Physical Activity for Overall Well-Being

In the past years of 21-st century mounting research has shown how lifestyle changes, including exercise, stress management, and diet can prevent almost ninety percent of chronic illnesses in our society and improve the quality of life and well-being. Promoting physical activity as a well-being component in schools and universities targets the enhacement of vigour, resilience, employement and social outcomes for graduates and comunities. Further, health is conditioned by our own habits and behaviour and the accumulation of positive and negative effects on health and well-being is for over the life- course. Therefore cognitive acquisition related with a healthy and active lifestyle would be a useful support for physical activity. Improved well-being in youth should contribute to reducing school and college/university dropout on short term, and strengthening personal confidence and cognitive function, improving educational efforts and enhancing employability on long term. The education level is correlated with health; educated individuals report higher sense of control which conducts to a better health. Integrating physical and health education in preventative strategies would have a real effect in reducing the occurrence of physical and mental disorders and co-morbidities associated with these later, over the life time and in reducing the burden on the healthcare system.