What does it mean to be healthy?

Discussion in 'Off Topic Area' started by AndrewTheAndroid, Mar 13, 2017.

  1. AndrewTheAndroid

    AndrewTheAndroid A hero for fun.

    I think about this a lot lately. Every time I think of reasonable standard of what it means to be healthy I think about examples that could arguably disprove that standard. Many people (if not all) are considered healthy despite some condition that others may not consider healthy. For example I was watching a documentary today about farming sustainability and the people who were living naturally off the land look quite thin. Then there is me on the other end of the weight spectrum. I have a clean bill of health despite being overweight. Does this mean that weight and health are not related well not really because there are many studies that show that both conditions have potential risks.
    Then there is the issue of disease and how that relates to health. Who is healthier, guy with no diseases but can't move off the couch, or the athlete who picked up some unfortunate infections?

    Let's narrow the scope even further to people who physically fit. Other than having sport specific abilities, is it better have more endurance, or mobility or strength? They are all important no doubt, and they are largely connected, but if you were to ask a runner, a yoga guru and a powerlifter which is more important they will give you three different answers.

    What does health mean to you?
     
  2. Fish Of Doom

    Fish Of Doom Will : Mind : Motion Supporter

  3. Giovanni

    Giovanni Well-Known Member Supporter

    i would say two things for me when i look at my own health. i'm also very lucky in that i don't have any severe illnesses or conditions, and my family is generally healthy. i've got some hereditary stuff but who doesn't. i can pretty much work out as much as i want, even at 46.

    i'm not obese any more, and i don't smoke cigarettes any more. i feel like those two things will go a long way in mitigating many risk factors.

    so yes, when i think about "healthy" for giovanni, it's mainly those two things as for an overall impression of where i am at for "health".
     
  4. aikiMac

    aikiMac aikido + boxing = very good Moderator Supporter

    To me they're parts of a common whole. Like, when I travel, if I can't lift my own carry-on bag into the overhead bin (strength), I'm not "healthy." But if I can do that yet can't go on a nice walk (endurance) when I reach my vacation destination, I'm not "healthy" either.

    I can hike the local mountain with the missus, and go boogie-boarding with the kids, and without taking flu shots I don't get the flu more often than the people who do get the shots.
     
  5. YouKnowWho

    YouKnowWho Valued Member

    After work out, if you feel

    - great, you are healthy.
    - tired, you are not.
     
  6. Van Zandt

    Van Zandt Mr. High Kick

    I put mobility right at the top of the list of physical attributes that all healthy humans should possess. I define mobility as the combination of range of motion (how far you can move a joint, which is heavily influenced by strength) and motor control (how well you can do a movement or a technique correctly). Poor mobility is an accurate indicator of impending pathophysiological dysfunction, as most (>98%) musculoskeletal disorders are caused by either short and tight muscles, or moving incorrectly. A lot of time, effort, pain and money could be saved if people were regularly screened for dysfunctional movement patterns rather than relying on common lagging indicators like low back pain or blown knees. Far better to treat the cause before the symptoms arise.
     
  7. David Harrison

    David Harrison MAPper without portfolio

    Amen!

    Imagine what our country would be like if all kids were taught a comprehensive stretching and strengthening routine.

    Playing catch-up is the way of the world though. Better to stay in the mess we find ourselves in than outlay more in the short term to reduce spending in the future... it's the nature of 4 year election cycles :(
     
  8. Kaazham

    Kaazham New Member

    For me, be healthy is a spirit and physic state. Both should be good. The mental is important too. Pay attention to yourself, eat good things make sport to keep form, read books...
     
  9. marjudo

    marjudo New Member

    "Health is a state of complete physical, mental and social well-being and not merely the absence of disease or infirmity."
    I like this sentence. :D
     
    Last edited: Apr 11, 2017
  10. michaeluad

    michaeluad New Member

    The fitness world seems to use the concept Health Related Fitness like a generic fitness principle - interchangeable with others like "Physical Fitness", "Health and Fitness" or simply "Fitness."

    While all of these terms can be included under the broad term Health and Physical Fitness, they individually refer to different aspects - both generic and specific. Unfortunately, references to these and other fitness-related terms are often vague, while consistency in their intended use is meager at best; there is a kind of "generally accepted" use for them, but individuals often rely on own interpretation, and this can lead to confusion. :hat:

    With that said, does Health Related Fitness simply infer fitness by means of good health? Not quite. That is why we need to understand a little more behind these words before digesting the definition.
     
  11. morlock

    morlock New Member

    So, if I feel great after Tuesday training session I was healthy on Tuesday, but by Thursday, when I feel tired after my training session I am not healthy on that day?

    :p
     
  12. YouKnowWho

    YouKnowWho Valued Member

    That's the measurement I have always used on myself. If after work out, I fell

    - great, I know my body is healthy.
    - tired, I know something must be wrong with my body. I may need more rest.

    I may feel lazy before my work out. During my work out, I can feel that my great feeling start to increase. The moment that I feel my great feeling start to drop, I'll stop my exercise right at that moment. If in the beginning of my exercise, I don't see that great feel increase, my body must have some problem. This work for me every single time.
     
    Last edited: May 20, 2017

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