Understanding Health: Physical, Emotional, and Social Well-being
The World Health Organisation (WHO) defines health as ‘a state of complete physical, mental, and social well-being and not merely the absence of disease or infirmity’.
Physical Health
Good physical health is linked to fitness – being able to perform effectively the physical tasks involved in life as well as sport. Being physically healthy includes:
- Enjoying being physically active
- Having good balance, coordination, and agility in everyday tasks as well as sport
- Having the strength, stamina, and suppleness required for daily life, work, and play
- Having fewer illnesses, diseases, and injuries
Emotional Health
Emotional – or mental – health is linked to personal well-being – feeling positive about yourself. Being emotionally healthy includes:
- Having self-esteem and self-respect
- Being able to recognise and express feelings
- Being able to manage emotions to suit the situation
- Recognising and managing the factors that affect emotions
- Feeling positive about life (which includes feeling useful and being optimistic about the future)
Social Health
Social health also contributes to well-being – feeling positive about interactions with other people and the wider world. Being socially healthy includes:
- Being able to interact with a range of people and having a sense of belonging
- Having respect, empathy, and tolerance for other people
- Being able to manage emotions to suit the situation
- Recognising and managing the effects of actions on others
- Being aware of rights and responsibilities
Nutrition and Exercise
When to Eat
Before exercise – eat a meal at least two hours before exercise to give the food time to digest; include plenty of complex carbohydrates and fluid for hydration.
During exercise – small but regular drinks; glucose-based sports drinks and easily digestible carbohydrates may be consumed in small quantities if the exercise lasts more than an hour.
After exercise – eat carbohydrates within 15 minutes if possible to restore glycogen levels and drink to replace fluids; carbohydrates and proteins should be eaten at least within an hour of exercise to repair muscles and replenish energy stores.
Carbohydrate Loading
Carbohydrates provide energy. The complex carbohydrates – starches – are stored in the body as glycogen and converted into glucose when the body needs more energy.
Carbohydrate loading is a technique used to increase the stores of glycogen in the muscles before an endurance event. About four days before the event, the performer gradually decreases training levels and increases the amount of carbohydrates eaten. Performers such as distance runners and cyclists, triathletes, and cross-country skiers use this technique.
High-Protein Diets
Protein builds tissue, including muscle. Athletes who want to build up their muscle during strength-training sometimes eat high-protein diets. This includes obvious strength-training athletes, such as weightlifters, but also includes endurance athletes who want to repair or prevent torn muscle. The value of high-protein diets is debatable. Athletes do not need much more protein than other people; protein is difficult to digest, and it does not automatically turn into muscle – the athlete still needs to do strength-training, which is fuelled by carbohydrates.