Action plan for optimum health and wellness Essay

There are several elements of health and wellness, which include physical, social, environmental, emotional, spiritual, and intellectual. However, the top three elements of health and wellness that need more advocacy in society are physical, emotional, and environmental. Health is a good physical condition, the condition of the body and mind, and the presence of illness (Donatelle, 2011). Physical health is extremely important because exercise, for one, means the ability to have a strong, healthy heart, and good recuperating abilities. Incorporating different kinds of exercise into one’s daily routine will help not only relieve stress but also a variety of other health factors. Emotional health is a serious issue in our society today. Keeping a positive attitude and self- esteem is extremely essential for good health. When one lets certain situations fall to a low, it results in hurt, anger, and even depression, which are key factors of an unhealthy lifestyle. Possessing low emotional health could interfere with motivation to exercise, healthy eating habits, and good communication skills. Environmental health is also priority. Society can do certainly more to improve environmental conditions. This includes not littering, recycling properly, and less air pollution. These key elements ensure a positive clean way to healthy living. Understanding the important roles that nutrition and fitness have as active parts in our lives is a topic that requires additional advocacy. Nutrition and fitness are two key factors that work alongside each other and are critical elements that help maintain optimum health. Concentrations in good nutrition can deliver effective results in preventing the body from acquiring a chronic disease and obesity. Obtaining a chronic disease can have major impacts on a person’s life and requires extreme lifestyle changes. A chronic disease developed from poor nutrition is vital and can lead to many complications, inclu ding death. According to the CDC (2009), nearly one hundred and thirty-three million people live with at least one chronic disease. Consistency with daily exercise and good nutrition will ensure a healthy balance needed for good health and wellness. Without the right nutrition, fitness will not improve the body, and without fitness, nutrition will not have any additional benefits. Fitness is important because it helps fight infections in the body and improves the immune system to help fight infection at a more effective and rapid rate. Fitness is also important because it may give a person a sense of self-confidence. Self-confidence allows a person motivation and pride in who they are. Fitness will help primarily to live a better life in the way he or she thinks, sleeps, and in daily activity performances. It is mandatory to be consistent with eating healthy and staying fit. Great fitness and nutrition are necessities in obtaining optimum health and is achievable by incorporating daily physical activity. Without nutrition and fitness, a person will expose their body to a chronic disease that may eventually cause one’s life. Some of the environmental effects on health that people may be exposed to and be unaware of are in places such as the home and workplace, which can be fatal. Air pollution is one of the most common problems we encounter daily. Mold is another cause of concern with symptoms that range from something as harmless as a cough to a serious condition such as respiratory illness. Lead is one of the most significant and widespread environmental hazards for children. According to the CDC (2013), about 24 million homes in the United States contain deteriorated lead-based paint and elevated levels of lead-contaminated house dust. It is critical to know what environmental health hazards people can be in contact with in order to prevent any damage to our health. Other environmental issues people need awareness on is water contamination and toxic chemicals stored undernea th kitchen cabinets. The drinking water quality has a major influence on public health. Significant attention is required on all chemicals used in the home daily, which can be very harmful to one’s health if people use it inappropriately. It is particularly important to store toxic cleaning supplies appropriately when children are present in the home. In addition, smoking is an environmental health concern that can lead to very serious health problems, which includes the inhalation of secondhand smoke. Awareness of the resources and prevention  tips available is vital for all of these environmental health hazards. Making positive changes to the way the environment is today will ensure a healthier lifestyle. There are different strategies available for preventing chronic diseases such as cancer, diabetes, and cardio-vascular disease. First, one strategy for preventing cancer is maintaining yearly examinations at the physician’s office. It is also important to follow steps in checking oneself, more so, if cancer is hereditary. Proper nutrition is an import ant factor; however, there are specific items that can be included in daily eating habits, which will help in prevention. These items are green leafy vegetables and tomatoes. One should also avoid excessive sunlight and unnecessary x-rays for prevention of skin cancer. Exercising as often as possible to avoid stress is also a key factor for cancer prevention. Eliminating smoking habits and secondhand smoke are vital for prevention of lung cancer. According to the American Lung Association (2013), cigarette smoking is the number one cause of preventable disease and death worldwide. â€Å"Smoking-related diseases claim over 393,000 American lives each year† (American Lung Association, 2013). Diabetes best practices are staying away from drinking liquids that contain high levels of sugar. Walking, running or any type of physical activity at least twice a week is essential for keeping diabetes controlled. Cardiovascular disease is another chronic disease that is responsible for several heart attacks and deaths. Some helpful tips for prevention of cardiovascular disease are exercises such as walking o r running. The heart is a muscle; therefore, it requires physical activity to be healthy. Avoiding some red meats and incorporating healthy breakfast meals like oatmeal are also very helpful. There are several tips one can follow for prevention of cancer, diabetes, and cardiovascular disease. Staying proactive and aware of these issues is necessary to live a healthy life. â€Å"On the whole, the immune system does a remarkable job of defending you against disease-causing microorganisms† (How to boost your immune system, 2013). However, there are different factors that play a role that help attack the immune system, causing defenses to weaken. When germs invade the immune system, this causes one to get sick. Certain illnesses, such as diabetes, and AIDS can cause the immune system to not perform at an optimum level and allow sickness to invade the body more quickly. There are several ways to boost one’s immune system to achieve strong fighting  defenses. Good nutrition, proper vitamins and good exercise are some examples to boost the immune system. â€Å"To function well, it requires balance and harmony† (How to boost your immune system, 2013). Adopting healthy-living strategies is necessary to ensure good health, which means a strong immune system with strong defense fighting capabilities. â€Å"There is still much that researchers do not know about the intricacies and interconnectedness of the immune response† (How to boost your immune system, 2013). According to How to Boost Your Immune System (2013), â€Å"for now there are no scientifically proven direct links between lifestyle and enhanced immune function†. REFERENCES Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. (2009) Chronic Disease Prevention and Health Promotion. The power to prevent, The Call to Control: At a Glance 2009. Retrieved October 28, 2013, from http://www.cdc.gov/chronicdisease/resources/publications/aag/chronic.htm Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. (2013). Get the Lead Out: National Lead Poisoning Prevention Week 2013. Retrieved October 28, 2013, from http://blogs.cdc.gov/yourhealthyourenvironment/2013/10/23/get-the-lead-out-national-lead-poisoning-prevention-week-2013/ Donatelle, R. J. (2011). Health. The Basics, Green Edition. Retrieved from The University ofPhoenix eBook Collection database. How to boost your immune system. (2013). Retrieved October 29, 2013 from http://www.health.harvard.edu/flu resource-center/how-to-boost-your-immune-system.htm Smoking. (2013). Retrieved October 31, 2013 from http://www.lung.org/stop-smoking/about smoking/health-effects/smoking.html