Healthy Steem Contest - My Health ------- My Wealth

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Anne Wilson Schaef, an American clinical psychologist and also the author of a great book I’ve read; "When Society Becomes an Addict," wrote in one of her bestsellers, "Good health is not something we can buy. However, it can be an extremely valuable savings account."

These are words that so often remind me that there is so much more to life, and if we don’t look after our health, we will miss out on what it offers.

What is health?

I had to ask my stepson what health means to him, as I was looking for the simplest explanation. His answer was, "It is not to be sick."
In simpler words than this, I could not have explained what health is.

I know that we will all have different ideas about what health is. For me to get to the answer I looked at three things I heard in a talk show, "Spreekkamer" (Consulting Room) not so long ago.

1. The World Health Organization (WHO)

After World War II, countries got together and formed the first global organization for health, the World Health Organization, or WHO, as we referred to it.

The aim: To keep the world safe and healthy.

The mission: To obtain the highest level of health for all.

The definition of health: "A state of complete physical, mental and social well-being and not merely the absence of disease and infirmity." WHO Constitution

2. Ottawa Charter for Health Promotion

The WHO held the first international conference on health promotion in 1986. The Ottawa Charter for Health Promotion was signed and according to this charter, they classify health as follows;

"Health is, therefore, seen as a resource for everyday life, not the objective of living. Health is a positive concept emphasising social and personal resources, as well as physical capacities."Ottawa Charter for Health Promotion

Health now includes education, food, shelter, peace, having a healthy income, social justice, sustainable resources, and equity.

3. The Biomedical definition of health

"Health is the absence of disease." Biomedical model

According to this definition, you must be free of any disease or in the process of having a disease treated to be healthy.

What biomedical does is that it combines bio=biology and medical=medicine not only to understand the meaning of the word health, but also to treat health issues.

For me to answer what health is, I have to agree with my stepson that health is not being sick. As simple as that.

We came up with a wonderful acronym for health.

H: How
E: Earthlings
A: Accomplish
L: Learning
T: The
H: Hat-trick (exercise, eat healthily, and rest)

What makes up good health?

When we talk about health, there are three things we need to keep in mind namely: our physical health, our mental health, and our social health.

Physical health

Physical health is the condition of our bodies, both inside and out. It is how fit we are, and if we have any illnesses, that overall well-being.

Mental health

Mental health is nothing else but the state of your mind. How you cope with life during stressful times, your sleeping pattern, how productive you are, and how you accomplish your tasks or goals.

Social health

These are the resources you have to make you happy. It is those relationships you have with your family and friends.

To keep these three types of health intact and in balance, we need that hat-trick of regular exercise, eating healthy food, and getting enough rest. Combine that with a good lifestyle, happiness, hygiene, family and friends, and it will make up what we understand as good health.

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"Health is Wealth"

"My Body, My Health, My Wealth" is the slogan we are familiar with in South Africa. UNICEF volunteers came up with this slogan after a study was conducted on what the youth ate and how active they were. This was to determine their overall health.

"My health, my wealth." The easiest way for me to explain this is to tell you a story that was told to us when I was in primary school many years ago.

It was in the good old days when we had health workers visiting schools regularly to examine our health. Our eyes, ears, and teeth were checked, and those dreadful injections or vaccinations were handed out.

As we were on the verge of entering the teenage stage, we had a nurse visit the school to lecture us about our health. Till today, I remember the story she told us so well. A story I told my children, and they are telling theirs.

Long, long ago, there was a very rich man. He lived on a beautiful island where there was no shortage. He had the best of everything, the best mansion, the best clothing, the best car, and the best staff. One of these members of staff was his cook. She cooked the most delicious meals, pork belly, roast leg of lamb, sweet pumpkin, crispy baked potatoes, and more. She also baked yummy cakes and desserts. All the rich man wanted to do was eat, eat... and eat... and sleep. He became so lazy and fat from all the food that all he wanted to do was lay in bed eating.

The rich man woke up one morning not feeling well and called his doctor. The doctor gave the rich man medicine to drink. The medicine was of no help. The doctor tried and tried but he just could not improve the health of the rich man.

When he told the rich man that there was nothing more he could do to make him feel better and that no medicine will give him back his health the rich man was very cross and chased the doctor away.

As the doctor was walking home with hanging shoulders, a young and strong looking man from the village asked him what was wrong. He told the young man about the rich man who was not well and that he would die if he didn’t take action. The young man told the doctor that he was willing to help the rich man.

As the doctor would do anything to help his patient so he took the young man to go and speak to the rich man.

Oh man! Was the rich man impressed when he saw the young man as he looked so strong, had a beautiful glow, and his skin and hair looked all healthy. The young man told the rich man that he was willing to help him, but there he had one condition. The rich man would have to walk to his home every day to fetch his treatment.

The very next morning, the rich man started the difficult walk with members of the staff supporting him. As each day went by, the rich man became thinner and fitter. After a year, he was looking as strong as the young man. He had a beautiful glow, and his skin and hair looked healthy. Till today, you will see a healthy rich man walking in the streets of the village to fetch his daily treatment, freshly caught fish, a basket of fresh fruit, vegetables, nuts, and homemade yogurt. And that, my dearest friends, is my understanding of "health is wealth." If you don’t look after your health, you cannot enjoy your wealth!

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