Happy and healthy

   ‘Health Score is Your Health Index 

   'Health’ is said to be one of those top 10 things money can’t buy. While
many disagree with this, it is a fact that part of our earned wages must be spent towards acquiring better health. Whether health should be your wealth or wealth should be your health, keeping this gospel aside for a while, spare a few seconds to go through the following questionnaire. Your score in this self-survey will best indicate the status of your present health, no matter what your height, weight or BMI be. The stock market index tells us about the health of the stock market, similarly, this health score is a health index which will you how sound your health is and will remain.

   If your answer is a-, be satisfied with 1 mark; if your answer is b-, settle down for 2, if it is c-, credit yourself with 3; if you land on d-, chalk up with 4 and if you are e- candidate, rejoice with an imposing 5. Enter your marks in the text-box which appears at the end of each question. Your final health score will appear at the end.

   Calculate Your Health Score

1. How many times do you need to eat during 24 hours?   
    a. There is no count, I eat as often as I wish (1 mark: enter in the box above)
    b. 5-6 times (2 marks)
    c. 3-4 times (3 marks)
    d. Twice, strictly (4 marks)
    e. Once is enough, I don’t feel any weakness (5 marks)

*Enter only numerical 1,2,3... in the box and not alphabets a,b,c,d

2. The type of food which forms the major portion of your diet is-  
    a. Processed, packed, canned, bottled and stored food, mainly (1 mark)
    b. Fried and fat-rich food, non-veg food and bakery items mainly (excluding fish) (2 marks)
    c. A combination of all these five from a to e (3 marks)
    d. Boiled and roasted food, mainly (4 marks)
    e. Milk, fruits, sprouts, green vegetables and salads, mainly (5 marks)

3. What kind of water do you drink? (assuming that the water is germ-free)   
    a. Water kept in a refrigerator (1 mark)
    b. Water kept in plastic containers or bottles or tank (2 marks)
    c. Water kept in a metal container (3 marks)
    d. Non-flowing natural sources like wells, lakes etc. (4 marks)
    e. Naturally flowing water like brooks, springs, rivers etc. (5 marks)

4. Do you have any exercise? (at least each type thrice a week, vide below)   
    a. I have no time for exercise (1 mark)
    b. Exercise only in the evening (2 marks)
    c. Either of vigorous and non-vigorous types, in the morning (3 marks)
    d. All types of exercises done indoors, in the morning (4 marks)
    e. A combination of vigorous outdoor exercise and non-vigorous ones, done in the morning (5  marks)

Note: Exercise is of two types : active and passive exercise. Active exercise includes vigorous exercises like all sports, swimming, cycling and all other aerobic types; non-vigorous like yoga, pranayama, tai-chi etc. Passive exercise includes massage.

5. What is your rate of breathing during rest?       
    a. More than 26 per minute (1 mark)
    b. 21-26 per minute (2 marks)
    c. 16-20 per minute (3 marks)
    d. 10-15 per minute (4 marks)
    e. Less than 10 per minute (5 marks)

 Note: Calculate your rate of breathing during 60 seconds using the digital clock you see here or, the time interval between the two bird sounds that you hear is also 60 seconds, if you are using a desktop. (1 inhalation + 1 exhalation = 1 breath)

6. How frequently do you catch infections from air/ water/ insects/ parasites etc.?   
    a. Very easily and frequently (1 mark)
    b. 8-10 times a year (2 marks)
    c. 4-6 times a year (3 marks)
    d. Once or twice a year (4 marks)
    e. Very rarely (5 marks)

7. How sensitive are you to atmospheric factors like temperature changes/ humidity/ wind/ allergic things, etc.?   
    a. Very sensitive (1 mark)
    b. Moderately sensitive (2 marks)
    c. Sensitive (3 marks)
    d. Feel sometimes (4 marks)
    e. Weather changes don’t bother me (5 marks)

