Kueterman 1

Ray Kueterman

Professor Loudermilk

ENG 1201

24 March 2019

Relationship Between Physical and Mental Health

How important is health? How willing are people to work on themselves and help create

the longest and happiest life they possibly can? Do we as a society know enough to expand on

our lives? If there is one thing that everyone in the world shares a consideration for, it is health.

Health is probably the most important thing to think about when it comes to most people. Life is

the single most valuable thing in this world, and if there are things that we can do to extend or

improve our lives, then it is very important that we learn more about these things. This is nothing

new, as people have been attempting to find cheats to life and how different aspects of life

coincide with each other. In the past, assumptions were made without many reasons or research

into how health worked and how health could be improved and strengthened. As humans become

more advanced with technology and anatomy, we have become able to understand more

thoroughly how health works and more importantly how to deal with health. The more that

humans know about health the better. It is also not only knowing about health, but knowing how

different aspects of health come into play together. This is a new way of thinking. This is

because correlations between different aspects of health are becoming much more obvious. It is

starting to seem like every aspect of life is connected and all are dependant on one another. This

is where it is beneficial to narrow in on two aspects of health: physical health and mental health.

These two are arguably the most important parts of health in life, and most aspects of life boil

down into one of these two types of health. Physical health and mental health are connected
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closely with how they affect each other with illness, fitness, happiness, and the importance of

taking care of them.

To understand the connection between physical and mental health, it is important to first

understand the two separately. Physical health is what people think of when people talk about

health in general. Physical health is very important to a good life, because you can only live as

long as your body lets you. Because physical health is the most obvious and tangible, this is the

most studied and observed form of health. Physical health has been tracked for centuries, so it is

a pretty well-developed aspect of life. We generally know what is good for the body and what is

bad for the body. Now this doesn’t mean that there is not room for improvement because there is.

We are learning new things about health every day, and we have not yet been able to quench our

thirst for knowledge of our bodies and how to treat them in the best way conceivable. It is not

incorrect to say that physical health is very important to happiness and lifespan. Knowing and

having physical health is vital to taking care of a life. According to HHS Office, “[m]ore than

80% of adults do not meet the guidelines for both aerobic and muscle-strengthening activities,

and more than 80% of adolescents do not do enough aerobic physical activity to meet the

guidelines for youth” (“Facts & Statistics” 1). This is a large quantity of people. This shows that

knowing and practicing good physical health is a relevant topic to most people. This statistic also

helps show that health is a relevant issue, as people are struggling to meet criteria for everyday

fitness. This is a large problem, due to the necessity of a good lifestyle. Our lives revolve around

the ability of our bodies, and if we are able to maintain a healthy life. This just adds a lot of

significance to the fact that most people are not taking the steps toward a fit life. HHS Office

goes on to say, “[l]ess than 5% of adults participate in 30 minutes of physical activity each day”

(“Facts & Statistics” 1). This is just more proof that physical health knowledge needs to be
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expanded and researched more. People are not working on their physical health and they need to

be. The need for good physical health is quite clear, so for so many people to be slacking on this

section of health is astonishing. The facts show that physical health should be a priority via

physical activity. The way that physical health is going to be more understood is through

different mediums, such as through mental health.

It is important to also elaborate on mental health before comparing it to physical health.

Mental health is the lesser known aspect of health. This side of health is more focused on the

brain and personality of a person. Mental health is a new branch of health, so it is slightly more

mysterious than the former. This means that there hasn’t been a long history of mental health

studies. Because of this, there is not as much information on mental health as physical health.

Mental health was a very taboo thing to talk about for the longest time, so nothing was really

done to help this issue. People did not accept this as a real form of health illness, thus people did

not want to find out how it worked or how it impacted people’s lives. This lack of knowledge is

also due to less time to study the mind and the complexity of the mental aspect of health. Funk &

Wagnalls New World Encyclopedia talks about this in their article, “Mental Health,” when they

mention the fact that a fifth of the United States’ adults have some sort of mental disorder, and

around 15% of adults in the U.S. actually get mental health, thus making the assumption that

many do not get treated for their problems (2). This is clearly a big problem. Mental health is a

real thing that really affects everyday life. To not get treated for mental health should be as

concerning as to not get treated for a broken bone or physical ailment. Ignoring mental health

could cause a lot of problems to people and people around them. Although people ignored this

branch, it was clearly wrong to do so, as now it is common knowledge how much mental health

affects happiness of life. People these days are starting to understand how happiness and outlook
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relates to the health of the mind. They continue on, saying, “Based on the commission’s

recommendations, legislation was passed in 1963 authorizing funds for construction of facilities

for community-based treatment centers. The findings of a similar group, the President’s

Commission on Mental Health, in 1978 provided a basis two years later for the passage of a

measure encouraging the development of systems of care. A Report on Mental Health issued in

1999 by the U.S. Surgeon General said that researchers had made significant advances in

scientific knowledge about the mind, brain, and behavior and concluded that for most mental

disorders there existed a range of treatments of documented effectiveness” (“Mental Health” 1).

