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Overall health involves more than just your family’s physical fitness.

Total Health

Being healthy is about more than just keeping yourself and your family from falling sick. The World Health Organization (WHO) defines ‘health’ as complete physical, mental and social well-being, rather than simply the absence of disease or illness.

So to enjoy overall good health, it’s important to achieve a good balance of all these areas. Once you manage this, you can look forward to more fulfilling family life.

Physical Health

Taking care of your body is important for good health, but not if we only concentrate on one aspect of good health. For example, someone may exercise regularly but also stay up late and skip some meals.

A proper diet and enough sleep enhance your physical health, and help the whole family feel better and more energetic every day.

Nutrition

Good nutrition is about eating a balanced and healthy diet. It ensures your family gets the important nutrients their bodies need for:

  • Stronger immune systems to fight diseases.
  • Reduced likelihood of falling ill.
  • Better physical health.

Your family can strive for healthier bodies by:

  • Eating more fruits and vegetables. Rich in vitamins and minerals, they keep your body healthy and strengthen your immune system. Two servings of fruits and two servings of vegetables every day for everyone is ideal.
  • Reading food labels. They provide nutritional information about the food you’ve chosen.
  • Choosing food products with the Healthier Choice Symbol (HCS). These are generally lower in fat and sodium and higher in dietary fibre and calcium compared to other similar food.

Physical activity

Get active, and the whole family will feel and look better. Physical activity and exercise can help improve your family’s health, not only by lowering the risks of cardiovascular and metabolic diseases; but also by boosting confidence, improving energy levels and concentration, as well as relieving stress and anxiety.

HPB recommends the following physical activity guidelines:

  • Young children (below 7 years) – at least 180 minutes of physical activity of any intensity spread throughout the day in safe environments;
  • Children and youth (7 to 18 years) – at least 60 minutes of moderate to vigorous intensity physical activity every day;
  • Adults (>18 years) – at least 150 minutes of moderate-intensity or 75 minutes of vigorous-intensity physical activity per week.   

Possible activities include brisk walking, swimming, cycling or dancing.
You can find out more about the importance of exercise from HPB Online . Then why not join in a physical activity programme in your area?

Mental Health

mental (Image)A healthy mind complements a healthy body, because diseases and disorders can also affect the mind. Mental health is therefore a very important component of your family’s overall health and well-being.

The absence of mental illnesses or disorders such as depression or schizophrenia does not mean that a person is mentally healthy. The WHO defines good mental health as the state of well-being where an individual can:

  • Cope with the normal stresses of life.
  • Work productively and fruitfully.
  • Realise his or her own potential.
  • Contribute to his or her community.

Positive mental health will greatly improve how your entire household copes with stress, for a more fulfilling and effective life. To achieve this:

  • Learn to relax. Find something you all enjoy doing to soothe anxiety or stress. Go for a massage, listen to music or exercise as a family.
  • Build good, strong relationships with your family and friends. In times of need, turn to them for emotional and psychological support.
  • Build up self-esteem. This will bring the confidence to face problems and overcome life’s challenges. Help the family adopt positive thinking.
  • Read up more on mental health issues from materials available through HPB’s Mental Health Education Programme.

Stay Smoke-free

Being in good health also means not smoking. That means either not picking up the habit or quitting. Smoking is the single most avoidable cause of death. Globally, it has been estimated that smoking kills one person every 10 seconds. It not only causes cancer but is also a major risk factor for coronary heart disease, stroke and chronic obstructive lung disease.

Second-hand smoke, or environmental smoke, is also highly dangerous, so a smoke-free household helps everyone in the family.

Quitting smoking has numerous benefits – physical, emotional and financial. Make the decision to quit smoking today.

So remember

Being healthy does not stop at keeping your family free from disease and illness. It requires taking care of their physical, mental and emotional health too.

There are no limits to how much health your family can achieve. The healthier they are, the better life will be!