Comprehensive Health and Wellbeing Notes

Optimal Health and Wellbeing

Examples of Optimal Health

Physical Health:
  • Absence of illness, disease, or injury.
  • Healthy body weight.
  • Optimal blood pressure.
  • Appropriate levels of fitness.
  • Optimal levels of energy.
  • Physical capacity to perform daily tasks.
  • Well-functioning body, systems, and organs.
Social Health:
  • Ability to manage or adapt to different social situations.
  • Productive relationships with other people.
  • Supportive and well-functioning family.
  • Effective communication with others.
  • Supportive network of friends.
Mental Health:
  • Optimal self-esteem.
  • Positive thought pattern.
  • Low levels of stress and anxiety.
  • Use logical and reasoning to form opinions and make decisions.
  • Ability to think and process information.
  • High levels of confidence.
Emotional Health:
  • Recognize and understand emotional actions and reactions.
  • Effectively express and manage emotional actions and reactions.
  • Have a level of resilience.
  • Experience appropriate emotions in given scenarios.
Spiritual Health:
  • A sense of belonging and connection to the world.
  • Positive meaning, place, and purpose in life.
  • Developed personal values and beliefs.
  • Peace and hope.
  • Acting according to values and beliefs.

Impact of Health Dimensions on Overall Wellbeing

  • Physical Health: Affects the body’s ability to function; poor physical health can lead to fatigue, illness and reduced quality of life.
  • Mental Health: Influences thinking, decision-making, and learning; poor mental health can impair focus, memory, and coping ability.
  • Emotional Health: Impacts how we manage feelings and stress; poor emotional health can lead to mood swings, anxiety, or depression.
  • Social Health: Relates to relationships and social support; poor social health can cause loneliness and reduce resilience.
  • Spiritual Health: Provides meaning, purpose, and values; poor spiritual health can result in a lack of direction and inner conflict.
  • The dimensions interconnect influencing overall wellbeing and imbalance in one dimension can affect the others.

Health Promotion

Definition

  • The process of enabling people to increase control over and improve their health.

Actions

  • Inform people of what they could do to stay healthy.
  • Address the things in the community that influence health and wellbeing the most.

Factors Affecting Youth Health and Wellbeing

Physical Health

  • Impacted by: Vaping, alcohol and other drugs, poor body image, and physical health issues.
  • Effects: Illness, addiction, fatigue, injuries, and long-term health problems.

Social Health

  • Impacted by: Bullying, discrimination, family violence, social media, LGBTQIA+ issues.
  • Effects: Isolation, unhealthy relationships, lack of support, and poor communication skills.

Mental Health

  • Impacted by: School pressure, cost of living stress, AI fears, global conflict, climate anxiety.
  • Effects: Anxiety, depression, low self-esteem, or cognitive overload.

Emotional Health

  • Impacted by: Coping with stress, suicide, bullying/emotional abuse, relationships and sexuality.
  • Effects: Mood swings, poor emotional regulation, and difficulty managing feelings.

Spiritual Health

  • Impacted by: Discrimination, lack of purpose, identity struggles (e.g. sexuality, cultural background).
  • Effects: Confusion, hopelessness, or loss of connection to beliefs and values.

Overall Health

  • Interconnected factors where affecting one dimension influences others.

Steps of Health Promotion

Step 1: Gather Background Information

  • Key Questions:
    • What is the health issue or problem?
    • Why is it a problem?
    • What background information can you find about the problem?
    • What data do you have to support this?

Step 2: Set Clear Objectives

  • Key Questions:
    • What are the objectives of the health promotion campaign and how will you measure this?
    • How will this improve the health and wellbeing of individuals and communities?

Step 3: Building Strong Partnerships

  • Key Questions:
    • Identify different organizations (schools, companies, community groups etc.) or individuals (e.g., influencers, motivational speakers, celebrities etc.).

Step 4: Develop Key Strategies

  • Key Questions:
    • What strategies will you select? Eg. policy, behaviour change programs, education and awareness, screening and early detection programs, technology and apps, incentives and rewards, media campaigns etc.
    • Why did you select these strategies?

