For most of us from public 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 outdoorsy, PE lessons were great, giving many an outlet for all those youthful hormones to work out. For those of us who dread physical education (myself included), our main thoughts were more like “what good is physical education when it doesn’t improve our test scores?”. We were so wrong then.
Only now, as we approach middle age, do we realize the mistake of not having developed a more robust physique during our youth to handle the pressures and stresses of life today. However, it is not too late. It’s not the end of my life yet. I can still make a difference.
Did not someone once say that the glory of this temple in our last days will be more glorious than in the former? So here I am, writing something about fitness in hopes of stimulating my middle-aged body to greater heights.
The best way to enjoy good health is through light to moderate physical exercise. This works very well for me, because we are very, very busy and time is a precious commodity in today’s economy. The least amount of time spent on physical torture exercises and yet being able to help me maintain a healthy body will be right for me.
All I want to achieve is a healthy body. I am not a fitness guru or an exercise fanatic (sorry for the term used). I like a little laziness from time to time.
I like to pamper myself with some pleasures such as good food and sleeping in front of the television. But I realized that this can’t be the norm or else I’ll 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 thing.
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 physical fitness can be determined in a laboratory by looking at the amount of power they can produce on a cycle ergometer by cycling at a specific heart rate, or on a running track by looking at the distance they can run in a given 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 soccer, hockey, and tennis.
On the other hand, good health is a broader concept that includes being free from disease and infirmity, and being in a proper state of mental and spiritual well-being.
Normally, being fit and being healthy go hand in hand. But it’s not always like this. For example, you may be very fit playing tennis, but suffer from a major health problem such as alcoholism.
When we understand these two concepts and the difference between fitness and good health, you will realize that you actually need less exercise to be healthy. In fact, you need more exercise to get fit and stay fit.
How to be fit?
Many people have a need to be fit because their jobs or careers demand it. If you are an athlete or sportsman, you need to be in shape or else you are out of the game. If you are a soldier or a firefighter, you need to be in shape because it could mean a life or death decision for you just when you need it most.
To stay fit, you’ll need to follow a set exercise program that we call training. Proper training will always take place in a proper and professional environment that has the facilities to train you through expert and regulated supervision. Examples of this type of physical training are gymnastic training, running, weight lifting, swimming programs, etc.
In such an environment, the intensity of the exercise program varies to achieve different fitness levels. It means that if you want to be very, very fit, you need to exercise at an intensity level above moderate or high. Normally, by achieving such levels of fitness, 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 much.
How to be healthy?
On the other hand, if all you want to do is get healthy, then you just need a more gentle level of exercise to get healthy and stay healthy. Sometimes the fear and anxiety of suffering from heart disease, excess cholesterol in the blood, obesity or mental health problems, drives us to stay physically active.
You don’t need to have the same training intensity to stay healthy compared to staying fit. You can include your physical exercises in your normal routine. Instead of getting in your compact car and driving around the block, make it a point to park some distance away and walk the entire way. Walk the golf course and carry your own bag instead of hitching a golf cart or hiring a caddy. Do some simple exercises behind the office desk using isometric exercises when no one is looking. Do some push-ups or sit-ups between TV commercials.
All I’m saying is that you don’t need to torture yourself to stay healthy.
Some tips for an active life:
* Take the stairs instead of the elevator or escalator.
* Do not use remote control to change TV channels. Get up from your meat.
* Bring your running shoes when traveling outside the station, in case you find
some free time to walk or jog.
To be healthy, some experts recommend being physically active at least five days out of seven.
We are increasingly living in a world where we require less and less physical activity in our lives. We have appliances to wash and dry, cars to transport us and desks to sit down to work or study.
At school they always tell us to stay put.
Given these “bad” technological influences that have prevented us from moving, any physical activity is a health benefit.
Not everyone can subscribe to a magic formula on how much exercise 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 to keep fit, consider some of the following?
* dancing – you name the style
* bikes, scooters, inline skates and skateboard
* ice skating, dry skiing and snowboarding
* gymnastics / cartwheels
* swimming
* Martial Arts
* gym based activities
* team sports (football, volleyball, basketball, baseball, etc.)
* walking
* Jump 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, shop for groceries, wash windows, vacuum or garden.
Greetings to Healthy Life.