Health, Fitness and Well-being

• Benefits of exercise:

  • By exercising you can improve components of fitness, which benefits your physical health.
  • Aerobic exercise improves your cardiovascular endurance.
  • Exercise can benefit your musculo-skeletal system- muscles and bones get stronger, and joints become more flexible.
  • Exercise helps you to reach and maintain a healthy weight, which reduces strain on your body.
  • Physical activities make you stronger and fitter, so everyday tasks such as climbing the stairs are easier.
• Health- A state of complete physical, mental and social well-being and not merely the absence of disease or illness.
• Fitness- The ability to meet the demands of the environment.
• Wellbeing- A mix of physical, social and mental factors that gives people a sense of being comfortable, healthy and happy.
• Health has three components:

  • Physical health
  • Mental health
  • Social health
• Physical health and wellbeing refers to the idea that all of the body's systems are working well, so you are free from illness and injury. You therefore have the ability to carry out everyday tasks.
• Exercise positively affects physical health and well being as it can:

  • Improve heart function
  • Improve the efficiency of the body systems- cardio vascular system.
  • Reduce the risk of some illness; for example, diabetes.
  • Help to prevent the onset of obesity.
  • Enables you to carry out everyday tasks without getting tired.
  • Provides a feeling that you can comfortably carry out activities and enjoy them
• Mental health and wellbeing is 'a state of wellbeing in which every individual realizes his or her own potential'.
• Taking part in exercise positively affects mental health and wellbeing as it can:

  • Reduce stress levels
  • Release feel-good hormones in the body, such as serotonin
  • Enables a person to control their emotions and work productively.
• Social health and wellbeing refers to the idea that:

  • Basic human needs are being met (food, shelter and clothing)
  • The individual has friendship and support, some value in society and is socially active
  • The individual sufferers little stress in social circumstances
• Exercise can positively impact social health and wellbeing as it can:

  • Provides opportunities to socialise and make friends
  • Encourage co-operation skills
  • Encourages team-working skills
• Improvements in fitness will:

  • Improve your ability to cope with the demands of your environment.
  • Reduce the chances of you suffering injuries
  • Make it easier for you to complete physical work
  • Make you feel more content and happy
• Sedentary Lifestyle- A person's choice to engage in little, or irregular physical activity.
• Potential consequences of choosing a sedentary lifestyle:

  • Gaining weight/ becoming obese
  • Heart disease
  • High blood pressure
  • Diabetes
  • Poor sleep
  • Poor confidence
  • Feeling tired
  • Lack of friends
• Being underweight means having a BMI of below 18.5
• Being a healthy weight means having a BMI between 18.5 and 25.
• Being overweight means having a BMI of 25 or over.
• Being Obese means having a BMI of 30 or over.
• How obesity can cause ill physical health:

  • It contributes to the development of cancer
  • It contributes to heart disease/heart attacks
  • It contributes to an increase in blood pressure
  • It contributes to development of type 2 diabetes
• How obesity can cause ill mental health:

  • It can lead to depression
  • It can cause a loss of confidence
  • It can make the individual feel like they can't contribute to society (wellbeing).
• How obesity can cause ill social health:

  • It can lead to inability to socialise
  • It may make the individual feel unable to leave home
  • It may make the individual conscious of how they look and, therefore, uncomfortable in social situations (wellbeing).
• A balanced diet contains the best ratio of nutrients to match your lifestyle.
• A balanced diet consists of 15-20% protein, 25-30% Fats and 55-60% carbohydrates.
• Carbohydrates are the main source of energy for the body. Carbohydrates are vital for providing energy for your muscles during physical activity.
• Proteins help the body grow and repair itself. They're vital for building and repairing muscles after exercise.
• Fats provides more energy than carbohydrates for low-intensity exercise. They also keep the body warm. However too many saturated fats can cause obesity.
• On average an adult male needs 2500 calories a day, and an adult female needs 2000 calories a day. How much energy you need also depends on how much you use up through daily activities and exercise. Age and height affect this too
• Vitamin and mineral intake comes from foodstuff such as fruit and vegetables. Vitamins and minerals are needed for maintaining the efficient working of the body systems and general health.
• Water is needed in loads of chemical reactions in the body. It's also used in sweat to help you cool down when your body temperature rises through exercise.
• Dehydration will cause:

  • Blood thickening
  • Slower reactions and poor decision-making as your brain needs water to function well
  • Increased body temp, as body can't sweat
  • Muscle fatigue and cramps
• Ectomorphs:

  • Narrow shoulders, hips and chest
  • Not much fat or muscle
  • Long, thin arms
  • Play sports such as: long distance running and tennis
• Endomorphs:

  • Wide hips but relatively narrow shoulders
  • A lot of fat on the body, arms and legs
  • Higher fat content
• Mesomorph:

  • Wide shoulders and relatively narrow hips
  • Muscular body
  • Strong arms and thighs
  • Not much body fat
  • Play sports such as: rugby, weightlifting and gymnastics