This was a great new study, showing that there are many ways to deal with mental health and

that people didn’t just have to suffer and just live with their problems. With the growth of

technology, we are now able to actually see how our mind works and what affects it. This is

another huge reason that mental health knowledge is expanding so vastly. Without technology, it

was really only possible to study people’s behavior and see patterns. Now we can see chemically

what is going on in the brain. There are many machines that can look at the brain, and there are

many more scientific ways to see how the brain is working and why people do what they do. We

also tend to look back at evolutionary reasons to help explain why we are the way that we are

today. This is a large part of why we do what we do today, so it is a great tool to understand the

human mind. People are now understanding the relevance of practicing healthy mental habits.

With these newfound discoveries on the brain and mental health, it is becoming a possibility to

understand how mental health works with or against physical health and if the two can be

associated.

One way that these two come into play together is seen through illness. Everybody has

had or probably will go through illnesses in their life. This is clearly a common issue that every
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person experiences. Since this is the case, it is important to know as much as we can about what

causes illness and how to prevent it. Since the beginning of health science, we have known that

illness is clearly in the realm of physical health. We have since then been trying to cure all

illnesses with physical solutions. This is not wrong all of the time, but we are just now realizing

how illness can be affected by and can affect other aspects of life. Many new studies show how

mental health plays a role in causing an illness, the healing of the illness, as well as the

prevention of an illness. Also, it is becoming clear that mental health can be affected by a

physical problem, and vice versa. This is the wrong way to look at this issue. When looking at

ailments of the body, it is very important to consider a very holistic approach to prevention and

healing and the mental component if very important. The Mental Health Foundation addresses

this situation when they state, “There are various ways in which poor mental health has been

shown to be detrimental to physical health. People with the highest levels of self-rated distress

(compared to lowest rates of distress) were 32% more likely to have died from cancer…

Depression has been found to be associated with an increased risk of coronary heart disease”

(“Physical Health and Mental Health” 2). This is very good evidence as to why the two can be

affected by one another. Having mental barriers can clearly cause specific physical ailments.

There are ways that how the brain is doing will affect how the body is doing. It is no longer a

weird and crazy thing to blame physical problems on mental issues. People are starting to realize

that there is a real connection here, but it is important to find where this connection is and how to

utilize it in a better way.

Another way that these two cooperate is through the positive use of the two. As

previously discussed, the connection between mental and physical health is becoming more and

more obvious and is being backed by even more daily. This thought process of including many
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factors is entering mainstream ideology. When looking at the connection between the two, the

correlation could be loosely described as a direct correlation. This means that when one goes up,

the other does as well and vice versa. Because of this, working on just one of these health outlets

can quite possibly create beneficial side effects to other aspects of general health. The Mental

Health Foundation brings this up in “Physical Health and Mental Health,” when they talk about

how physical activity can elevate mental experience, like how just a simple ten minute walk can

greatly improve mental clarity and alertness, according to research (2). This is a very simple step

towards both physical and mental growth and it opens a lot of doors for both. This simple

activity might seem like a workout for the body, but might end up doing more for the brain. So

when looking at positive correlations between mental and physical health there are ways to

actively improve both through the focus of just one. This can be seen through both practices and

exercises. In these ways it is very optimistic to see the correlation between mental and physical

health, as they can be utilized to rebound off of eachother.

Here is a chart showing the correlation of general mental health to physical

fitness(Elahi, Tahereh, and Bigdeli E.MSc).

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Now that it is understood how the two are connected it becomes even more obvious how

important it is to take care of the two. As mentioned above, everybody is involved in the

discussion of health. There are no exceptions. Health has always and will always be relevant and

necessary to study. There are many ways to workout and nourish both halves of health

mentioned, and there are many ways to hurt these halves. It is important to know what to do to

take care of health, either mental or physical. Both mental and physical health should be taken

care of in unison and with each other in mind. Physical health is such an important of life as

previously mentioned and there are plenty of ways to do this. Eating right and taking an hour of

the day to work on the body is a very smart investment of time and worthwhile. This is

something everyone has to worry about so there are infinite opportunities to work on the body.

Going on runs can be very beneficial, as can weight training. When talking about going on runs,

Jim Kueterman says, “I love going on runs. I use it to keep my body in a good condition, and it is

a great time to just clear the mind and think” (Kueterman). Having a healthy diet and exercise to

supplement it can really increase the ability of the body, as well as the general feeling of the

body. The mental aspect is a little newer, but there are just as many ways to focus on helping

improve the mind. As discovered above, a couple minutes out of the day to walk and clear the

mind really helps with mental clarity. There are plenty of mind-testing games and puzzles to

work on. Sudoku and crosswords can be fun and can help keep the brain awake and in good

condition. Schooling or learning in the workplace will also help boost brain function. Treatments

like therapy can really help clearing the mind and fixing mental issues. Talking is a really great

thing to do to help relieve mental clutter. So working on the brain and body is an investment that

could take time and energy, but can be the most rewarding stake of all. Hopefully the research

provided helps convey the necessity of keeping up a healthy body, mind, and life. This extensive
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research is strong enough to show how important the even distribution of care between the two is

and that the two desperately need to be taken care of thoroughly.

