Health and Fitness...are they the same thing?

 It is undeniable that optimal health and fitness cannot be said to exist without fitness. If health is defined as the absence of disease, then a person could be said to be healthy without being fit. But if health is defined as total wellness, with every part of the body functioning to its peak potential, then physical fitness is an integral part of health. Of course, a person can be physically fit and still have a co-existing illness, as we have seen with athletes who have developed heart disease, diabetes, cancer, or even HIV. Regardless of the type of health problem, though, a person who has maintained a high level of physical health and fitness will do better than the person who has not.

 Health and Fitness have three components to fitness: aerobic endurance, strength, and flexibility. There are also specific types of exercise that assist in achieving each of these components of fitness, which in turn helps with overall health. Aerobic exercises such as swimming, brisk walking, running, and bicycling help develop endurance. Resistance exercises help develop strength. Stretching exercises help with flexibility.

 It is a good idea to be cleared medically before beginning a health and fitness program and to seek the advice of a certified instructor in order to learn how to perform the resistance and stretching exercises safely. After all, the whole idea of getting fit is to improve overall health, so it does no good to exercise your sedentary self into a heart attack or to blow out your knee just because you didn’t take the proper precautions before starting your fitness program.

 The key to health and fitness is consistency. Of course, overall health requires more than exercise. A nutritious diet, adequate rest, stress relief, and spirituality are just a few of the other factors that are also essential to total health and wellness. And, just like exercise, each of these other factors requires implementation on a regular, consistent basis. You can’t follow a healthy diet one day a month and eat fast foods all the other days and expect to be at optimal nutritional health. You can’t sleep 12 hours on Saturday and Sunday and only 2 hours Monday through Friday and expect to feel rested. You can’t expect your emotional health to be at its best if you try to unwind from your 18 hour-a-day pressure cooker job by taking a two week vacation once a year. And, you can’t expect your spiritual health to prosper if you rarely pray or worship.

 Similarly, physical health and fitness require regular, consistent exercise. Remember F.I.T. – frequency, intensity, and time. For the first component of fitness, aerobic endurance, The American College of Sports Medicine recommends exercising 3-5 times per week (frequency) with a training heart rate of 60-85 percent of your maximum (intensity) for 20-60 minutes (time).  A simple way to calculate your predicted maximum heart rate is to subtract your age from 220. If you are 50 years old, your maximum predicted heart rate would be 220 – 50 = 170. Your target exercise heart rate then would be 60-85% of that number, which, for a 50 year old, would be 102-144. Note that the starting point would be 102 with a gradual increase toward the upper range and then only as far as tolerated. Tell your “type A” personality to take a hike. Go slow. Don’t attempt to achieve complete physical fitness in a week or even in a month or two. Your health depends on it!

 As suggested before, you should see your health professional for clearance before starting your health and fitness program. Also, if you are taking certain medications, such as beta blockers, you should not expect to reach the target heart rates. Again, talk to your health professional if you are on medications.

 For strength, the second component of health and fitness, engage in weight or other resistance training 2 days per week, during which sessions you should perform 1-3 sets of several different exercises (involving different muscle groups) with each exercise set consisting of 10 repetitions. Advice and instruction from a certified fitness trainer will help you to learn what you should do and how to do it safely.

 For flexibility, the third component of health and fitness, stretching exercises should be done every time you perform the aerobic and strength components, preferably at the end of the exercise sessions.

 In all of these areas of health and fitness, it is important to start slow and with low intensity, gradually building up over a period of weeks. Also, forget the “No pain – No gain” myth. Chances are you’ll hurt something important if you push too hard. Also, keep motivated. Remember why you’re trying to get fit. Write down the most important goals that you have. You will be more likely to achieve them if you commit to a lifestyle of health and fitness.

 An essential part of health and fitness is nutrition, and proper nutrition requires that you receive a full complement of vitamins and minerals, without excessive amounts of any one supplement and without potentially toxic agents, as has occurred with the use of some herbal products. Many health experts recommend a whole plant food source supplement, which contains vitamins and minerals in the form and ratio that nature intended.

 Learn about a all natural nutritional nutritional supplement program