Wellness describes a condition where the individual enjoys a stable and fulfilling life through the acts of balancing his integral personality with the environment. An individual is well when he can ascertain and others around can also say that the individual is also acting within the limits of the capacity he has in that surrounding where he resides. It is closely linked to the concept of health defined by the World Health Organization [Wellness, 2009]. Components Different components of wellness exist.
While some describe seven which include emotional, environmental, intellectual, occupational, physical, social and spiritual, others describe eight which include physical, social, emotional, personal, nutritional, spiritual, relationship and financial. The physical component of wellness explores daily tasks, fitness, nutrition, and avoidance of substance abuse. I would like to describe one of the component of wellness, and maintenance of cardiovascular and muscular fitness.
To be physically well is to maintain good shape, avoid gaining too much, adequate sleep and exercise [Physical Wellness, 2009]. Article review The most important part of physical wellness is the cardiovascular system. It involves the heart which is the most important muscle in the human body; it is a cardiac muscle with the capacity to contract on its own accord. It also directs the pool and movement of blood in the body, where blood is the most important fluid in the human body.
The flow of oxygen is made possible by the movement of blood in the body. The article addresses the importance of cardiovascular endurance to wellness. It emphasizes the movement is useful to upgrade heart function. Movement includes walking, regular strolling, jogging. It encourages the reader to measure the improvement by measuring the pulse rate or by using a heart monitor [Health Lessons, 2009]. When the heart is able to pump blood and oxygen to the tissue of the body, it is well. There is a basis for this all-important mechanism.
It includes the ability of the respiratory to obtain oxygen from the environment and the ability of the alveoli of the lungs to pass oxygen to the blood via the ventilation-perfusion mechanism. It also includes the ability to carry oxygen in the blood by the activities of hemoglobin of the red blood cells and then the heart pumps through blood through arteries, arterioles and finally to the blood tissues. During activity, there is increased activity by the heart, and it is therefore able to pump faster.
There is also increased perfusion of the blood as the individual breathes faster. Muscles contract at a much faster speed and the temperature rises due to concomitant increased metabolic rate. This article adequately profiles this mechanism in succinct easy-to-understand language. The advantage of this knowledge is that it helps to realize that activity promotes fitness; living a sedentary lifestyle is not healthy as it predisposes the body to sluggishness, reduced cardiac activity, reduced muscle and blood cell turnover.It also reduced the risk of obesity, heart disease and early sudden death [Health Lessons, 2009].
References
1. Cardiovascular Endurance. Health Lessons Online. Fitness. 2009 http://www. healthlessonsonline. com/cardiovascular-endurance/ 2. Components of Physical wellness. A different set of wellness components http://www. compwellness. com/eJournal/1999/1129. htm 3. Free radicals and tissue damage produced by exercise. Greenberg, Jerrold S. Journal of School Health, v55 n10 p403-06 Dec 1985. 1982 Aug 31