Health :
A person's well-being is termed as health. It is about physical, mental, and social well-being not just about being free from diseases and injuries. Health is not what we choose, it is something that we do, eat, prefer, we implement.
Physical health :
Physical health describes a person's physical well-being, his immunity power, free from diseases such as heart attack, asthma, and cancer. It is not just about being free from diseases but also about the fitness of a person.
It can be impacted by the following factors :
Irregular and improper sleep cycle, less intake of nutritional food, not performing any physical activity, carelessness in maintaining hygiene.
Women have to do household work with their office work so they are engaged in a hectic schedule such that they do not have time for themselves which lead to early aging, back pain, migraine, irregular menstrual cycle, and being surrounded by many diseases so it is more important for a woman to take care of her physical health and fitness not just concern about her external beauty.
A famous saying is there which everyone must have heard or read in their life is that
"A healthy mind lies in a healthy body"
If you are not physically healthy then you can't achieve the goal of being mentally healthy.
Components of physical health :
Physical health consists of some of the following components -
Physical activity :
Physical activity helps to strengthen your body, improve body posture and flexibility, and maintain healthy body weight. It also helps in improving the mental conditions of a woman as stress has a deep impact on women
(if you want to read more about stress, you can refer to the article: Stress-Game-Of-Emotion-Or-Game-Of-notion-In-Women-s-Life).
Women are less engaged in physical activity as compared to men so they have more risk of suffering from disease. Physical activity does not require any specific age to perform.
A woman needs to be physically fit in today's time so that she can be able to protect herself in unfair situations.
There is a negative aspect of physical activity too which says that excessive amount of exercise is harmful, it will lead to the risk of injuries, bone weakening, and menstrual abnormalities. Proper and regular physical activity is a key to fitness for women, as it provides long-term benefits.
Nutritional food and balanced diet :
A proper diet with nutrients and vitamins is essential for women to stay healthy. Junk food has high calories and low nutrition so they are not healthy to eat regularly or frequently, so don't get fooled when you see zero percent fat, 100% chemical free, made from wheat so it's healthy on the label of packets.
A proper diet includes green vegetables, fruits, beans, lentils, millet, eggs, and soya products. It's not like our body does not need fats or carbs but it requires an adequate amount. Not all fats are bad for our health, there is a fruit called Avocado which consists of healthy fats.
Calcium, Iron, and omega-3 fatty acids are some important vitamins that a woman needs to consume to prevent herself from aches and help to lower the risk of heart problems.
There are some foods which considered healthy but they aren't like spinach pasta, organic snacks, packed popcorn, and flavored yogurt. Please consult to health specialist before referring to any of the products or items.
Proper Sleep :
Women have a hectic schedule of the day as she has to manage both house and office work and have to take care of their children so it's necessary for them to follow a proper sleep schedule for a healthy lifestyle. An average person requires 7-8 hours of sleep but approximately 60% of women do not get this much amount of sleep. Women report more about insomnia as compared to men.
Good sleep is a must for women to remain healthy both physically and mentally as good sleep provides refreshment and makes your body relax so that you have enough time to boost your energy level.
Women experience bad sleep because of some hormonal changes in their body. When a woman gets pregnant she needs to pee frequently so she has to go to the washroom which affects her sleep. During menstruation, when a woman is in pain or has abdominal cramps that affect her sleep with time this lead to degrade her physical health. So proper sleep is necessary for a woman to remain healthy.
Alcohol and drugs :
Alcohol and drugs if consumed for a long time then they have a high risk of getting sick because women are more sensitive to the consumption of these products as compared to men. Women have to face many difficulties due to the consumption of alcohol and drugs in their menstrual cycle, either have to face irregular cycles, increased cramps, or heavy flow/ light flow.
High consumption of these substances also leads to damage of organs or infection with diseases. Women are biologically different from men so alcohol and drugs affect differently on them. Women have to take care of themselves more when it comes to health.
Techniques of physical health assessment :
Physical health assessments help to find out the issues or problems of the body. Here are four techniques for it :
a) Inspection :
Inspection means to check or look at the body parts of a person. Here the focus is on the shape, size, and movement of parts.
b) Palpation :
Palpation means to feel the body with the fingers or hands to examine the consistency, location, texture, and tenderness of the body organs of a person.
c) Percussion :
Percussion means tapping of body parts with fingers and hands. It produces sound. It helps to examine the absence or presence of fluids and air in body parts or organs.
d) Auscultation :
Auscultation includes listening to the sound of body parts using a stethoscope.
Barriers to attaining the goal of physical health for women :
Gender stereotypes :
It is considered that health is essential for men only because Men are preferred as strong, and masculine while women are preferred as feminine, slim, and trip so if a woman is obese then she has been advised to eat less for weight loss, this instead of providing benefits lead to several harmful effects and weakness.
Lack of money or resources :
If a woman is dependent on her spouse and family then most people do not prefer to think about the physical fitness of women. In many cases, we know that even after working more than men women earn less therefore cost can be a barrier in her way.
Lack of time :
Women do not get time for themselves from their busy schedules so that they can think about their physical health.
Permission requirement :
Women are not allowed to move out without the permission of the head of the family or their parents so sometimes they don't get the opportunity to consult with health specialists or engage in any physical activity.
Pregnancy :
During pregnancy, women need a lot of care and require good health for a safe delivery. Sometimes excess physical activity can lead to miscarriages or even difficulty in conceiving.
Way forward :
A safe environment must be provided for women so that they can largely engage in physical activities.
Women are more comfortable with a woman doctor than with a male doctor so participation of female doctors is a necessity.
Physical health can be achieved by proper and consistent regular efforts but make sure to have them limited because Excess of everything is bad.
A Dynamiclady ~ Anshika Rajput
contact - anshika@dynamiclady.in