

WHO defines health as: a resource where the emphasis is on social and physical capacities.

There are two main types of health:

• Physical health: A person is physically fit when their body functions at its best. Sometimes, we substitute being healthy with being free from diseases. However, functioning at your best is not the same thing as that
• Mental health: A person’s emotional, social, and psychological well-being. It is as important as physical health to maintain a happy and active lifestyle. It is important to note that good mental health doesn’t just mean the absence of depression, anxiety, or other disorders.

Aside from these two categories, other types of health, such as monetary and spiritual health, play a role in our wellbeing.

Importance of physical fitness

Keeping fit is a key component of staying healthy.

Some key advantages of physical fitness are:

• Healthy heart
• Better immune system
• Better mood
• Improved gut health
• Improved memory
• Management of diabetes, cholesterol, and hypertension
• Strong bones and teeth
• Good night’s sleep

Ways to achieve physical fitness:

Taking care of our bodies should be a vital part of our lives.

Luckily, there are many ways to achieve physical fitness. Some of them are:

• Exercise regularly: ideally, be physically active for a least 60 minutes every day.
• Eat a healthy diet: an important part of human growth and development is a healthy diet. Fruits, green vegetables, and protein-rich foods are included in this.
• Maintain a healthy weight: a healthy weight reduces the risk of chronic diseases. Make sure to consult a doctor before you try any diets – they usually do not work, and you might not need to change your weight at all.
• Sleep well: sleep and health have a circular relationship with each other. If one gets affected, the other gets affected too.
• Brush and floss your teeth: poor oral hygiene leads to dental problems and heart issues. For further information, read here.
• Wear sunscreen: sunscreen protects against sunburns, inflammation and redness and lowers the risk of skin cancer.
• Don’t listen to loud music: listening to loud music (especially with earphones or headphones) can damage your eardrums and cause loss of hearing.

Exercises to maintain physical fitness:

In the Covid-19 pandemic, a sedentary lifestyle led to back issues and muscle problems.

Here are some exercises that will help you stay fit:

• Running: helps in building strong bones and muscles and improves cardiovascular health.
• Jump Squats: targets your glutes, quads, hips, and hamstrings. They also give you cardiovascular benefits.
• Planks: encourages a healthy posture and improves body alignment. Planks help build core strength and improve metabolism.
• Crunches: strengthens the core and stretches the lower back muscles.
• Jumping jacks: a total body workout, it works for the heart, lungs, and muscles at the same time.
• Push-ups: strengthen the upper body, the triceps, pectoral muscles, and shoulders. They also help strengthen the core by engaging the abdominal muscles.
• Squats: helps burn calories; when done properly, they reduce the chances of injury to knees and ankles.
• Lunges: increases muscle mass to build strength in your body.
• Walkouts: help in blood flow and stretch our hamstrings, calves, glutes, and lower back.
• Hip Bridges: builds strength in the legs, lower back, and core. It also boosts the stability and overall balance of the body.

In the end, all I would say is,

“A healthy body leads to a healthy mind and a healthy mind leads to a healthy life.”

That’s all I have for now!

I will write to you soon.

Take care.