What is Health?

Good health is very important to me. It is a state of being in which a person's physical, mental, and social well-being keep them from illness and disease. In order to have good health, it is important to understand all 5 pillars of health - nutrition, exercise, sleep, stress, and social interaction - and how they work together to help a person carry out normal body functions. I think that nutrition and exercise are the two pillars that I am strongest at. Failure to consume healthy foods and reliance on junk food doesn't allow your body to acquire the nutrition it needs to help you grow and lead a healthy lifestyle, and it increases your chances of growing obese and developing diabetes. Most days, my mom makes dinner at home and makes an effort to use good, fresh ingredients to ensure I have a diet with a balanced amount of protein, vegetables, and carbohydrates. In addition, I've always been a very active child, involved in sports like soccer, tennis, and track and field, and so, I do a lot of exercise. On the other hand, I think the two pillars that I need the most improvement on are stress and sleep. Because I took on a heavy workload junior year and had a lot going on at home, I was constantly stressed out. This also took a toll on my sleeping patterns as I would be awake really late at night and essentially sleepwalk through the rest of the day. I want to learn how to manage my stress better so that I can sleep better, and in turn, maintain all the pillars of health in order to carry on a healthier lifestyle.