Exercises: Holistic health

State the three basic pillars of rest and nighttime well-being (duration, sleep schedules and sleep environment), and explain what specific recommendation you would give for each one to an adolescent.

Explain what benefits regular physical activity provides to the musculoskeletal, circulatory and respiratory systems, citing at least one specific benefit for each.

Look at the figure, which shows a student sitting at a study desk with three details of their posture marked with ?. State the postural hygiene rule corresponding to each of the three details, and explain which health problem each rule prevents.

According to the WHO, health has three components. Name them and give an example of a habit that looks after each one.

Name four daily habits that strengthen health and state one specific risk of neglecting each one.

Explain what postural hygiene is and describe what the correct posture should be like when sitting while studying.

State whether these statements are true or false and justify your answer: a) sleeping little affects school performance; b) physical exercise only benefits the muscles; c) mental health can be looked after and trained just like physical health.

Explain what benefits regular physical activity provides to the brain, citing at least two effects on mood or performance.

The WHO recommends that adolescents engage in at least $60\ \text{min}$ of moderate-to-vigorous physical activity daily. A student walks $20\ \text{min}$ to secondary school and another $20\ \text{min}$ back, and plays basketball for $40\ \text{min}$ during break time. Calculate whether they meet the recommendation, and explain what type of activity (moderate or vigorous) each activity they perform represents.

Many teenagers use their mobile phones in bed before going to sleep. Explain how this habit affects sleep — through screen light and mental stimulation — and suggest two alternative routines that encourage falling asleep.

Explain what mental health is, why it is as important as physical health, and what difference there is between feeling sad or stressed occasionally and having a mental health issue that requires professional help.

A student studies for four hours straight without getting up from the chair on the afternoon before the exam. Explain what postural and concentration problems they may suffer, and propose a study plan with breaks, justifying each decision.

Our body follows a daily rhythm of about $24\ \text{h}$ called the circadian rhythm. Explain how meal and sleep schedules influence it and why it is advisable not to shift it too much at the weekend.

A teenage girl spends $7\ \text{h}$ a day on her mobile phone for leisure. Calculate how many hours that adds up to in a month and analyse which healthy activities this time displaces, proposing a reasonable limit and two specific alternatives.

Explain what screen-related eye strain is, what symptoms it produces, and which rules on distance, rest and lighting help to prevent it.

Explain what benefits playing a team sport provides compared with training alone, physically, socially and emotionally.

Darragh sleeps an average of $5.5\ \text{h}$ from Monday to Friday and states: "It doesn't matter that I sleep little during the week, on Saturday and Sunday I sleep $11\ \text{h}$ and make up for the lost hours". However, he notices that on Mondays he struggles to memorise new concepts, performs worse in class, and feels irritable. Biologically refute Darragh's claim: justify why the brain cannot compensate all at once for five days' worth of memory consolidation and emotional regulation processes, and explain how this shift in schedules disrupts his circadian rhythms.

School backpacks should not exceed $10\ \%$ of body weight. Seán, who weighs $52\ \text{kg}$, carries a loaded backpack weighing $7\ \text{kg}$, and Aoife, who weighs $40\ \text{kg}$, carries a backpack weighing $6\ \text{kg}$. Calculate the percentage that each person's backpack represents, compare who strays further from the recommendation — even if their backpack weighs less — and propose a three-measure plan to reduce the risk of back pain, justifying each measure.

Analyse Aoife's daily routine on a school day: classes at secondary school ($8:00$-$14:30$), after-lunch time on her phone ($14:30$-$16:00$), tutoring classes ($16:00$-$18:00$), homework and studying ($18:00$-$21:00$), dinner watching television ($21:00$-$22:00$), and using her phone in bed ($22:00$-$0:30$). Aoife sleeps $6.5\ \text{h}$, does not practice any physical activity, and shows chronic fatigue and concentration issues. Identify the three habits that pose the greatest risk to her health, justify their biological impact, and redesign her afternoon/evening schedule ($14:30$-$23:00$) to fit the recommendations for rest, physical activity, and screen use, while maintaining her academic obligations.

A secondary school proposes delaying the start time from 8:00 to 8:45 following the recommendations on adolescent sleep. Analyse what biological arguments support the measure, what practical difficulties it would have, and write your reasoned position on the proposal.

Cian spends more than four hours a day on social media looking at posts from athletes and "influencers". Lately, he has stopped having an afternoon snack with his friends to stay in his room looking at his phone, he feels constantly dissatisfied with his own physical appearance, he gets noticeably irritated if his connection is limited, and he wakes up in the middle of the night checking notifications. Analyse Cian's case: distinguish two behaviours that show problematic use as opposed to normal recreational use, explain which neurobiological and emotional mechanisms are involved (reward system, sleep disturbance due to blue light, and social comparison), and design a plan with three guidelines for him to regain control of his well-being.

Cian, who used to train for basketball five afternoons a week, suffers a tibial fracture that forces him to stay on complete bed rest for two months. After two weeks immobilised, he barely has an appetite, has trouble falling asleep, does not reply to his teammates' messages, and states: "I don't have the energy for anything, I'd rather not bother anyone by asking for help". Justify biologically how the sudden cessation of exercise influences his mood (release of neurotransmitters and isolation) and design a strategy with three measures (activity adaptation, social contact, and emotional support) to break this vicious cycle without compromising the healing of his injury.

Cian, who has led a completely sedentary lifestyle for two years, decides to get in shape and on the first day goes running for $60\ \text{min}$ at maximum intensity. The next day he experiences joint pain, incapacitating muscle soreness, and dizziness, and states: "Sport isn't for me, my body can't handle it" before quitting. Explain the physiological errors made by Cian regarding the progressive adaptation of the locomotor and cardiovascular systems, and design an alternative plan for his first two weeks (indicating frequency, type of exercise, duration, and intensity) that guarantees safe progression and prevents giving up.

In a survey of 14-year-olds, $78\ \%$ report having more than 500 contacts on social media and sending messages daily, but $42\ \%$ report frequently feeling lonely and having no one to turn to when facing an important problem. Analyse this apparent contradiction: explain what biological and psychological differences exist between screen-mediated interaction and face-to-face contact (non-verbal language, empathy, oxytocin secretion), describe two physiological effects that prolonged unwanted loneliness can cause on health (immune and nervous systems), and propose two measures that the school could implement to create real support networks.

Unit challenge. Become a youth wellness advisor and design a realistic proposal to improve adolescents' lifestyles.

1. Data collection: Go to the Ministry of Health website and check the latest ESTUDES report to record the percentage of energy drink and alcohol consumption among youth aged $14$ to $16$. Then, record your own data in a table over $48$ hours: servings of fruit and vegetables consumed, liters of water drank (e.g., $1.5$ L), hours of sleep, and minutes of physical activity.

2. Comprehensive diagnosis: Analyze your table by comparing it with WHO recommendations. Explain in a short paragraph how frequent consumption of stimulants or alcohol disrupts physical health, impairs cognitive performance, and affects social and emotional relationships.

3. Action plan: Write a short report (one page) with a proposal for a "Healthy Week" for a student with sedentary habits: design a balanced daily menu, a rest routine, and two leisure alternatives free from toxic substance consumption.

Assessment criteria:

• Thorough extraction of official data and methodical tracking of daily habits.

• Scientific justification of the impact of nutrition and addictive substances on overall health.

• Consistency, creativity, and feasibility of the proposed healthy habits plan.