4 Aspects of Health in Biggest Loser

PD/H/PE 02/02/2011

Biggest Loser Essay.

Health is defined through four aspects ; Physical, Social, Emotional/Mental and Spiritual. Health has a different meaning for different people, it is considered one of the most important factors in our quality of life. WHO defines health as “ ... a state of complete physical, mental and social well-being and not merely the absence of disease or infirmity.” This is known as a holistic approach. To understand ‘health’ for an individual, you first need to understand the issues related to it.
I have decided to observe the four aspects of health for Romi during an episode of Biggest Loser and discuss the positives and negatives of her lifestyle.
Physical health is someone’s weight, fitness, susceptibility to disease, fitness and degree of energy. This is determined by lifestyle and behaviour, whereas a person’s physical potential is determined by genetics.
A positive of Romi’s physical health is in the first week of Biggest Loser she lost 5.3kg, this proves that Romi has the ability to lose large amounts of weight in short periods of time if she tries and is pushed to do her best.
A negative of Romi’s physical health is her weight. She is 99.3kg and being this large can restrict her from many things as she would lose her energy very quickly. Also being obese is unhealthy, it has cause her to have Polycystic Ovarian Syndrome.
Social health is the ability to interact with others in an independent and a cooperative way. Being healthy socially is a way of achieving good health.
Romi seeking help from ‘The Biggest Loser’ has made her more socially healthy as she has now made new friends who are all trying to achieve the same thing as her and are finding it just as challenging. They will help her morally through the hardship.
Romi’s social health is also negative as she is obviously not confident with her body, making it harder for her to socialise. She is to unhealthy to play sport, so she can’t make friends through team mates.
Mental and emotional health relates to our feelings and emotions. It is being able to express our emotions, adapt to a range of demands and to function productively. It includes: self esteem, self confidence, how people cope with problems and the ability to make decisions.
Romi is affected mentally and emotionally by her health as her husband and her are trying to have a baby but she has Polycystic Ovarian Syndrome which is caused by the lifestyle she leads. Once Romi becomes more healthy physically she will lose this disease and have a higher chance at being able to have a baby. This puts a mental and emotional strain on her as she desperately wants to start a family.
A positive of her mental and emotional health is that Romi has already lost 5.3kg in one week, which would be making her self esteem rise and making her more confident in herself that she can lose the weight.
Spiritual health relates to a sense of purpose and meaning in our life, and to a feeling connected with others and society. Ideals, morals and goals influence spiritual health.
Romi has set a goal for herself; to lose her weight and become a healthy person. She has a reward at the end, a higher chance at having a baby. This has helped her spiritual health as she is setting a goal for herself and has something to work towards.
If Romi fails on Biggest Loser this could affect her negatively as she could become embarrassed and feel disconnected with society because her loss would be seen all over Australia.
Romi has positives and negatives in all four aspects of her health; Physical, Social, Emotional/Mental and Spiritual. Although at the moment the negatives outweigh the positives, as she gets further along in improving her health, more positives will be revealed.