Physical condition and health
For most of us in 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 insiders, the PE lessons were great as they gave many an outlet for all the youthful hormones to work out. For those of us who are afraid of PE (including me), our main thoughts were more like “what good is PE 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.
Didn’t someone once say that the glory of this temple in our last days will be more glorious than in the days before? So here I am, writing something about fitness in hopes of pushing my middle-aged body to greater heights.
The best way to enjoy good health is through light to moderate physical exercise. This suits me very well, because we are very, very busy and time is a precious commodity in today’s economy. The least amount of time spent in 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 enjoy a bit of laziness from time to time.
I like to pamper myself with some pleasures like 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 fitness can be determined in a laboratory by looking at the amount of power they can produce on a cycle ergometer while riding a bike 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 for 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’ll 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 in shape?
Many people have a need to be in shape because their jobs or careers demand it. If you are an athlete or a jock 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 and death decision for you just when you need it most.
To stay in shape, you will need to follow a fixed exercise program that we call training. Proper training will always take place in a suitable and professional environment that has the facilities to train you through expert and regimented 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 get really, really fit, you need to exercise at a higher than moderate to high intensity level. Normally, by achieving such levels of physical fitness, the individual will undoubtedly become healthier as well. However, if you don’t want to be fit but healthy, you don’t have to exercise as much.
How to be healthy?
On the other hand, if all you want is to be healthy, then you only need a gentler level of exercise to be healthy and stay healthy. Sometimes the fear and anxiety of suffering heart disease, excess blood cholesterol, obesity or mental health problems, drives us to stay physically active.
You don’t need to have the same intensity of training to stay healthy as opposed 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 all the 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 squats between commercials on TV.
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 the remote control to change TV channels. Get up from your flesh.
*Bring your running shoes when traveling out of the station, in case you find
some free time to walk or jog.
To stay 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 household 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.
Faced with 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 the amount of exercise to achieve a benefit.
The right key is to make an effort and persevere. As soon as you move, you win!
If you don’t have any ideas to stay in shape, consider some of the following?
* dancing – you name the style
* bikes, scooters, inline skates and skateboards
* ice skating, dry skiing and snowboarding
* gymnastics / cartwheels
* swim
* Martial Arts
* gym based activities
* team sports (soccer, 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, do the shopping, wash the windows, vacuum or garden.
Cheers to Healthy Living.