Unit 2 Health

Health is basically a persons mental, physical, and social well being. In order to truly be healthy one must first understand the pillars of health and how they tie into ones daily life. There are 5 pillars which are, exercise, nutrition, social, stress, and sleep. Only through the correct balance of all these pillars can one be considered a healthy individual.

I consider myself a healthy individual, with one exception, the amount of sleep I get. On average I believe that I get around 5-6 hours of sleep on a regular school day. However, this value can drop depending if I have major projects or tests that I need to prepare for on the following day. There have even been some days where I have been unable to sleep at all. I believe that this not only affects me but all of the students at SHS in some similar way. The only way to truly cope with this lack of sleep is to take naps during the day and carry out better time management skills, that include not procrastinating.

The themes and essential understandings of this unit were, nutrition, exercise, sleep, stress, and social, basically all of the pillars of health. We went into detail for each pillar and how they affect the human body. We also talked about the major hormones at play in our body such as insulin, leptin, glucagon, and cortisol, and how they cause the body to respond and react to different stresses in the environment.

I learned a lot about nutrition and stress during this unit. I learned all about the foods that I should be eating, and the macronutrients, which are carbohydrates, proteins, and lipids. I also learned about all of the unhealthy foods that are out there as well as the healthy ones that I should be eating. I have been able to apply all of this knowledge to my daily life as I have now been changing my diet based on what I have learned.

I still do not fully understand stress and how it impacts the body. I am confused as to what hormones come into play and how they affect the body. I am also confused as to what are the different stages of stress and how they affect the person being stressed.

Next unit I will improve by studying more frequently rather than cramming for tests. I will also improve by applying more of the knowledge that I learn in class to my daily life.

Health goals:
gain ten pounds of muscle by the end of the year
have a 6 pack
be able to run a 5 minute 30 second mile time

Health collage illustrating the different pillars of health
















Food Pyramid




Stages of Stress