Limitations & Opportunities

Health truly is an integral part of our lives and influences the quality of it. This article will cover the foundational principles and how we can look at our health as one of the best things to leverage for our success in life.

Health at its core

I’ve always viewed health as your body being at its optimal state, allowing you to live your life to its fullest potential. Of course, we know that the definition of health, as stated by World Health Organization (1948) is ‘a state of complete physical, mental and social well-being and not merely the absence of disease or infirmity’. In both my work and personal life experiences this became increasingly evident over time having witnessed and experienced both the limitations and opportunities health can present.

What influences our health?

The wider determinants of health (the diverse range of social, environmental and economic factors influencing people’s mental and physical health) is something that we all need to continue to keep in our mind and holistically cultivate a life that allows us to live life to its full potential (Public Health England, 2018). There have been countless stories of people who have been able to drastically improve their life just by changing their health and I know we can too.

How can health limit us?

We’ve all been there (and maybe are still there) where we have not been able to accomplish one thing or another due to our physical or mental health not being at the level it should be (Public Health England, 2019). This could be a long-term illness or even the wrong toxic thinking that has been keeping us back in life. We know that unresolved these things limit our lives, but resolved these things can no longer hold us back but rather turned into an opportunity to live a truly healthy, fulfilling life.

How can health propel us?

There have been countless studies that have shown how important it is to take care of our health. Overall, it has been proven to be truly life changing, especially where certain health challenges have been overcome (Total Active Hub, n.d.). There are times when health negatively impacts our cognitive abilities and in turn influences how we view ourselves and the world. For many of us this can turn into a negative spiral of affecting the actions we then take and the outcomes we get in as a result.

Action steps

I encourage you to take some time out to really think and write down (preferably on paper) the things that you feel limited by (physical, mental, environmental, social). Then, write down what the solution to that problem could be. Implement these as part of your daily routine, keeping them as simple and as enjoyable as possible.

Acknowledgement is the first step in our journey to solving our problems and living a healthy optimal life. As you start implementing these changes in your life, I’m sure you will start to see, as I have seen, how much things can change and how important it is to take care of our health and encourage others to do the same.

Thank you for reading!

Written & Edited by Jessica Griffith

MSc Public Health | BSc (Hons) Healthcare Science (Physiological Sciences)

References

1. World Health Organization. (1948) Constitution. Available at: https://www.who.int/about/governance/constitution (Accessed: 14 August 2024).

2. Public Health England. (2018) Health profile for England: Chapter 6 – Wider determinants of health. Available at: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/health-profile-for-england-2018/chapter-6-wider-determinants-of-health (Accessed: 14 August 2024).

3. Public Health England. (2019) Health matters: Health and work. Available at: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/health-matters-health-and-work/health-matters-health-and-work (Accessed: 14 August 2024).

4. Total Active Hub. (n.d.) Benefits of healthy living for optimal well-being. Available at: https://www.totalactivehub.com/blog/benefits-of-healthy-living-for-optimal-well-being (Accessed: 14 August 2024).