Here is a chart showing the summary scores of physical and mental health, and

showing the positive direct correlation(van den Berg, Magdalena M., et al)

So, physical and mental health are two very important aspects of general well-being, both

separately and tied together. Physical health is the most obvious of the two and the most studied.

It is clearly an obvious part of life happiness and longevity. Physical health is what life revolves

around and is a very big part of quality and quantity of life. There are many ways to work on

physical health and there is a lot of information on how it can be improved upon. There is still

new information on physical health every day and can always be understood more. This aspect of
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life is very important and should not go unnoticed. Mental health is a slightly newer and more

unknown part of life. This is a new platform of health so not everything is known but it is clearly

showing to be a very real part of longevity and well-being. Mental health was disregarded for a

long time, but in recent years there has been great effort in learning more about how mental

health works and how it interferes with the rest of life. The stigma on mental health is dissipating

fast and the information on mental health is growing exponentially. Both of these vessels of

health are necessary to understand in order to create and fulfill a long and happy life but the two

are more connected than previously thought. When it comes to illnesses and problems with

health the connection can be quite prevalent. Many chronic problems occur due to an imbalance

in the relationship between mental and physical health. This connection could give off the

impression that the connection between the two is negative, but the answer is quite the opposite.

The correlation between the two is direct, so any help is help to all. Positive upkeep will benefit

both physical and mental health together regardless of which is being worked on. A simple walk

can boost the mind and body, and meditation and therapy can help the body relax and work

better. Because of all of this the point to take care of both equally becomes even more obvious.

The two depend on each other, and so does the quality of life. So working on health, regardless

of the type, is showing to be very necessary and very beneficial if not seen previously. These are

two of if not the two most important factors as to how to preserve life and enjoy life, so the

essentiality of these two is very obvious, especially when p1ut together. In the end, both mental

and physical health should be known and studied intensely and carefully.
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Works Consulted

“Connection Between Mental and Physical Health.” CMHA Ontario,

ontario.cmha.ca/documents/connection-between-mental-and-physical-health/.

Cristina, et al. “Ausência De Estreita Associação Entre Qualidade De Vida e

Capacidade De Exercício Na Hipertensão Arterial Pulmonar.” Arquivos

Brasileiros De Cardiologia, Arquivos Brasileiros De Cardiologia,

http://www.scielo.br/img/revistas/abc/2012nahead/aop07612_ing_f02.jpg.

Elahi, Tahereh, and Bigdeli E.MSc. “Table 3 from The Relationship between

Physical Fitness and Mental Health of the Employees of A Medical Sciences

University - Semantic Scholar.” Table 3 from The Relationship between Physical

Fitness and Mental Health of the Employees of A Medical Sciences University -

Semantic Scholar, 1 Jan. 1970, www.semanticscholar.org/paper/The-

Relationship-between-Physical-Fitness-and-of-of-Elahi-

E.MSc/703632f775f487a0591cfd43d4a92f24db6a8442/figure/1.

Fitness (Perspectives on Physical Health) [Electronic Resource]. Bloomington :

Capstone Press, 2000, 2000. EBSCOhost,

sinclair.ohionet.org:80/login?url=https://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=t

rue&db=cat01128a&AN=scc.b1622057&site=eds-live.

Grimm, Kirsten. “Mental Health Plays a Major Role in Youth.” The Daily

Courier, 26 Apr. 1999, p. 7,

news.google.com/newspapers?id=_rAKAAAAIBAJ&sjid=PE0DAAAAIBAJ&pg

=2722,2967505.
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HHS Office, and Council on Sports. “Facts & Statistics.” HHS.gov, US

Department of Health and Human Services, 26 Jan. 2017,

www.hhs.gov/fitness/resource-center/facts-and-statistics/index.html.

“How Mental Health Affects Physical Health.” Bradley University Online, 19

Dec. 2018, onlinedegrees.bradley.edu/blog/how-mental-health-affects-physical-

health/.

Kueterman, Jim. Personal Interview. 3 March 2019.

Mental Health. [Electronic Resource] : The Basics. New York, N.Y. : Films

Media Group, [2012], 2012. EBSCOhost,

sinclair.ohionet.org:80/login?url=https://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=t

rue&db=cat01128a&AN=scc.b1497781&site=eds-live.

“Mental Health.” Funk & Wagnalls New World Encyclopedia, Jan. 2018, p. 1;

EBSCOhost,

sinclair.ohionet.org:80/login?url=https://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=t

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“Physical Health and Mental Health.” Mental Health Foundation, 27 Aug. 2018,

www.mentalhealth.org.uk/a-to-z/p/physical-health-and-mental-health.

Physical & Health Education Journal. [Electronic Resource]. Ottawa, Ontario :

CAHPERD, 2004-, 2004. EBSCOhost,

sinclair.ohionet.org:80/login?url=https://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=t

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van den Berg, Magdalena M., et al. “Do Physical Activity, Social Cohesion, and

Loneliness Mediate the Association Between Time Spent Visiting Green Space
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and Mental Health?” Environment & Behavior, vol. 51, no. 2, Feb. 2019, pp.

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