Download Health and Fitness

Health and Fitness
Health is.....
"a state of well-being"
"a state of complete physical, mental and social well-being and not merely the absence of
disease or infirmity"
Physical well-being - You are injury and disease free!
Mental well-being - You do not suffer from metal illness or high levels of stress or
anxiety
Social well-being - You believe you have some purpose in society and have friends. You
have food, clothes and shelter.
You health can be affected by a number of factors. The following acronym can help you
remember them: PLEASED
Personal hygiene - Keeping clean will help you avoid illness
Lifestyle - Your lifestyle is the way you live your life, including activities, your job, rest
time etc. A highly stressed or lazy lifestyle will affect your health!
Emotional health - Work, relationships and friends can all cause you to feel either good,
or bad! Try to avoid too much stress and anxiety
Alcohol / Drugs - Excessive consumption of alcohol and use of illegal drugs can have
negative effects on your physical, emotional and social well-being
Safety - Not being safe and careful, especially in some jobs and sports can cause injuries.
Make sure you use the correct equipment!
Environment - Noisy environments can cause stress and lack of sleep. Polluted
environments can cause health problems
Diet - Having a well-balanced diet helps to keep you healthy by making sure you get all
the nutrients your body needs
Fitness
Fitness can be either general or specific:
General

You are healthy and can perform daily activities without suffering fatigue.

You have: Strength; Speed; Stamina; Suppleness
You also possess:

Cardiovascular endurance - so your muscles get enough Oxygen to work
effectively

Muscular endurance - so your muscles don't get tired easily

Good body composition - You have the right percentage of fat versus muscle
Specific

This is your fitness to play a certain sport at a certain level

You need all of the things above, plus:

Agility

Balance

Coordination

Explosive strength

Fast reactions

Good timing
Some of these factors you can control or improve, others are out of your control. Your
specific fitness is affected by:
Height, Weight and Somatotype: Your body size and shape can impact upon how
suited you are to some sports
Illness and Injury: Either of these can be temporary or permanent in the way they affect
your fitness levels
Psychological Factors: Stress and anxiety involved in work and training can affect our
fitness
Disabilities: Some forms of disability can affect fitness for various activities. However
you can still reach a high level of fitness in some disciplines
Alcohol, Drugs and Smoking: All of these have negative effects on both our general
fitness, specific fitness and overall health
Diet: A good diet is balanced to provide all the nutrients we need to keep fit and healthy
Two very specific forms of fitness are cardiovascular fitness and muscular fitness:
Cardiovascular Fitness: This is the ability of your heart and lungs to keep your working
muscles supplied with Oxygen
Muscular Fitness: When your muscles are strong and can apply a lot of force to push,
pull, lift and throw things.