The busier our lives get, the more dependent we become on things that make our lives easier. Unfortunately, time-savers, such as cars, computers and television sets can also encourage us to be less active in addition to disconnecting us from interacting with the ‘natural environment.’

Unlike most attributes, defining physical fitness is not a subjective matter; in fact determining what it means to be physically fit can be a matter of life and death. Some of the physiological characteristics most often characterized as a measure of physical fitness are: Cardiorespiratory endurance, muscular strength and endurance, body composition, flexibility, and mental clarity. These components of physical fitness are primarily influenced by regular physical and mental exercise. Besides the ‘outer’ benefits of physical fitness, regular exercise has been linked to improvements in self-esteem, reduced anxiety and depression, in addition to better endurance, and lowering the risk of heart disease (www.who.int).

It is a great thing to be a fitness “nut” but not so great to be a nutty person obsessed about being fit. Being physically fit is a way of life that is part of an overall healthy lifestyle. However social pressures to be thin or very full figured has distorted the importance of being physically fit. As a result many developed nations and even some developing countries have seen physical and mental disorders such as anorexia and obesity climb to an all time high within their populations.

We all know that when we think of sports the first thing that pops into our mind is the environment…umm well maybe not all of us think that way but some of us definitely should. Cross-culturally participation in sports has had both a positive and negative impact on the environment and our ability to sustain it.

When it comes to engaging the world’s youth through sport the non-profit organization  Right to Play takes top honours. With projects across Africa, Asia, and the Middle East, Right to Play promotes healthy lifestyles, life skills, and even peace using the universal message of sport. The programs hosted by this NGO that garner the most attention for this super energized NGO have been the following: Basic education and child development; health promotion and disease prevention; conflict resolution and peace education; and community development and participation. Street youth, former child soldiers, refugees, and children living with HIV/AIDS have benefited from these programs and by inspiring international sport ambassadors made up of Olympians and famous athletes.

Sexuality is often defined simply in terms of sex, but sexuality encompasses many different aspects of our lives beyond just sex alone. Sexuality is determined in part by our genetics and in part by the social expression of our underlining heredity and interaction with others. Three common ways in which sexuality has been described are in terms of: sexual behavior, sexual orientation, and sexual identity. However sexuality like many other aspects of our lives can be best understood holistically whereby both the internal  and external factors that influence sexuality can be addressed.

The majority of educational resources available on sexuality focus on internal factors such as sexual behavior, sexual identity, and sexual orientation. These factors are important to sexuality given that they are responsible for influencing how we think, feel, and act out our unconscious expressions of sexuality. Although the internal factors related to sexuality are in part genetically determined (also referred to as biological determinism), human beings are rational beings and therefore have the ability to exercise choice in determining whether or not these internal factors get expressed publicly. Moreover, internal factors are not necessarily static and thus can change over time as we age and experience new places, situations, and people.
However what often gets neglected in discussions on sexuality is a dialogue on the diversity of external influences on sexuality. The most well known external influence on sexuality is gender socialization, which occurs in almost all aspects of our community including our family, school, media, and even politics. Some external influences that are less often associated to the development and expression of sexuality are sexual abuse, sexual exploitation, the presence of conflict or war, and spirituality, which could be thought of as both internally and externally influencing.

Of course the two greatest influencing factors on sexuality throughout history have been culture and religion. Culture is one of the central ways human beings define and express themselves including in terms of how we develop sexually. Cross-culturally sexuality means different things, and the expression of sexuality has different restrictions (or none at all) depending on where you go and who you talk to. Generally speaking, culture carries the most weight in sanctioning the expression, suppression, misuse, and even loving gesture of sexuality.
Despite what some people might think religion’s influence over sexuality is not about restrictions instead religion acts as a means by which sexuality can be channeled for the purposes of expression and even celebration. Although different religious doctrines propose a diversity of mandates when it comes to the ways in which sexuality should be channeled, most religions produce specifications on the basis of martial status, sex, and one’s personal spiritual growth.

The World Health Organization defines health as a state of complete physical, mental, and social well-being and not merely the absence of disease or infirmity. Eating right, exercising, and sleeping well play an equal role in the prevention of infections and diseases. However, a good sense of self, a loving support network, and the potential for continued personal growth is also important to our overall wellbeing.

Many of us are not in control of the factors that cause us to become ill whether they be genetic, environmental, or something else entirely. There are many avenues we can take to improving our health, which include the use of traditional and modern medicines when we are ill.

However, most people cannot access or afford proper health care such as healthy sanitation and hygiene, which is necessary to prevent the spread of disease.

Moreover, a large proportion of the global population are disenfranchised because of poverty, geographic location, disability, or social stigma against those who are ill. In addition, sexual health continues to be a highly contentious issue around the world particularly with concern to the method of transmission of some of the world’s deadliest diseases such as HIV/AIDS. Furthermore, one of the most pressing issues in terms of health and wellness is the education, prevention and treatment of HIV/AIDS. The Millennium Development Goals seek to address this issue specifically in Goal 5: Improve maternal health and Goal 6: Combat HIV/AIDS, Malaria and other diseases.

While people of all ages should maintain good health, young people face special challenges as they transition from childhood to adulthood. With the onset of puberty, the body changes to accommodate physical and emotional growth, but it also marks one of the most vulnerable stages in a young person’s life. During this time, females tend to struggle more than males with body image and self-esteem issues which can lead to dangerous eating disorders and even death. On the other hand substance abuse, depression, self-mutilation and suicide have higher incident rates in males than females and if left untreated these health concerns may lead to permanent mental and physical damage.