World Health Day – Healthy Beginnings, Hopeful Futures | Physical Wellbeing Blog Post

World Health Day – Healthy Beginnings, Hopeful Futures | Physical Wellbeing Blog Post

On April 7^th, it’s World Health Day. The WHO (World Health Organisation) have run this annual celebration on health topics for people all around the world since 2014. This year, their campaign is titled ‘Healthy beginnings, hopeful futures’. While WHO’s efforts for the next twelve months will focus on maternal and newborn health and long-term wellbeing, this campaign highlights the overall importance of prioritising physical and mental health from a young age for a positive future – something we can all relate to and find personal value in.

Now it’s not to say that it’s ever too late to begin prioritising our mental and physical wellbeing at any age. Our bodies and minds are adaptable and constantly evolving. There are plenty of examples of individuals well into adulthood changing their habits for healthier lifestyles. But it can be harder to deviate from established behaviours and routines as we progress through life, compared with embedding them early on. So, why not do things now to support ourselves and our children for the future? We can invest in our mental and physical pension early on, to reap the rewards down the line.

Healthy children generally grow up to be healthy adults. The effects of consistent exercise, good nutrition, quality sleep, clean air, positive social interactions and moderated screen time, have been highlighted as key factors in the healthy transition between childhood and adulthood. The importance of early years play and physical activity for children in particular has been noted for supporting strong bone density, reduction in obesity risk, as well as increased openness to experience.

Openness to experience means our readiness for change and enthusiasm for new opportunities, which in itself grants us a wealth of health possibilities later in life as we naturally become more limited in mobility. Having greater physical capacity and mental openness can afford us the privileges to maintain consistent movement, cognitive stimulation, relationships and social contact, things which have all been linked to positive health outcomes in later life.

This World Health Day is a great opportunity to consider how we might make a difference to help our future selves, and our children, to be more physically and mentally independent, resilient and generally healthy. We can work towards this by taking positive action now, to help embed healthy habits that can last a lifetime. Here at school, it might be something as simple as trying a new Co-Curricular Club, choosing something different for lunch in the Dining Hall, or connecting to others in our community to boost your long-term wellbeing.

Contact Mr Samra on samra.bs@nottinghamhigh.co.uk for more information.