Building The Foundation To Optimal Health

Building The Foundation To Optimal Health.

Most people take their health for granted, until it is taken away. However, being healthy isn’t just about being diseasefree. According to the World Health Organization, it is “a state of complete physical, mental and social well-being, and not merely the absence of disease or infirmity”.[1][2] This state of optimal health is crucial. It enables you to live life to its fullest.

Nature vs. Nurture.

The state of person's health is the product of genetic endowment, age, nutrition, other lifestyle aspects (such as physical activity and smoking habits), social environment (housing conditions, sanitation and hygiene), and social cultural environment such as stress, working conditions and family support.

The heredity factor cannot be changed. Environment and health care services are difficult to change. However, every individual can modify his or her lifestyle. Habitual diet, exercise and stress determine lifestyle. Every individual therefore has tremendous potential to prevent by changing his or her lifestyle. Even small, positive changes can help prevent or delay the onset of diseases.

Four Pillars of Optimal Health.

Optimal health compels you to choose every day to be at your best by selecting the right food and supplements, engaging in exercise and rest and by incorporating healthy habits as well as balance in everything you do.

1. Exercise 
   Would you like to look better, feel better and have more energy? Exercise has its benefits. Regular exercise and movement influences 5' the body so that you feel better. The physiological mechanisms are complex, but ask any person who regularly exercise and he will tell you, “I feel great!" The benefits are many: relaxation, muscle toning, less anxiety and enhanced self—esteem, just to name a few.
   
   
2. 
   
   Positive Mental Attitude
   Mental health allows an individual to negotiate the daily challenges and social interaction of life. A person who is not mentally healthy may become depressed or find it difficult to handle life’s normal stresses. This may be caused by biological and! or lifestyle factors. A positive mental attitude helps us maintain good mental health and is imperative if we desire optimal health.
   
   
   
   
3. 
   
   Daily Rest
   Do you ever have trouble sleeping? If you do, join the 20-40% of adults who share this challenge. Lack of appropriate daily rest not only makes you tired, but can also greatly affect your health. In
   
   
   general, most people require 6-8 hours of sleep at night.
   
   
4. 
   
   Diet
   We need food to live. But have you ever considered how the food you eat affects the quality of your life? I Scientists have identified many of
   
   
   the substances in food that are necessary to keep us well. These include carbohydrate, protein, fat (all these provide energy in the form of calories), vitamins, minerais and fibre. Forty-five nutrients are known to be essential to human health. Some nutrients, like protein 5 and carbohydrate, are needed in
   large amounts. Others, such as 5 trace minerals, are needed only in a very small amount. Good nutrient is needed daily for good health. What exactly is “good nutrient"? it is a combination of things, which includes eating a variety of foods without getting too many calories or too much nutrient.

Eating Right Is Not Always Easy.

Most of us live in a fast~paced environment. There is always something to do, somewhere to go and never enough hours in a day to get it all done. A hectic lifestyle can lead to unhealthy amounts of stress and anxiety, insufficient rest and  improper diet.

A balanced diet is essential to good health. Every diet should include protein, carbohydrate (sugars and starches), fat, vitamins, and minerals. But our on-the-go lifestyle and dietary pattern, which consists mostly of highly processed food without sufficient fruits and vegetables, can stand in the way of our following a proper, nutritious diet. This makes meeting the Recommended Nutrient Intake difficult and makes supplementation even more indispensable.

Optimal health compels you to choose every day to be at

955; Best By se-testing the tone and supplements, engaging in exercise and rest, and by incorporating healthy - habits as well as balance in everything you do.

lead to

Foundation to Optimal Health.

“Most people do not consume an optimal amount of all vitamins by diet alone. Pending strong evidence of effectiveness from randomised trials, it appears prudent for all adults to take vitamin supplements”.[3]

Studies suggesting the regular use of nutritional supplements as beneficial for most people are increasing. So is the number of researchers and health professionals who recognise the importance of supplements in filling the gaps in diets. The fundamental move to building a strong foundation to optimal health is by supplementing your diet with a multivitamin and protein.

Multivitamin

Drs Kathleen M. Fairfield and Robert H. Fletcher of Harvard Medical School and Harvard School of Public Health observed that, "a large proportion of the general population" has less than-optimal intakes of a number of vitamins, exposing them to increased disease risk. Therefore, a multivitamin is a sensible start because it contains a wide range of key nutrients to plug any deficiencies that may exist in your diet.

Protein

Protein is another basic macronutrient that is essential to our everyday life. The building block of every organism, protein is found in every cell, muscle and tissue in our body. Protein is vital to the development of new and repiacement tissue. For example, for wounds to heal after a burn or injury, or hair to grow after a trim. In addition, protein is also needed in the formation

of antibodies and in converting food into energy.

Sources:

[1] Preamble to the Constitution of the World Health Organization as adopted by the International Health   Conference, New York, 19-22 June 1946; signed on 22 July 1947 by the representatives of 61 States (Official Records of the World Health Organization, no.2, p.100); and entered into force on 7 April 1948. 


[2] Constitution of the World Health Organization; Basic Documents, Forty-fifth edition eamon, Supplement, October 2006.


[3] Robert H. Fletcher, MD, MSc., Kathleen M. Fairfield, MD, DrPH. Vitamins for chronic disease prevention in adult. JAMA 2002 (June 19); 287:3127-3129.