Exercise, A Successful Plan : Fitness vs. Health

Fitness vs. Health :

  Before  I ever knew anything about exercise, nutrition and the adverse effects  of stress, I was able to maintain a high degree of fitness from regular  exercise. Basketball and weight lifting were an integral part of my  week. If a stranger looked at me, he would think I was in good shape  and healthy. Yet, with a sustained increase in stress, I would usually  get sick. Other signs were also present, including chronic mucus in my  throat, frequent sniffling, sneezing, allergies to cats and dogs and  some foods, achy joints, and swelling in my left knee. Although I was  able to lift weights for two hours at a time and play basketball half  of the day, I was still plagued with the above symptoms. Although I was  fit, I was not healthy. I believe that most exercise programs that  utilize the "no pain, no gain"; approach are unintentionally producing  the same problems among the public.

  For  our purposes, fitness is defined as adapted to, or suited. When an  athlete allows his body to adapt to the various stress he has placed  upon it, the body will most certainly become fit. Health, however, is  defined as all the systems of the body working together harmoniously  and in their most efficient manner. The fit person is not necessarily  healthy, nor is the healthy person necessarily fit. The fit athlete,  having trained his body appropriately, is able to perform strenuous and  astounding feats, yet this benefit will most likely come at the expense  of other tissues, and often of health itself.

  It  is not uncommon to hear that an athlete has had his career cut short  due to nagging injuries, or has even died unexpectantly while training.  From my experience and study, I have found that certain deficiencies  can be expected when we train for fitness and not for health. These  deficiencies often lead to persistent injury, sickness and in extreme  cases, death. This is because fitness training places heavy burdens on  the body's anaerobic (sugar burning) system, while neglecting the more  important aerobic (oxygen and fat burning) system.

👉 What Is Exercise?
👉 What Is The Best Exercise For Our Bodies?
👉 Fitness vs. Health.
👉 The Anaerobic System.
👉 The Aerobic System.
👉 Exercise Goals.
👉 How to Start.
👉 Target Heart Rate.
👉 Without A Heart Rate Monitor.
👉 What to Expect.
👉 Selecting a Program.
👉 The Emotional Component.
👉 Warm Up, Cool Down and Stretching.
👉 Maximum Aerobic Function Test (MAF).
👉 Summary.
👉 When to Add Other Exercises.