Over the last couple of weeks we have been attempting to lay the groundwork for a more robust method of distinguishing what is good.

Last week we zeroed in on a short list of subjects which, we said, could be ‘attributed to “the Good”, insofar as they benefit the ultimate aim’ of human life.

The first subject in this list is the health of the human body, and this is what we will be dealing with in today’s article.

The BIG five.

Research the topic and you will find little variation on what are the most important things when it comes to having a healthy human body. Most lists refer to sleep, water, diet, and physical exercise.

However, while we agree that those are some of the most important factors when it comes to increasing the likelihood of a healthy human body, we think there are a couple more which are rarely mentioned.

So today we are going to go through what we think are the top five factors.

Sleep

We all understand that sleep is important to being healthy, but the degree to which sleep benefits our health might surprise many.

Having sufficient quality sleep is associated with improved health pertaining to things such as:

• Heart and circulatory system
• Respiratory and immune systems
• Hormonal balance
• Metabolism

Physical Activity

Regular exercise improves the human body in numerous ways – some more obvious than others – by reducing the risk of things like:

• Heart disease and stroke
• Obesity
• Diabetes
• Cancers
• Bone disease
• Depression
• Dementia

Diet

This is the fuel we tank up with, and, just like pretty much any other fuel-requiring system, it’s very much the case of “Garbage in, garbage out” and vice-versa.

Our diet, which includes hydration, affects everything about our body – including our ability to sleep and exercise well.

A healthy, balanced, diet positively impacts our:

• Skin, Teeth, Muscles and Bones
• Immune system
• Cardiovascular system
• Digestive system
• Neurological system
• Reproductive system

Unpolluted Air, Water and Soils

This is one of the factors rarely mentioned when the topic of human physical health is brought up. But what good is drinking enough water if the water is polluted? What good is eating fresh, unprocessed foods if the soils are polluted? Why go for a run, or any other kind of outdoor exercise, if the air you are breathing is polluted?

Ensuring that our environment is clean and unpolluted seems to be rather critical to human healthy.

Avoidance of Stress and Anxiety

This is a subtle point when it comes with our physical health. It is true that stress and anxiety are state’s of the mind, and so are things such as happiness, humor, and sexual arousal. And yet all of these mentally-originating states affect our physical self.

When you find something humorous, your face muscles react, and if you were to laugh it would result in a rather immense number of parts of your body reacting physically to what originated as a mere thought.

Stress and anxiety also have an impact on our body, though one that is often less noticeable and less immediate than other mental states.

Commonly cited physical impacts caused by stress and/or anxiety:

• Insomnia
• Indigestion
• Head and/or Muscle aches
• Fatigue
• Irregular breathing and/or heartbeat

Stress vs Anxiety

While both are similar, they are not the same.

Stress is typically caused by something external happening to you which triggers the sense of being under pressure, such as having had a heated discussion with someone, trying to meet your work deadline, or having to deal with too many problems all at once.

Anxiety, on the other hand, is more of a lingering sense of fear or worry that remains even after the initial trigger of stress has come and gone.

For example: Trying to meet your employers deadline might cause you stress, whereas anxiety is that lingering unease you feel even after having met the deadline.

Summary

When it comes to the goal of a healthy human body, we have identified five main subjects which are beneficial, and therefore good.

• Sleep
• Physical activity
• Diet
• Unpolluted Air, Water and Soils
• Avoidance of Stress and Anxiety