Fitness and Health

For most of us from the government schools, PE (physical education) was in the school curriculum. So we had no choice but to comply and treat it as one of the school subjects. For the outdoor initiated, the PE lessons were great as it gave many an outlet for all the youthful hormones to exert themselves. For those of us who dread PE (including myself), our main thoughts were more like "what is the use of PE when it doesn't improve our exam scores." We were so wrong then.

Only now, as we approach the middle age do we realized the mistake of not having built up a more robust physique through our younger days to handle the pressures and stress of today's life. However, it is not too late. It is not the end of my life yet. I can still make a difference.

Didn't someone once said, that the glory of this temple in our later days will be more glorious than our former ones. So here I am, writing something on fitness hoping to spur my middle aged body on to greater heights.

The best way to good health is mild to moderate physical exercises. This suits me just fine, because we are so, so busy and time is a precious commodity in today's economy. The least amount of time spent on physical torturing exercises and yet be able to help me maintain a healthy body - will be just right for me.
All I want to achieve is a healthy body. I am not a fitness guru or an exercise freak (sorry for the term used). I enjoy a little bit of laziness once a while.

I like to pamper myself with some pleasures such as fine dining and couching in front of the TV. But I realized that this cannot be the norm or else I will be digging my own grave sooner rather than later.

Do you want to be fit or do you want to be healthy? Hey, I thought that meant the same.

Well, fitness has been defined in relation to a concept called physical work capacity, or how much work the body can do. A person's fitness can be determined in a laboratory by looking at how much energy they can produce on a cycle ergometer when cycling at a specific heart rate, or on an athletic track by looking at how far they can run in a set time. Fitness can also be understood in relation to a number of components including endurance, flexibility, strength and power. You need to be fit to play many sports, including football, hockey and tennis.

On the other hand, good health is a broader concept that includes being free from sicknesses and diseases, and be in a proper state of mental and spiritual wellbeing.

Normally, being fit and being healthy go hand in hand. But it is not always so. For example, you can be very fit, through playing tennis, but suffer a major health problem such as alcoholism.

When we understand these two concepts and the difference between fitness and good health, then you will realized that actually you need less exercise to be healthy. You actually need more exercise to get fit and to remain fit.

How to be fit?

Many people have a need to be fit because their jobs or careers demands it. If you are an athlete or a sportsman you need to be fit or else you are out of the game. If you are a soldier or a fireman, you need to be fit because it could mean a life or death decision for you just when you need it the most.

To be fit, you will have to follow a set program of exercise which we call training. Proper training will always take place in a right and professional environment that have the facilities to train you through expert and regimented supervision. Examples of such fitness training are gymnastic training, running, weight lifting, swimming programs etc.

In such an environment, the intensity of the exercise program is varied to achieve the different levels of fitness. It means that if you want to be very, very fit, you need to exercise at an above moderate or high intensity level. Normally, in achieving such fitness goal levels, the individual will undoubtedly also become healthier. However, if you don't want to be fit but just healthy, you don't have to exercise as hard.

How to be healthy?

On the other hand, if all you want to be is healthy, then you just need a milder level of exercises to be healthy and to remain in good health. Sometimes the fear and anxiety of suffering from heart diseases, excessive cholesterol in blood stream, obesity or mental health problems, propels us to remain physically active.

You do not need to have the same intensity of training to remain healthy as compared to remain fit. You can encompass your physical exercises into your normal routine. Instead of getting into your compact car and drive round the block, purpose to park at a distance and walk all the way. Walk through the golf course and carry your own bag instead of hitching a golf cart or engage a caddie. Perform some simple exercises behind the office desk using isometric exercises when nobody is looking. Do some pushup or situps in between commercials in the TV.

All I am saying is you don't need to torture yourself to remain healthy.

Some active living tips:

* Use the stairs instead of the lift or escalator.
* Don't use the remote control to change TV channels. Get up from your chair.
* Bring along your jogging shoes when you travel outstation, just in case you find
some free time for a short walk/jog.
To be healthy, some experts recommend being physically active on at least five days out of seven.
We're increasingly living in a world where we require less and less physical activity in our lives. We have domestic appliances to wash and dry for us, cars to transport us and desks at which to sit and work or study.
In school we are always told to 'sit still'.
In view of these "bad" technological influences that have stopped us from moving, any physical activity is a health gain.
Not everyone can subscribe to a magic formula on the amount of exercise in order to achieve a benefit.
The right key is to make an effort and persevere. As soon as you move, you win!
If you have no idea at all for keep-fit ideas, consider some of the following?
* dancing - you name the style
* bikes, scooters, inline skates and skateboarding
* ice skating, dry skiing and snowboarding
* gymnastics/tumbling
* swimming
* martial arts
* gym-based activities
* team sports (football, volleyball, basketball, baseball etc)
* walking
* skipping or jump rope
* kites and frisbees
* hide and seek
* dog walking

For young people, you can also exercise and earn money at the same time: wash the car, shovel snow, do the shopping, wash the windows, vacuum or do the gardening.