8. How often do you let the sunshine fall on your skin? (at least 20 minutes in a session or activity)   
    a. Never (1 mark)
    b. Once or twice a month (2 marks)
    c. Once or twice a fortnight (3 marks)
    d. Once or twice a week (4 marks)
    e. Every day (5 marks)

9. How often do your feet come in direct contact with the earth/ grass/ sand?   
    a. Never (1 mark)
    b. Once or twice a month (2 marks)
    c. Once or twice a fortnight (3 marks)
    d. Once or twice a week (4 marks)
    e. Every day (5 marks)

10. How much sleep do you need to refresh yourself?   
    a. Never have a refreshing sleep (1 mark)
    b. 9 hours and more (2 marks)
    c. 6-8 hours (3 marks)
    d. 3-5 hours (4 marks)
    e. Less than 3 hours (5 marks)

11. Which of these medicines do you need to take every day – Antacids, Analgesics for pain, Antiallergic, Laxative to clear bowels, Antihypertensive, Antidiabetic, Thyroid medicines, Cholesterol lowering drugs,   
    a. Most of these (1 mark)
    b. More than 5 of these (2 marks)
    c. 3-4 of these (3 marks)
    d. 1-2 of these (4 marks)
    e. none (5 marks)

12. What was the age when a chronic disease (as described in 11 above) was first detected in your body?   
    a. Before twenties (1 mark)
    b. Between twenties and thirties (2 marks)
    c. Between forties and fifties (3 marks)
    d. Between sixties and seventies (4 marks)
    e. Not yet detected (5 marks)

13. How often do you meditate?   
    a. Never (1 mark)
    b. Once or twice a month (2 marks)
    c. Once or twice a fortnight (3 marks)
    d. Once or twice a week (4 marks)
    e. Every day (5 marks)

14. How often do you require to take tobacco, alcohol or drugs like cocaine, heroin, cannabis or any such psychoactive substances?   
    a. Continuously, I'm under their control (1 mark)
    b. Can't work without taking these things (2 marks)
    c. At least once a day (3 marks)
    d. At least once a week (4 marks)
    e. Occasionally or never. Can manage without those things (5 marks)


15. How do you react to sudden unexpected event, stress or bad news?   
    a. I faint (1 mark)
    b. I weep, shout, abuse and become frantic (2 marks)
    c. Get mentally as well as physically restless (3 marks)
    d. Keep physically calm but mentally disturbed (4 marks)
    e. Keep mentally and physically calm (5 marks)

  Your HEALTH SCORE is: 

   Each of these factors will be commented upon in subsequent articles.

   You must have noticed that this questionnaire covers all the aspects related to your physical health, mainly. If you lose in one aspect, you may score in another. If your score is 75/75, you are no less than a yogi. You need to guide us! Please note that these indices pertain only to physical health; those of mental health are different. Any score above 50 indicates enviably good health. Above 60 means distinction! A score below 25 indicates that your health is being ignored and you should seriously take some steps to take your score up. If the score is between 25 and 50, it’s ok. 😏. A better health score means better health; it also means that your health is going to be fine for a long time if you continue the same routine. What is your health score like when compared with those of your family members or colleagues in your office? Do you know anyone whose health score is above 60? Compare what your score was 1 year back. This will hint at whether your body machine is deteriorating or picking up. A perfect health is when every particle of body exudes freshness and you feel on the top of the world, a feeling totally impossible to describe in words.


   What is the opposite of health? I think, the opposite of health is loneliness. Yes, I mean it because your health is ultimately reflected on the mental level. A person dying among his kith is more fortunate than the one who dies alone. In Anatomy of Spirit, Caroline Myss says- “What drains your spirit, drains your body. What fuels your spirit, fuels your body, too.” Simple changes in your daily routine go a long way towards perking up your health score considerably. Being healthy is extremely paramount. Wisdom, art, strength, wealth, intelligence, beauty, humor, power, prestige, achievements,….all are useless if the health is out of order.


➤Read: FACTORS AFFECTING HEALTH SCORE





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