Step 5: Communicating

  • Key Questions:
    • Identify the different audiences (e.g., decision-makers, partners, public, media) and decide how to best communicate with them.

Step 6: Develop the Campaign Action Plan

  • Key Questions:
    • What are you going to do to meet each of your key objectives? (Think about the specific strategies you will use).
    • Who is going to be required to make this step happen?
    • What order will these strategies happen in? What is the top priority?
    • What are the milestones which will help you acknowledge your progress?

Step 7: Run the Campaign

Step 8: Celebrate Success

Health Promotion Strategies

  • Policy (includes law changes).
  • Behavior change programs.
  • Education and awareness (school programs).
  • Technology and apps.
  • Incentives and rewards.
  • Media campaigns (social media).

Physical Activity Guidelines

Children and Young People (5-17 years)

Activity:
  • Recommended 60 minutes of moderate to vigorous activity each day.
  • At least 3 days per week, incorporate activities that strengthen muscle and bone in the 60 minutes
Light Physical Activity:
  • Should also do several hours of various light physical activities each day.
Limiting Time Sitting:
  • Limiting helps children grow and develop good habits for life.
  • Long periods can lessen the benefits of being physically active, so it’s important to break these up as often as possible.
Limiting Screen Time:
  • Can have long term impacts on a child’s development.
  • Recommend no more than 2 hours a day (not including when needed for school work).
Ensuring Good Sleep:
  • Essential to healthy growth.
  • Children aged 5-13 years are recommended 9-11 hours (uninterrupted).
  • Young people aged 14-17 years are recommended 8-10 hours (uninterrupted).

Adults

Moderate Intensity Physical Activity:
  • 2.5-5 hours per week of moderate intensity physical activity.
Vigorous Intensity Physical Activity:
  • 1.25-2.5 hours per week.

Factors Affecting Physical Activity

Personal Factors

  • Age
  • Sex/gender
  • Health status
  • Fitness level
  • Motivation
  • Knowledge and understanding
  • Attitudes and beliefs
  • Self-confidence/self-efficacy
  • Enjoyment
  • Perceived barriers (e.g. time, tiredness)
  • Cultural background
  • Socioeconomic status (income, education)
  • Lifestyle habits (e.g. sleep, diet)
  • Past experience with physical activity

Social Factors

  • Family support
  • Peer influence
  • Cultural norms and expectations
  • Social support networks
  • Role models
  • Media and social media influence
  • Community engagement
  • Access to group activities or team sports
  • Social encouragement or pressure
  • Work or school environment and culture

Cultural Factors

  • Cultural beliefs and values
  • Attitudes towards physical activity
  • Traditional gender roles
  • Religious practices and restrictions
  • Dress codes or cultural clothing
  • Language barriers
  • Cultural expectations around body image
  • Perceptions of appropriate activities
  • Family and community priorities
  • Experiences of racism or discrimination

Fitness Components

  • Muscular endurance
  • Muscular power
  • Muscular strength
  • Aerobic power
  • Anaerobic capacity

Definitions

Muscular Endurance
  • The ability of a given muscle to exert force against a load, consistently and repetitively, over a period of time
Muscular Power
  • A great force production over a short period of time
Muscular Strength
  • The ability to exert maximal force in one single contraction
Aerobic Power
  • The ability of the muscles to use oxygen received from the heart and lungs to produce energy
Anaerobic Capacity
  • The ability of the body to produce energy without oxygen during high intensity exercises

Energy Systems

  • Aerobic
  • Anaerobic

Key Characteristics

  • Rate: How fast an energy pathway produces energy for muscular contraction
  • Yield: How much energy is gained from each pathway
  • Duration: How long does the energy system provide a large amount of energy for
  • Peak power: When the energy system is the largest contributor

Anaerobic System

  • Rate: Fast
  • Yield: Low
  • Duration: Short, less than 60 seconds
  • Peak Power: Contributes first, beginning of exercise

Aerobic System

  • Rate: Slow
  • Yield: High
  • Duration: Long, more than 60 seconds
  • Peak Power: Contributes last, after anaerobic energy system