Cheers to Healthy Living.

Hi, I am not a fitness freak neither do I exercise excessively. But what I can do is to keep a relaxed routine to keep healthy and that includes supplements and vitamins. Visit my blogs: http://duriancapital.blogspot.com/ and http://charismaassembly.blogspot.com/

Everybody dreams of being healthy, beautiful and fit. The first fitness health tip is to believe that we are what we eat. Eat healthy and one will be healthy and beautiful. Healthy eating means eating three regular balanced meals-breakfast, lunch and dinner daily and making sure that each meal is a combination of carbohydrate and protein foods. Meals should include cereals, pulses, milk or curd, eggs, chicken, fish, fruits and vegetables.

There is a fitness health tip which may come as a pleasant surprise and that is- Adding sugar is not a crime. Three to four teaspoon of sugar a day is permitted if one is not diabetic.Finally, the whole secret of fitness and weight control rests on how much oil is consumed daily and how much fatty foods are eaten in a day. The normal requirement is 2-3 or 3-4 teaspoons oil per person per day. One may indulge in richer food twice in a week.

Another fitness health tip is that the major reason for an overweight and unhealthy body is a change in lifestyle. Today we don't walk anywhere, and hop into and out of cars. We also spend a lot of time sitting in front of television and computer. This is one reason why people in their 20's and 30's suffer from hypertension, heart diseases and diabetes.

Everybody from six years and above must ensure that a regular exercise session is fixed in the daily routine. A 20-30 minutes walk must be taught and practiced as regularly as brushing the teeth and bathing.It is also important to avoid too many soft drinks and packed juices which most of us prefer and stock in our refrigerator. It not only increases our body weight but also harms our teeth and skin. Rather we should resolve to drink plenty of water.

To conclude, there is no magic wand to achieve healthy, beautiful and fit body. It is imperative to keep a watch on what we eat. Keep the diet well balanced, regular and complete with salad and fruits. Make sure that one is active throughout the day and follow a regular fitness program that is in sync with the age, body and health.

The author Mary Rose has several books to her credit including those on Health and Fitness.For more information logon to http://www.casanads.com/bm/hf.htm

There are times when even the most fitness and health conscious diner succumbs to the temptations of the buffet and calorific sweet meats. But is pigging out occasionally a harmless indulgence or a real health worry? Here are some fitness health nutrition tips to lose weight healthily.

Firstly we need to stay clued in. Knowledge is power. In other words, we have to arm ourselves with the facts about fitness, health and nutrition. For instance we need to know what a healthy diet is and ignore the fads. This way we are more likely to build confidence in our abilities and achieve our fitness goals. Long term weight control is about being realistic, and enjoying healthy eating and exercise habits for life and reaping all the benefits.

It is absolutely important to have clear motivation. It will be better to write down the reasons for wanting to achieve fitness by following a nutritious and healthy eating pattern .It definitely helps our feeling of commitment. We have to include reasons that are not just about appearance. For instance, will it help us feel fit enough to do more things that we want to do or will it cure the back pain etc.It can be a useful motivator if the going gets tough.

It helps us to become more aware of our eating habits and problem areas if we write down what we eat and drink. It is a powerful way to kick off planning and bringing changes to the diet and put us in control as it paves way to recognize what is going on and understand more about our self. Keeping a food diary helps to stay on track and see the great progress made.

Another important fitness health nutrition tip is to set realistic goals. Losing five to ten percent of the weight is an ideal target. Losing modest amounts of weight are not just easier to keep off but bring big health benefits. If the goals are realistic they are likely to be achieved and we stick with them and feel successful, which in turn boosts our self confidence.

We need to work out as to how to achieve the goals. Writing the goals and action plans helps enormously. Much of the eating we do when we are not hungry is a habit like response to a variety of triggers. We need to plan ways to avoid these triggers like keeping the binge foods out of the house or joining an evening class instead of watching TV etc.

One of the main fitness health nutrition tips is to be a conscious eater and make choices about what we eat. It will not only help us feel in control and achieve our goals, it will stop us from feeling deprived. If unwanted food cravings do strike, acknowledge them and distract oneself with a chore or a more involving task.
Finally eat regular meals, starting with the breakfast. It helps us to regulate how much we eat by stabilizing blood sugar levels and allowing us to recognize natural feelings of hunger and fullness. They also stop us from worrying about hunger as we know our next meal or snack is not far away.

