How do you define “health”

CHEERS TO YOUR HEALTH

CHEERS TO YOUR HEALTH

The word “health” and its derivaties like “healthy” are loosely thrown around all over the fitness and nutrition industry and media.

But how do YOU define ‘health’

The World Health Organization has a simple definition as follows:

Health is a state of complete physical, mental and social well-being and not merely the absence of disease or infirmity.

Look at that statement for a moment. Can you think of any moment during any day of your life when you could truthfully say that you fit into this criteria?

I’d say all of those things almost never apply to any of us all at once…except perhaps during sex and after about 6-8 alcoholic beverages (with full intentions of having at least 2-3 more drinks after the first 8 rounds are done!)

This seems like an unrealistic criteria to be shooting for per se.

But as you will find with just about everything in life, its all relative.

It seems more realistic that health would have a much more personal and relative definition for each of us.

Health is relative to your age, the health of other people of your gender and age, how ‘healthy’ you were 5 years ago, and even how ‘healthy’ you were 5 days ago.

For example, I currently have tedonitits in my left tricep tendon, its not nearly as bad as it was 6 months ago.

I can lift approximately 70% of the weight I was lifting before I got the tendonitits, but compared to the guys I am working out with I am still strong.

The tendonitis doesn’t really stop me from doing anything in my life (besides lifting heavier weights)

So would I be considered healthy right now?

Could I say that most of my body is healthy besides my left tricep tendon?

In reality you could easily make the case that all areas of science, medicine, human biology, environmental biology, sociology, politics and economics all have an impact on your ‘health’.

Its up to you to define where you draw the line on what health means to you and what you can do about it.

So whats your definition of health?

John

Posted by johnbarban in Uncategorized
Tags: Disease, Health, Healthy |8 Comments

8 Responses to “How do you define “health””

  1. Brad Says:
    June 24th, 2009 at 7:43 pm

    This is a test of the Emergency BS system…

    … this is only a test.

  2. Jorgie Boy Says:
    June 24th, 2009 at 8:29 pm

    It seems that the World Health Organization has a nearly impossible definition of health. If it’s really true that health is relative, then we should each have our own definition of health, specific only to us. Or maybe we should all have some point of reference, some sort of measurable average for our age and gender (otherwise it would be too easy to just say you’re healthy because you feel that way).

  3. carlos Says:
    June 24th, 2009 at 8:57 pm

    This sounds a lot like brad pilon’s post: http://nutritionhelp.blogspot.com/2008/06/what-is-healthy.html

  4. Girlwithnoname (Jackie) Says:
    June 24th, 2009 at 10:34 pm

    Love the new blog. So much so that I added ya to my permanent links page on my blog too… keep ‘em coming John!!!

    Jackie

  5. johnbarban Says:
    June 25th, 2009 at 3:11 am

    @Jorgie Boy
    Jorgie,

    I agree that it all depends on a point of reference, and I would add that it is entirely possible that the point of reference itself maybe also be shifting.

    J

  6. Matt Says:
    June 25th, 2009 at 12:10 pm

    health: The final fronteir. Or maybe just somehting you need to take “take these specail supplements, follow this exact diet, do these specail exercises, say and think as we say you should and whatever you do, ignore your own intuitiion.”

    Yea right!

    Be fit, live free,

    Matt Schifferle
    http://www.Thefitrebel.com

  7. KonstantinMiller Says:
    July 7th, 2009 at 12:55 am

    Hello, can you please post some more information on this topic? I would like to read more.

  8. TheFitNews Says:
    July 10th, 2009 at 3:05 am

    To me, my health refers to my physical and mental well being, in relation to being free of stress and illness.

    To me, being healthy is taking an approach to life where you make choices in your food and lifestyle to achieve a good physical and mental well being.

    To me, health food is food that helps you remove deficiencies and achieve physical well being.

    To me, healthy food is food that helps you achieve your physical goal, be it weight loss, muscle gain or maintenance.

    The definition that I believe the public is throwing around too much is that of “healthy food”. People think that “healthy food” is all about having added vitamins and minerals. Bread with added vitamin D, milk with added calcium, cereals with added iron.. They think these foods are the ones you are supposed to live off because we all know you’re supposed to eat healthy foods to be healthy.

    Now my definition differs a bit. If healthy food is the food that helps you achieve your physical goal and your goal is weight loss, none of those foods are considered healthy. In fact, they are all VERY unhealthy. The opposite of what you should eat if you’re trying to lose weight.

    If your goal is to gain muscle or to maintain your physique while doing daily marathons, these foods are definitely healthy for you, because they have the energy you need to achieve that physical goal.

    A change of perspective is what the public needs.

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