You might have already seen that we love to speak about health because it’s the central matter we care about and share very much in Pret-a-Train. Indeed, it’s a vast subject that is essential for all of us.
You may want to know more about health, nutrition, sport and well-being. So here in this blog, you are at the right place.
This post will cover what it means to be healthy from all points. And as you might think, being healthy is about being in excellent physical condition. Being healthy and fit covers many things, not just being attractive and feeling well.
At the end of this article, you’ll find ways to be healthy and 5 facts you might not know about health.
So have green tea or any healthy drinks you want. Relax your mind and sit well. Learn new things. And read this complete article on what it means to be healthy.
What does “being healthy” mean?
First, do you know the thing about “being healthy”? We ask you this question because most people associate “being healthy” with “being fit” in the physical sense of the word. But, unfortunately, that’s not exactly right.
So let’s open our old dictionary before going further.
Its dictionary of google defines healthy as “having a physical and mental condition; in good health”. Yes.., that’s the point that some people forget: the mental part of the human being. Other dictionaries say well and strong, or someone enjoys good health.
So, being healthy is having an excellent physical and mental condition and, finally, not having any disease or sickness. It is in an ideal healthy state with body and mind.
So, let’s cover this critical question in detail with the difference between your health’s physical and mental aspects.
Related –> What’s the difference between being fit and being healthy? What you can do to be both By our CEO Romain Gherardi.
The physical aspect:
You probably already know what it means. Being in good physical health means your body is functioning normally. Therefore, you may not have any diseases or problems.
Someone being fit and healthy is in optimal condition, peak performance reunited, strength, flexibility, and cardio. The fit and healthy person needs to exercise or be active, be flexible and have the proper rest that his body requires to function at its best.
Fit and healthy people also need to eat a balanced diet alongside being active. So let’s cover these 2 key points:
Having balanced nutrition:
Having balanced nutrition is very important if you want to be healthier. Consuming various products gives the body the nutrients it needs to create new cells and function daily. Therefore, it is one of the most critical points to do if you want to reach perfect physical health.
Do you know how to eat healthily? We create a guide on this vast topic too that could help you: How to eat healthy – Guide on healthy eating
Doing sports exercises:
Another critical point is to do some sports exercises. Indeed, doing some regular exercise allow, for its part, someone to feel comfortable in his body. Moreover, it reduces diseases such as obesity, diabetes, high blood pressure or osteoporosis.
Therefore, exercising and having balanced nutrition are the most crucial things if you want to be healthy. They help prevent harmful diseases, boost the immune system and feel good hormones.
The benefits of sport on physical health can be divided into four parts: flexibility, physical muscle strength, cardio, and rest. Let’s dig in.
Related –> The Best fitness sports
Flexibility
Flexibility is the physical quality that allows the body to move with the most significant possible amplitude (joint and muscle) and ease. Whether in an active (with dynamic movement) or passive (without dynamic movement) way.
You can be more flexible through stretching exercises, yoga, dance, tai chi, martial arts, and pilates. A great and easy way to be more flexible is to have a stretch morning routine. Just 10-15 minutes a day will improve your flexibility after some time.
Physical muscle strength
Physical muscle strength is the ability of a muscle to exert force against resistance. It refers to anaerobic (the absence of air or free oxygen ) exercise. Therefore, it is necessary to consider maximum strength, lactic resistance and muscular endurance. Doing some exercises increases your full strength, making you healthy and strong.
Physical muscle strength activities include bodyweight, calisthenics (street workout), going to the gym, lifting weights, CrossFit, etc… The goal is to find what suits the individual the most.
Cardio
The third part of physical health is cardio. Cardio refers to aerobic exercise ( requiring the presence of air ) that stimulates and strengthens the heart and lungs. A healthy person might choose to do a cardio sport like football, boxing, swimming, and biking. It could include cardio work at home with HITT, Tabata training, or bodyweight exercises without much rest, which will get you to have short breathing and then hit your cardio.
And, of course, a great and well-known way to do some cardio is running. However, brisk walking can also be very healthy and improve cardio endurance.
Related–> The Best cardio sports
Rest
While not obvious, rest and sleep are critical. It repairs the body tissue and helps muscles and the brain to recover. Having enough rest also helps the body to avoid injuries and soreness. Resting includes breaks between sport session breaks between sets, massages, relaxation and sleep. To be in good health and have enough rest. It’s recommended to sleep 7 to 8 hours. But then, everybody is unique and has different needs.
Nonetheless, everybody needs to have a good sleep to feel healthy.
Moreover, it’s essential to avoid different apparent things such as cigarettes, alcohol and drugs. You are less likely to have an injury or health-related problems when you are healthy.
After being clear on the physical aspect of what means being healthy, let’s see the mental one.
The mental aspect:
Often forgotten by people, the mental aspect is as important as the physical aspect. However, defining it might not be easy because it’s more subjective than his physical ally. Indeed, it refers to the social, emotional and psychological part of someone.
You will have understood mental health is not only about mental or psychiatric disorders such as depression, schizophrenia or paranoia. Indeed, it also includes the concept of mental well-being, which a sense of safety and security can define, the pleasure of living, self-confidence and the realisation of one’s potential.
Being in good mental health helps you to avoid risks of anxiety or depression which could have an impact on your physical, psychological and well-being. By caring for that one, you will reach the full potential of being healthy.
Your mental health can depend on your capacity for different things that we’ll list below:
Feeling safe:
The importance of feeling safe may seem obvious to some but less so to others. Feeling safe will include having a comfortable home when you feel good, work that you’ll feel satisfied with, and a life situation that makes you feel at peace.