All of the above fitness health nutrition tips are the latest tricks of the trade which helps one lose weight healthily. So get real and be specific, remember the first few days are always the hardest. But with perseverance, you can outwit your weight.

The author Mary Rose has several books to her credit including those on Health, fitness and related ones. For more information log on to http://www.casanads.com/bm/hf.htm

In today's society, people are more worried about their Fitness Health, instead of just their health or fitness alone. This has seen an increase in people seeing nutritionists and dieticians to design custom diets that maximise energy throughout the day as well as keep their weight down.

The term Fitness Health measures your current health and fitness together giving you a total wellness score out of 100 points. The fitness component is measured with a standard Beep Test, where participants move between two cones twenty meters apart. Participants wait for the recorded beep at the end of each section before running back to the opposite cone, this is repeated till they are unable to make it back to the cone before the next beep.

The health score is measured by adding your BMI score, Hip to Waist ratio and blood pressure results together and dividing by 3. The combination of the two scores can be added together to give you a % score out of 100. This is a much more comprehensive check of your overall wellness.

Over the years practitioners have come up with multiple tests to check your current health or fitness. Many of these tests alone are flawed as they don't take into account individual age, weight, height or fitness level. The idea behind the fitness health program is to provide a test that combines all necessary data which is easily obtainable and providing you a score out of 100.

The scoring system allows people of different age, weight, height and fitness level to compare themselves against each other. The higher the score the better the results, this is a great motivator for individuals to work hard and improve their score each time. A perfect 100/ 100 is the ultimate score and a true indication you are at the top of your game with optimal health and paramount fitness.

Because of the simplicity of the test and lack of expensive equipment, personal trainers, small gyms and accredited fitness companies can provide this test to their clients. The test is a great starting point for new clients and provides a monthly goal to work towards as well as keeping your client coming back with little or no effort.

The fitness health test is a great way for people who are serious about their training and health to measure their true wellness today. The key to sustainable health and fitness is measuring your results and constantly improving them, remember what gets measured gets results!

Terry Gilsenan is a Corporate Wellness Expert with over 10 years in corporate health and fitness. Based in Sydney, Australia, Terry has designed and implemented hundreds of corporate wellness programs for domestic and international companies.

The key to any successful company programs is management buy in and constant staff surveys to assess the programs and modify them along the way. For more information on this and other initiatives, contact terry@cfcfitness.com.au or visit our website http://www.cfcfitness.com.au today.

When it comes to diet fitness health these three have plenty in common because when you combine good diet with fitness you get good health.

Of course when it comes to diet fitness health the opposite could be true as well. Poor diet plus poor fitness will mean poor health. And it's all in your hands. Do you want to be strong and healthy and feel great or do you want to be sickly and feel horrible.

Whether you are 9 or 90 you can control your diet fitness health outcome. There are some very simple things you can do. Diet changes can be as simple as adding more fruits and vegetables to your diet. Fresh is always a good choice providing you with the most nutritional value. You might also decide to reduce your saturated fast and eliminate Trans fats from your diet making your heart that much healthier.'

Diet is important to your overall health but if you are looking to loose a few pounds don't make the mistake of cutting your calorie intake too much because what you will do is put your body into panic mode otherwise known as starvation mode which will then store those calories as fat. You want to reduce your calorie intake by no more than 500 calories to ensure that you are going to have an impact on your diet fitness health formula.

When you decide that a diet change is in order you must remember that it's a two part formula diet fitness health. When you take care of the diet your next task is to take care of the fitness. Too many people get their workout from the television remote and too many people don't realize just how easy it is to increase your fitness.

Diet fitness health is a three part formula. Once you improve your diet and decide to add a little fitness into your routine you'll be on your way to health and all it takes is for you to get 30 minutes of walking in at a quick pace. That's enough to get a good cardio workout for your heart and to burn a few extra calories - what a nice added bonus.

Now speaking of burning calories if you've got a few extra pounds that you want to get rid of turn up the heat just a little. Speed up on your walk, extend the period of time, or add some resistance exercise. The key here is burn more calories than you take in and when you consider the formula diet fitness health you can see how it plays into both elements.

The diet fitness health formula isn't a new idea but what has happened is that our overall health is getting a lot more attention than it use to. Suddenly we don't want to be overweight couch potatoes anymore. Rather we are much more interested in healthy diets and exercise which leads to fitness.

So what does it all mean? The diet fitness health formula simply means you are ready to get fit from every aspect.

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