4‧23 WORLD BOOK DAY CREATIVE COMPETITION 2016
Senior Secondary English Category
WONG SIN KING WILLIAM 5C
HEALTHY MIND, HEALTHY BODY, HEALTHY LOVE FOR LIFE
“William wake up! You unhealthy, fat geek, it’s time to have your morning swim!” yelled my mum. I remain lying on my bed and pretend I haven’t heard the call. I hate exercise and I’m not a sporty student so you can imagine how ‘wide’ I am.
However, I know that good health is of major importance, it means everything to some people, and I mean everything. Having a healthy body and a healthy mind can carry a person to his or her peak. In a vice versa view, an unhealthy body and mind can bring a person to their last legs. So, I will take this opportunity to explain the many ways in which sports help build-up a healthy body and mind.
Needless to say, the crux of the problem with obesity lies in a lack of exercise and poor diet. Obesity is one of the signs of an unhealthy lifestyle. In terms of physical health, participating in sport is a gateway to building-up a healthy body. The enormous amount of chemical energy inside your tummy, for example, trans-fats, high blood sugar, and cholesterol, all play a major role in damaging your body.
Sports like swimming, running and dancing are aerobic forms of exercise. These kinds of sports can improve your muscle tone, stamina and your lung capacity, so they are wise choices when trying to combat obesity. The government recommends exercising for a minimum of 30 minutes every day as well as suggesting that the public take part in fun forms of exercise, like the aforementioned, dancing, swimming and running. But why are the HKSAR government giving out advice like this? Moreover, why is the government rapidly spreading this message through the use of mobile advertising, web and mail? It is because taking part in sports is an efficient and effective way of removing extra chemical imbalances from the body, regular exercise contributes to building a healthy body and ignoring troubling pain and disease can be life threatening. Let’s take a look at the American presidents as an example, since the mid-1970s, almost every president has had his own sporting regime which they regularly partook in. Ford swam and skied. Carter jogged every day. Reagan lifted weights in the gym, and George Bush took-up cycling until his knees caused him trouble, and then took up running.
As we can see on T.V. nowadays, American presidents, like Obama, look fit and healthy. Most world leaders are in good physical health, but don’t be fooled into thinking that it’s just to gain a good physique, political reasons are also a major consideration. When we talk about good mental health, many people think about psychology, but what is a healthy mind? Why is it important? What appropriate measures should we take to ensure we don’t have mental health problems? Everyone should have plenty of ‘WH-words’ and question marks in their minds.
According the Maslow’s hierarchy of needs, there are five stages. They are physiological, safety, social, esteem and self-actualization needs. Humans often struggling to identify these needs, especially self-actualization.
Although we have known about the physical benefits of exercise for a long time now, it was only fairly recently that the benefits of exercise for better mental health were realised. Taking part in physical exercise is one of the most effective ways to improve your mental health. Regular exercise can have a profound positive impact on depression, anxiety, ADHD, and more. It also relieves stress, improves memory, helps you sleep better, and boosts your overall mood. And you don’t have to be a fitness fanatic to reap the benefits. Research indicates that even a modest amounts of exercise can make a difference. No matter what your age or fitness level is, you can learn to use exercise as a powerful tool to feel better.
Regular activity is an investment in your mind, body, and soul. When it becomes a habit, it can increase your sense of confidence and make you feel strong and powerful. You’ll feel better about your appearance and, by reaching even small exercise goals, you’ll feel a sense of achievement.
Now for the science……when you exercise, whether it as simple as a walk or as adrenalin inducing as skiing, endorphins rush into action and race throughout the body, creating a feeling of well-being. So, what are endorphins? They’re like magic chemicals that pass along signals from one neuron to the next, playing a key role in the function of the central nervous system, thus producing stimuli in a positive way.
So, if you’re already partaking in physical exercise of some kind, give yourself a pat on the back, because you have already living a meaningful, joyful life both mentally and physically.
I start to lift myself on the bed, stretch my hands towards the ceiling, packed my swimming kit in my rucksack and yelled to the sun “I want to be physically and mentally healthy and also live a meaningful life”.
However, I know that good health is of major importance, it means everything to some people, and I mean everything. Having a healthy body and a healthy mind can carry a person to his or her peak. In a vice versa view, an unhealthy body and mind can bring a person to their last legs. So, I will take this opportunity to explain the many ways in which sports help build-up a healthy body and mind.
Needless to say, the crux of the problem with obesity lies in a lack of exercise and poor diet. Obesity is one of the signs of an unhealthy lifestyle. In terms of physical health, participating in sport is a gateway to building-up a healthy body. The enormous amount of chemical energy inside your tummy, for example, trans-fats, high blood sugar, and cholesterol, all play a major role in damaging your body.
Sports like swimming, running and dancing are aerobic forms of exercise. These kinds of sports can improve your muscle tone, stamina and your lung capacity, so they are wise choices when trying to combat obesity. The government recommends exercising for a minimum of 30 minutes every day as well as suggesting that the public take part in fun forms of exercise, like the aforementioned, dancing, swimming and running. But why are the HKSAR government giving out advice like this? Moreover, why is the government rapidly spreading this message through the use of mobile advertising, web and mail? It is because taking part in sports is an efficient and effective way of removing extra chemical imbalances from the body, regular exercise contributes to building a healthy body and ignoring troubling pain and disease can be life threatening. Let’s take a look at the American presidents as an example, since the mid-1970s, almost every president has had his own sporting regime which they regularly partook in. Ford swam and skied. Carter jogged every day. Reagan lifted weights in the gym, and George Bush took-up cycling until his knees caused him trouble, and then took up running.
As we can see on T.V. nowadays, American presidents, like Obama, look fit and healthy. Most world leaders are in good physical health, but don’t be fooled into thinking that it’s just to gain a good physique, political reasons are also a major consideration. When we talk about good mental health, many people think about psychology, but what is a healthy mind? Why is it important? What appropriate measures should we take to ensure we don’t have mental health problems? Everyone should have plenty of ‘WH-words’ and question marks in their minds.
According the Maslow’s hierarchy of needs, there are five stages. They are physiological, safety, social, esteem and self-actualization needs. Humans often struggling to identify these needs, especially self-actualization.
Although we have known about the physical benefits of exercise for a long time now, it was only fairly recently that the benefits of exercise for better mental health were realised. Taking part in physical exercise is one of the most effective ways to improve your mental health. Regular exercise can have a profound positive impact on depression, anxiety, ADHD, and more. It also relieves stress, improves memory, helps you sleep better, and boosts your overall mood. And you don’t have to be a fitness fanatic to reap the benefits. Research indicates that even a modest amounts of exercise can make a difference. No matter what your age or fitness level is, you can learn to use exercise as a powerful tool to feel better.
Regular activity is an investment in your mind, body, and soul. When it becomes a habit, it can increase your sense of confidence and make you feel strong and powerful. You’ll feel better about your appearance and, by reaching even small exercise goals, you’ll feel a sense of achievement.
Now for the science……when you exercise, whether it as simple as a walk or as adrenalin inducing as skiing, endorphins rush into action and race throughout the body, creating a feeling of well-being. So, what are endorphins? They’re like magic chemicals that pass along signals from one neuron to the next, playing a key role in the function of the central nervous system, thus producing stimuli in a positive way.
So, if you’re already partaking in physical exercise of some kind, give yourself a pat on the back, because you have already living a meaningful, joyful life both mentally and physically.
I start to lift myself on the bed, stretch my hands towards the ceiling, packed my swimming kit in my rucksack and yelled to the sun “I want to be physically and mentally healthy and also live a meaningful life”.