Best Health Classes in Los Angeles
What does it mean to be healthy? You’ve probably been learning bits and pieces since you were a kid, and have a few ideas, right? As you think about health and what it means to be healthy, there should be elements of each of these areas:
- Mental and psychological
- Emotional
- Social
- Physical
- Adaptability
Though most people think of diet and exercise, research shows that there’s more to health than simply eating nutritious foods and moving your body. In fact, there are competing views of what “health” actually means.
One is from the World Health Organization (WHO) that defined health as “without disease or infirmity” in the 1940s. For many, this is still the basic definition—if you’re not actively feeling bad, you’re healthy. Research published in The Lancet further specified that being healthy includes “complete physical, mental, and social well-being.” This is closer to a holistic view of health.
The mid-20th century was a busy time for health-related reesarch. French physician George Canguilhem posed the theory that true health is being able to adapt to the environment around you. He asserted that because the environment is always changing, humans have to be able to change to survive, including wellness in the mental, emotional, social, and physical categories. As the basis of personalized medicine, Canguilhem’s model shows that everyone’s needs are different. After all, everyone lives in a different environment, which means they have to adapt and take care of themselves in different ways.
Health isn’t as simple as it might seem, begging the question: how can you go about learning it? How do you figure out what you need and how to promote your own wellness? One way is to start by learning what each area includes.
Mental health is made up of many parts: psychological, emotional, and social wellbeing. Psychological wellness is the capability of feeling fulfilled and satisfied with life, as well as being able to solve problems in tough situations. Emotional wellbeing, on the other hand, means that you’re self-aware of strong feelings and can manage them. Being human means having strong feelings, and being able to handle the good and bad is important to your overall wellness. Not to be overlooked, social wellbeing is your ability to make and maintain strong, healthy relationships.
When it comes to physical health, the focus is on your body. The major components are sleep, nutrition, and of course, movement. To be physically healthy essentially means that your body is working the best it can. To work on your physical health, you’ll need to make sure you get enough good sleep at night, eat nourishing foods, and keep your body active and moving at regular intervals.
Mental and physical health are both equally important to your overall well being because humans are complex. As technology advances, there will be more to learn to take care of yourself and become the healthiest you possible.
Why You Should Learn Health in Los Angeles
For many people, Los Angeles is one of the best places in the world to live. LA excels in providing:
- Career opportunities
- Great weather
- A diverse population
- Tech and science
- Food
- Culture
Though it gets a reputation for Hollywood glamor, LA is actually the “creative capital of the world.” Musicians, artists, writers, and many other highly creative people love LA because of the available career opportunities—in a city of 10 million people, there are plenty to go around. Not to mention the diversity, excellent cuisine, and amazing weather. In such a big place, intense competition can make landing the perfect gig a stressful process.
For those who live in LA, though, health is important to know about. For all the restaurants and diverse meals you can find, you should probably know what your body needs to continue feeling good. Since there are many outdoor sports, knowing what your body can handle and how to best support such rigorous activities. Being able to interact with people from all over the world is a fantastic way to learn, and there’s great opportunities for building relationships, but you’ll need to make sure you’re self-aware to maintain such a beautifully diverse set of relationships.
Everyone can benefit from learning about health, especially in LA. That being said, it doesn’t have to feel like an 8th grade class lecture. One advantage about being in charge of your own learning, and being in such a big place, is that there are fun classes from all kinds of disciplines you can take to support your wellness journey.
Learning about health can make you feel good about yourself, even productive, giving you a little dopamine boost (the happy hormone). It can improve your quality of life and empower you to make good decisions for yourself and your wellbeing, too.
In-Person Health Classes in Los Angeles
Los Angeles is a learning hub on the West Coast. CourseHorse is a great place to start looking for fun and interesting classes you might want to take. For example, 80s Aerobic Dance Workout by Liberate Hollywood in the Sherman Oaks/The Valley area will get your heartrate up dancing to classic tunes from the 80s. Every Sunday, the group hosts this dance workout in their outdoor garden, if you enjoy dancing.
For a little more relaxed activity, Liberate Hollywood also offers an Outdoor Garden | Deep Stretch & Realignment class. Through specific stretching techniques, you’ll learn how to calm tense muscles, stretch joints and ligaments, and even move more comfortably. This one-hour course in the garden is a serene space to do self-care.
For those looking for a self-defense class, Los Angeles City College offers Judo in East Hollywood. Great for beginners, the instructor is a National Judo Champion and coach for the USA Judo and United States Judo Federation. During this five-week course, you’ll learn how to throw others to the ground and protect yourself through fighting.
Take an introductory Reiki Circle class with REIKI Wellbeing in the West Covina area to learn about holistic healing. It’s designed for people who aren’t Reiki certified, ideal for beginners. The class offers stellar benefits like raising your self-esteem, learning how to give and receive healing with your peers, and improving overall happiness and health. Guided meditation is part of class, too, and is helpful on a number of health levels.
Virtual Health Classes
If you’d rather learn online, you’re in luck. There’s a wide variety of online health classes available for you to choose from. Basic benefits of online coursework include:
- No traffic and/or commute
- Can join from the comfort of your own spaces
- Better control of the distractions around you during class
- Additional specialty classes
Though you do typically have to provide materials for online classes, you should receive a list of what you’ll need well in advance. It’s also pretty common for the instructor to send the materials you’ll need to participate in class. If not, you can always ask for recommendations about where/what items are best to get.
Interested in essential oils? Lisa Giammarese hosts a delightful Virtual Essential Oil Basics course. During class, you’ll learn about how essential oils can promote wellness and the properties of common oils. Though you don’t need any oils for class, Giammarese is a Certified Clinical Aromatherapist, which means she’s an excellent resource to answer questions you may have.
92nd Street Y offers a creative course called YogaProse: A Virtual Yoga & Writing Workshop that combines relaxing yoga techniques with creative writing. During this 60-minute session, you’ll begin to understand how to use yoga principles like controlled breathing and meditation to clear your mind and open yourself up to creativity. You’ll learn how your body can provide stories to tell. Don’t worry, though, since the class is only an hour long, you won’t have to share what you write.
Private Group Health Classes in Los Angeles
Looking to schedule a relaxing and useful team-building event for your business or organization? CourseHorse has plenty of private group health classes to make your search easy.
During Virtual Terrarium Workshop, your group will discover the principles of feng shui and build their own slice of peace and harmony using a terrarium with succulents, moss, rocks, and soil. Each participant will receive all the materials they need to participate in this engaging workshop; all you really have to do is book the group and show up. Learning the ancient Chinese practice of organization combined with creating a beautiful arrangement is sure to give your group (up to 50 people) a class to look forward to.
Looking for something thoughtful after a long project? Virtual Rough Day Recharge may be an ideal way for up to 100 people in your organization to take a break amidst the chaos. Through deep breathing, meditation, desk stretches, and even cute animal trivia, this one-hour class will have your group recharged in no time. Plus, there’s an add-on option of sending personalized stress and fidget toys to each participant—a thoughtful way to show your peers you care about their wellbeing.
Booking through CourseHorse means:
- You won’t pay booking feeds
- You’ll get a confirmation notice in 24 hours or less
- Being able to adjust the size of your group, even after you book
- Multiple virtual platforms are supported for your session
If you have questions or want to discuss specific options for your group, reach out to CourseHorse via the contact form on their website.