Energy System Interplay

  • Anaerobic contributes most before 1 minute mark
  • Aerobic contributes most after 1 minute mark

FIIT Principle

  • Frequency
  • Intensity
  • Time
  • Type

Frequency

  • Refers to how often an athlete trains

Intensity

  • Refers to how much effort is required to engage in the activity
  • Can be classified as sedentary, light, moderate or vigorous
Talk Test
  • A simple and reliable way to measure intensity
  • Low level: you can talk and sing without puffing at all
  • Moderate intensity activity: you can comfortably talk, but not sing
  • Vigorous intensity: you can’t say more than a few words without gasping for breath
Heart Rate
  • Measured in beats per minute (bpm)
  • Estimate maximum can be calculated by 220−age220 - \text{age}
  • The higher it is, the higher the intensity of the exercise
  • You can also use a percentage (%) of maximum to discuss the intensity of the exercise

Time

  • Refers to the duration of the activity session
  • Sessions should be at least 20 minutes in length for aerobic activities in order to make improvements

Type

  • Refers to the type of exercise or training method you are completing
  • Examples include flexibility, aerobic and strength

Fuels for Exercise (Macronutrients)

  • Carbohydrates
  • Fats
  • Protein

Carbohydrates

  • The main function is to provide fuel for the body
  • Are rich in glucose, which is the preferred fuel for energy in the human body
  • Major food sources include: Vegetables, Rice, Bread, Pasta, Cereals, Fruits (such as oranges, grapes and bananas)
  • Nutritious carbohydrate-rich food plays a key role in fueling and recovery from training sessions, maintaining competition performance levels and supporting decision making

Fats

  • Play a number of roles in the effective functioning of the body
  • The main function is to act as a fuel for energy
  • The richest source of energy, yielding approximately 37 kj37 \text{ kj} per gram
  • The key fuel for light to moderate intensity exercise
  • Major food sources include: Vegetable oils, Nuts, Avocados, Seeds

Protein

  • 1st main function is to build, maintain and repair body cells
  • 2nd main function is to act as a fuel for producing energy
  • If a person does not have enough glucose (from carbohydrates) to use for energy production, it can be used as a secondary source of energy
  • Important for growth
  • Important for muscle repair after exercise
  • Important for recovery of muscle and other tissues
  • Rich animal food sources include: Eggs, Milk, Cheese, Other dairy products (except cream), Beef, Chicken and other poultry, Fish and seafood
  • Rich plant sources include: Soy products (tofu and soy milk), Legumes, Nuts, Wholegrain cereals, Brown rice

Muscle Damage (Microtears)

  • Refers to microscopic tears within the muscle fibers.
  • Your body fixes those tears and makes your muscles stronger.
  • Eating protein and getting rest helps your body do its repair work

Protein for Repairing Damage:

  • It's like the body’s construction crew
  • When you eat it, it gets broken down into smaller parts called amino acids

Micronutrients (Vitamins and Minerals)

  • Protect by unlocking the fuel in foods, providing protection for the immune system, and protecting the body against damage from exercise
Iron
  • A mineral that has many important functions for athletes, including a key role in growth and development
  • Your body cannot produce it, so it's important to include foods that are rich in it in your diet
  • Regular exercise can increase the likelihood of deficiency
  • Athletes are at a greater risk with up to approximately 35% being deficient, compared to the approximately 5% in the general population
    • Athletes at risk:
      • Females because they have increased requirements related to menstrual losses
      • Vegetarian and vegans because dietary intake may be low if the diet is poorly planned, and absorption may be affected
      • Ones training at altitude because of increased red blood cell production
      • Ones in heavy training phases
      • Ones who regularly fail to meet their increased energy needs because of reduced dietary intake of foods that are rich in it
      • Ones with gastrointestinal issues (IBD, Coeliac Disease) because of potential malabsorption
Calcium
  • Key roles:
    • Laying the foundations of your skeleton for life – i.e. your peak bone mineral density which reduces the risk of bone stress injuries (these are common in athletes across many sports)
    • Supporting heart and muscle contractions
    • Supporting your teeth enamel, the hardest tissue in your body, acting as a protective barrier for your teeth
    • Athletes at risk of low calcium:
      • Vegetarian and vegans
      • Ones who avoid dairy foods
      • Ones with milk protein allergies
      • Ones with gastrointestinal issues (IBD, Coeliac Disease)

