Although fitness and health have similar properties, they are, in reality, two very different concepts. While health refers to the absence of diseases, fitness refers to the degree of body functioning and the ability of the body to handle physical demands. The more efficient the body functions, the higher the level of fitness. The higher the level of fitness, the greater is the chance of the body being free of diseases and maintaining a healthy state. Fitness is a major part of a preventative medicine approach to health.
.Benefits of Exercise and Fitness
Correct and regular exercises result in a large number of benefits, not only to the body but also to the mind. The key benefits that you will derive are mentioned below.
1. It improves your mental outlook and your mood due to the release of chemicals called endorphins in the body.
2. It improves general health, wards off diseases, and slows down the aging process.
3. It helps you to achieve a better body composition e.g. lower body fat and more muscle.
4. It improves the state of mind, promotes better mental health, and improves sleep. It helps in achieving better bone density.
5. It enhances self confidence and improves the appearance of the person.
6. It helps to avoid atrophy. Atrophy refers to the shrinkage of muscles as a result of little or no exercise. Exercise leads to hypertrophy, which refers to the tissues and muscles gaining in strength due to overload.
Components of Fitness
There are five basic components of fitness, each of which is explained below.
A. Cardio respiratory endurance – It is the ability to perform prolonged large-muscle dynamic exercises at moderate-to-high levels of intensity. It is a central component of fitness that trains the heart and makes it healthier and more efficient.
B. Muscular strength – It is the amount of force that a muscle can exert with a single maximum effort. Adequate muscular strength is important for body alignment and also for the performance of daily tasks. An increase in muscular strength means increased fat-free mass and therefore a higher rate of metabolism. Maintaining strength and muscle mass is also vital for healthy aging.
C. Muscular endurance – It is the ability to sustain a given level of muscle tension. It is important for good posture, injury prevention, and for the performance of various physical tasks.
D. Flexibility – It is defined as the ability of joints to move through their full range of motion. Poor flexibility, which can be improved by exercises, leads to stiffness, misalignment, and pain.
E. Body composition – It is defined as the proportion of fat-free mass (muscle, bone, and water) and fat in a body. Healthy composition is a high proportion of fat-free mass and a low proportion of fat. Weight training is the best way to add muscle mass.
Nutrition is the process in which the body utilizes the food we take in. The act of "nourishing" the body. This is where the effects of a bad diet regimen have an even greater negative effect on the body. "When" you eat certain foods is just as important as "what" foods you are eating. A well planned Nutritional Regimen can allow you to eat the not-so-good foods we all love with little or no negative effect on the body. Metabolism is everything when it comes to weight management, and thankfully for us it is trainable!