The definition and feeling of feeling safe belong uniquely to the individual and play an essential role in having good mental health.
Know how to get up after difficulties:
Well, knowing how to get up after difficulties or set back is an essential part of the mental aspect of health. Some people can’t move on after problems. We all have setbacks or complications, so coping with them is necessary. Doing sport and having a healthy diet could help to feel stronger and help to have a clear vision and more perspective in life. It also reduces stress which can help on that point.
Finding the balance:
Another critical point is finding the balance between work and personal life, having enough time to do your job, and spending blessed time with your family.
Finding the balance between having time for yourself and spending time for others can be challenging. But it can be necessary for many to have time alone and in the community.
A healthy person will find the right balance in his life. For instance, you could wake up 30 minutes or 1 hour before your family to spend time alone, doing meditation, reading or whatsoever you like to do.
Having a purpose:
Having a purpose and giving your life a sense is essential to your mental health. This is a realisation of giving you credit for a crucial healthy life.
This purpose doesn’t need to be so big, but it needs to comble yourself and your life. It needs to make sense to you.
Handling stress and worry:
Stress and anxiety are scourges that can deteriorate the healthy mind. That is why you can avoid this kind of thing by being fit and healthy. Someone healthy knows how to handle stress and worry. Being healthy prevents these triggers to depression and other diseases.
You could feel less stress by following the other aspect of being healthy such as doing physical activity and having healthy food. In addition having good people around, reading books or having a purpose in your life can make you stronger and less stressed and worried.
Having healthy conversations with yourself:
Do you know that how you talk and think about yourself makes you healthy or not?
Correlated to the last point we’ve seen, someone healthy knows how to clear his nasty and negative thinking and talk to himself healthily. What is in your mind and how you speak to yourself might significantly impact your life. Being healthy and in an excellent mental state covers this important point then.
That’s all for the mental aspect of being healthy, which you can see cover quite a lot.
This was what being healthy mean
At that moment, you may wonder, “That’s all very well, but how can I be healthy then?”. So be reassured, keep drinking your healthy drink. We’re getting there.
Best ways to be healthy:
First, as you’ve understood by reading what it means to be healthy, reaching the state of “truly” being healthy is a challenging task. It asks for dedication and work. Also, how to be healthy depends on everyone, and it’s tough to describe. Everybody is unique and has different needs. Your sense of safety and purpose can differ from that of your friends and family. That’s why knowing yourself and what makes you happy is essential. However, we can help you by listing various ideas that could help you daily to be more healthy:
Balanced and various nutrition
That will not surprise you, but it’s important to have balanced nutrition, all the essential nutrients human beings need.
We recommend eating some fruits and vegetables (you already know the famous saying “5 servings per day”)—containing vitamins, minerals and antioxidants.
So, eating balanced is very important to be healthier.
Related –> How to organise and build a healthy meal
Doing some exercise
Doing several exercises is recommended if you want good physical and mental shape.
Don’t be afraid if you don’t like it. You don’t have to spend much time per day. Indeed, studies show that just 10 minutes of exercise makes a difference for your body. In addition, we can find many benefits by moving our bodies, such as lowering cholesterol. Normalising blood pressure, improving bone density and so on…
Doing some exercises is thus very important for your health. Be brave. You can do it! What are 10 minutes a day?
Be rested
Someone must have already told you that you need to rest. So, yes, that is an integral part of your health.
Sleep allows the body to control your brain functioning, keep your heart healthy, keep your immune system working, and control your body temperature and energy use.
Try relaxation techniques such as meditation and yoga if you have sleeping trouble.
Be happy
It seems evident for your mental health, but it can be complex. So let’s give you some advice then.
To be happy, you must enjoy your food and your exercises, and try different things if you don’t currently.
Also, to be happy, you need to be fully well-being. Indeed, you have to be good at your work (find a company that suits you, make your dreams come true) and enjoy your whole life (do what you want!)—living in the present, enjoying the moment that life gives you. Also, you could take some time to reflect and write down what are the things that make you happy and try to do it often. Another thing you could do to be happy and healthy thus will be to be grateful. A gratitude journal will help you reflect on your day and life and realise how lucky you are. There is always something we can be thankful for.
It’s daily work on yourself, and it’s hard to advise you quickly. But be sure, you can, and you will do it!
Related —> Our guide to adopting a healthy lifestyle
I hope you are still sipping your healthy drink. To finish our biopic on what being healthy means, we want to give you a few facts you probably don’t know about health.
Five facts you don’t know about health:
So do you know that:
- A lack of exercise now causes as many deaths as smoking (source)
- Yoga and meditation can boost your cognitive function and lower your stress (source)
- Walking outside – or spending time in green space – can reduce negative thoughts and boost self-esteem (source)
- Chocolate is good for your skin. Its antioxidants improve blood flow and protect against UV damage (source)
- An apple a day does keep the doctor away. Apples can reduce levels of bad cholesterol to keep your heart healthy. (source)
Conclusion:
As you’ve seen, being healthy is a vast topic, including many different ideas. And to be healthy is not just about being physically fit. Indeed, adopting a healthy style and being healthy in its complete sense is long work which takes a lot of work to reach.
It depends on all people, all characters, all thoughts and needs. Being healthy is a lifestyle that some people can do with much motivation and desire. To know how much you’re healthy, you can see if you fill in all the fields we mentioned on the physical and mental aspects. It’s an excellent way to understand what you can try to improve.
Good luck, you will do it, have confidence in yourself! This is a fundamental of all.