As summer draws slowly to a close, and with a certain virus recently making its way to South Africa, we’re all a little more health-conscious than usual.

Even the hedonists out there are adding a vegetable or two to their meals.

The ideal, of course, is optimal health – a term that refers to a “state of complete physical, mental and social wellbeing and not merely the absence of disease or infirmity”, according to The Guardian.

With that definition in mind, let’s look at the factors that you need to consider to achieve this higher state of being.

An article in the American Journal of Health Promotion by Michael O’Donnell, a health care consultant and speaker, explained that optimal health is a balance of five areas. They are emotional, physical, spiritual, intellectual and social health.

According to him, the concept of optimal health focuses on positive mental health and rewarding relationships which are notable areas developed by good nutrition and exercise. Indeed, optimal health is a treasure that all individuals should value and strive to achieve throughout their lifetime.

We can’t tell you how to form better relationships with people, although social media is full of advice:

You should also live, laugh, love, and let your light shine, bla bla bla.

Moving on to the nutrition and exercise side of things.

Physical activity and exercise can improve your health and reduce your risk of developing a number of diseases, like type two diabetes, cancer and cardiovascular disease. Most importantly, physical activity can improve your quality of life and mental wellbeing.

Just make sure you avoid these five common workout mistakes.

As for nutrition, there’s an easy way to get all the necessary nutrients in your diet.

One of the major classes of nutrients that your body needs are micronutrients. Often neglected, micronutrient is a term used to describe essential vitamins and minerals in general. Hundred percent fruit juice contains a range of minerals, vitamins and bioactive compounds, such as phytochemicals, that are important for optimal health.

Vitamins are necessary for energy production, immune system function, blood clotting and other bodily functions. Meanwhile, minerals play an important role in growth, bone health, cell and tissue development, fluid balance, and several other body processes. Since the body cannot produce vitamins and minerals, we must look to appropriate food and drink sources rich in micronutrients to gain the benefits of these elements.

Drinking 100% fruit juice from trusted quality manufacturers like Sir Fruit, daily, is a great way of including these micronutrients or essential nutrients in your diet.

Just one small glass of 100% orange juice provides you with 93 mg of vitamin C, which is more than 100% of the recommended daily dose for both men and women.

If you really want to up the health factor, drink cold-pressed juice. Sir Fruit’s cold-pressed juices don’t use emulsifiers, modified starch, colourants or acacia gum to bind juice. You can tell because they’re always refrigerated and they also separate in the fridge. Yep, juice that separates is actually healthier.

If a whole glass of juice is too much for you to handle, you can always get your daily dose of vitamins by downing a health shot. 

You can find all this and more on the Sir Fruit website, or where good fruit juices are sold.

Good luck with your pursuit of optimal health.

[source:guardian]