Food Labels

  • Food labels will tell you:
    • Product name
    • Use by or best before date
    • Brand name
    • Ingredients listen in order from largest to smallest by weight
    • Manufacturer details
    • Directions for use and storage
    • Weight
    • Country where product was manufactured
    • Food additives list
    • Allergy information
    • Nutritional information, e.g., average amount of energy, protein, sugars, and salt
    • Percentage labeling

Nutrition for Athletes

  • As an athlete, you need to eat the right amount to support the demands of training by:
    • Spreading your food intake over regular intervals during the day
    • Fuel for, and recover from training sessions
    • Staying hydrated

Pre-Exercise Nutrition (3-4 hours prior)

  • Food Sources:
    • High carbohydrate because they top up glycogen stores
    • Low fat because it aids digestion
    • Moderate protein because it prevents muscle breakdown
  • Hydration:
    • 500-600ml of water 2-3 hours before and 200-300 ml 15-20 minutes before to ensure optimal plasma volume and thermoregulation

During Exercise Nutrition

  • Food Sources:
    • Carbohydrate sources (30-60g/hour) to replenish blood glucose and spare muscle glycogen, maintaining performance
  • Hydration:
    • 150-250ml of water or sports drink every 15-20 minutes and for sessions longer than 60 minutes, electrolytes/sports drinks are recommended (eg. gatorade, powerade) to replace fluid lost through sweat and provide sodium to assist in fluid retention and prevent hyponatremia

Post-Exercise Nutrition (within 30-60 minutes)

  • Food Sources:
    • Carbohydrate and protein combo (3:1 ratio) because carbohydrates restore glycogen and protein repairs and builds muscles
  • Timing:
    • Is crucial for optimal recovery (“glycogen window”)
  • Hydration:
    • 1.5 x fluid lost during exercise1.5 \text{ x } \text{fluid lost during exercise}
    • Include electrolytes (sodium and potassium) because full rehydration supports recovery, replaces lost fluids, and maintains cellular function
The 4 R’s of Recovery Nutrition
  • Refuel/replenish glycogen stores
  • Rebuild and repair muscles
  • Rehydrate
  • Revitalize with colorful fruits and vegetables
Examples
  • Pre-Exercise: Pasta, Porridge, Toast, Banana
  • During Exercise (for sessions longer than 60 minutes): Sports gels, Fruit, Energy bars
  • Post-Exercise (within 30-60 minutes): Chocolate milk, Sandwich, Shake/smoothie and fruit
  • Recovery Snacks: Cereal with milk, nuts and fruit, Chicken salad wrap/roll, Flavored milk drinks, Muesli bars with high protein yogurt and fruit
  • Recovery Meals: Spaghetti bolognese, Poached eggs, toast, avocado and orange juice, Stir fry chicken, vegetables and rice, Rice bowl with tofu/boiled eggs and colorful vegetables or salad

Importance of Hydration

  • Your body is approximately 60-70% water, playing a number of crucial roles
  • Water is the main component of blood, essential for transporting oxygen and essential nutrients to hard working muscles during exercise
  • Even small reductions in body water can reduce blood volume, limiting nutrient delivery and impairing temperature regulations

Impacts of Dehydration

Mental
  • Reduced concentration
  • Impaired decision making
  • Decreased reaction time
Physical
  • Impaired skill execution
  • Reduced exercise capacity
  • Earlier fatigue
Performance Impairments
  • Impaired ability to control body temperature during exercise
  • Reduced endurance performance
  • Reduced muscular strength
  • Heat cramps
  • Heat exhaustion
  • Heatstroke
  • In severe circumstances, serious medical implications
Signs of Dehydration
  • Thirst
  • Poor concentration
  • Increased perception of effort
  • Reduced urine output
  • Dark urine colour
  • Headaches