Maintaining a healthy body

The key to leading and promoting a health life is a balanced diet, exercise and making sensible decisions around pathogens and toxins. (6)  

A balanced diet should consist of a variety of foods including plenty of fruit, vegetables, starchy foods and some protein-rich foods (containing the essential amino acids) such as meat and fish.  It is also important to ensure the intake of all the essential vitamins and minerals especially if your diet of choice is vegetarian or vegan (B12 supplement is required). (7)  It should also be low in fat (especially saturated fat) salt and sugar.  The problems with saturated fatty foods such as fast foods are they increase the amount of cholesterol in the body. (7) Cholesterol is a lipid, mostly made by the liver and is vital for the normal functioning of the body but an excess amount leads to health concerns such as heart conditions, obesity, diabetes and even cancers.(7)  Other fats such as omega 3 (unsaturated fatty acids) are vital for cognitive function and the nervous system, it is instrumental in ensuring a high enough absorption level of fat soluble vitamins A, D, E and K, needed for resistance against infection.(5)  They also promote healthy skin, eyes, heart, and circulation, blood clotting and strong bones.(7)

Exercise is important because even if a person has a balanced diet they may still gain weight.   It is a simple equation of calories in, versus calories out. (3)  Exercise improves the body’s strength and builds muscles, this improves the basal metabolic rate and in turn will increase the amount of calories a body burns when resting. (8)  Exercise also improves heart rate by pumping blood around the body faster; this process improves the circulation and will deter cardiovascular diseases and as the heart is a muscle it is necessary to keep it strong, especially as a person ages.(8)  

Mental health can be improved with exercise because of the endorphins that are released in the brain thus giving a person a positive boost.  In addition, relaxation, emotional well-being, problem solving, and coping with life challenges are essential in maintaining good mental health. (6)

Poor sleep can lead to some health problems as serious as diabetes, heart disease and obesity; also minor ailments are headaches, sore joints, irritable bowel syndrome, constant drowsiness and decreased cognition, so getting enough sleep every night is critical to maintaining a healthy body. (9)

For a person to maintain health it is advised to do things but in moderation, (4) like salt for example, every cell needs it to function but in excess it causes high blood pressure which can lead to heart attacks, strokes and kidney disease. (5)

A toxin which increases the risk of various chronic diseases, such as heart disease or cirrhosis, is alcohol.(11)  It is an addictive psychoactive drug that causes a change in , , , , and .(10)  In moderation can cause minor health conditions like bad breath, insomnia, weight gain and black outs.(11)  If abused heavily can cause psychological problems like depression and can increase violent and abusive behaviour.(10)  Internally it works directly on the central nervous system, impairing brain function and over time, excessive alcohol consumption can destroy brain cells, resulting in various degrees of brain damage. (12)

Smoking cigarettes can cause many problems such as mouth cancer, lung cancer, cardiovascular disease and premature death.(13)  This is due to the poisonous toxins in cigarettes; they include nicotine, tar and carbon monoxide, with nicotine as the addictive ingredient.(10)  Smoking this cocktail of poisons can cause cells in the body to stop working correctly and so lead to an increase in disease and death.(14)  In 2008, smoking caused 83,900 deaths in England alone.(13)  Thankfully the legislation has changed and people may no longer smoke in enclosed public places (as of the 1 July 2007) saving the non smokers from breathing in second hand smoke.(13)

To summarize; the main contributing factors to maintaining a healthy body is a balance of nutrition in relation to energy output.  Also the different choices that a person will make throughout their life can be detrimental to whether they live a healthy lifestyle, so eating a healthy diet and having regular exercise whilst refraining from consuming poisonous toxins like cigarettes and alcohol will help a person to maintain a healthy body.

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References

1. Jenkins M, Human Physiology and Health, 1996, Hodder and Stoughton publishers, ISBN 0340658525
2. DK, 2006 ,Oxford Illustrated Science Encyclopaedia, Dorling Kindersley, ISBN 1405316063
3. Denning Dr W, Edgson V, 2006,  The Diet Doctors Inside and Out, Random house publishing, ISBN 0091910501
4. Ewles L, 2003, Promoting Health A Practical Guide, fifth edition, Elsevier Science publishing, ISBN 0702026638
5. .; , 2003, ABC of Nutrition,  publishing, fourth edition, ISBN 9780727916648
6. Delores C S James, Nutrition and Well-Being A to Z, 2004, Macmillan Reference USA publishing, NewYork, ISBN 9780028657073
7. Shiles E, Shike, Ross, 2006, Modern Nutrition in health and disease, tenth edition, Lippincott Williams &Wilkins publishing, ISBN 0781741335
8. Brown C, (2004), Body Watch, Headline Book Publishing, ISBN 0747209537
9.  L,  S, 2006, The Harvard Medical School Guide to a Good Night's Sleep, first edition, McGraw-Hill Contemporary publishers, ISBN 0071467432
10. Dr Jung J R, 2009, Alcohol, Other Drugs, and Behavior, 2nd edition, Sage Publications, ISBN 1412967643
11. Your Drinking and You fact sheet,  , 27/09/10
12. World Health Organization, Alcohol, , 27/09/10
13. NHS, Smoking (quitting), , 27/09/10
14. World Health Organization, Tobacco, ,Who media centre, 27/09/10