Quality of life is “a person’s sense of well-being that stems from satisfaction or dissatisfaction with areas of life that are important to him/her.”
“Wellness is a multidimensional state of being describing the existence of positive health in an individual as exemplified by quality of life and a sense of well-being.” It is a positive concept encompassing maximizing personal potential, promoting individual growth, striving for a better quality of life and achieving homeostasis/equilibrium in against of stress.
From the above, we can see that these three concepts are all closely related to well-being and mutually beneficial. They are significantly influenced by human functioning which impacts their lifestyle behaviors.
Leisure is a key component of wellness. It promotes wellness by providing the context and experiences to satisfy individuals’ needs, to express their lifestyle and enhance the ability to cope with the environment. This can be seen in the physical, social and emotional aspects of health and well-being.
Physical activity has numerous positive physiologic effects such as lowering the risks in premature mortality, heart disease, hypertension, colon cancer and diabetes mellitus. It counteracts the adverse health effects of other lifestyle elements including obesity, cigarette smoking and excess alcohol consumption. It has been shown to decrease secondary complications, such as decubiti and urinary tract infections. Regular participation in physical activity also appears to reduce stress and anxiety, improve mood and enhance ability to perform daily task. In summary, physical activity contributes to health-related quality of life by enhancing psychological well-being and by improving physical functioning in persons.
Leisure also plays a vital role in