Health, Fitness and Well-being – GCSE Physical Education OCR Revision

Understanding Health, Fitness and Well-being

Health is a state of complete physical, mental and social well-being, not merely the absence of disease or infirmity.
Fitness entails being able to perform physical activity. It’s achieved through strength, flexibility, nimbleness and endurance.
Well-being involves feeling content, being stress-free, having self-confidence, and working productively and fruitfully.

Physical benefits include improved cardiovascular and muscular fitness, enhanced bone health, reduced risk of chronic diseases like heart disease and diabetes, and effective weight management.
Psychological benefits span from improved mood and reduced anxiety to better concentration and sharper memory.
Social benefits encompass getting opportunities to meet people, fight loneliness, and enjoy shared experiences.

Lifestyle choices, such as balanced diet, regular exercise, and abstaining from tobacco and excessive alcohol, influence fitness and general health condition.
Inherited characteristics, like body frame and genetic disorders, can impact a person’s health and fitness level.
Environment has a profound effect as well, with factors like pollution, access to fitness facilities, quality of housing and sanitation all playing a role.

Cardiorespiratory endurance refers to the fitness of your heart, blood vessels, and lungs.
Muscular strength is the capability of a muscle to exert force for a short term.
Muscular endurance is the ability of your muscles to do repeated movements over time.
Flexibility denotes the ability of your joints, ligaments and muscles to move in their full range of motion.
Body composition is the proportion of fat and non-fat mass in your body.

Balanced diet provides necessary nutrients, aiding growth, repair of the body and keeps the body functioning optimally.
An appropriate mix of carbohydrates, proteins, fat, vitamins, minerals and fibre is crucial.
Hydration is essential during exercise to replace water lost through sweating.
Regular exercise strengthens muscles, improves heart health, improves mental health and reduces risk of several diseases.

Common diseases like heart disease, stroke, cancer can be prevented with regular exercise and healthy eating.
Injury can be associated with overtraining and lack of rest.
Warm ups and cool downs before and after workouts can help prevent injury.

Adherence to an individualized training program often results in improved fitness.
Allowance for adequate rest and recovery is necessary for the body to repair and strengthen itself.
Unwanted effects like overtraining and burnout can be avoided with the right balance of training and rest.

Performance enhancing drugs, or doping, go against the spirit of sport and have severe health risks.
Common forms of doping include anabolic steroids, blood doping, and stimulants.
Anti-doping organizations and testing exist to keep sports clean and fair.