Are you fit? What does fitness mean to you? To give a brief explanation, it’s maintaining a good physical state. Although we always talk about the physical aspect, we need to understand that mental wellbeing is linked to physical fitness. If one is depressed or going through a traumatic phase, physical fitness will not be easy to achieve.
Fitness is an essential component of overall health because without it, you won’t be able to lead an active lifestyle. When you are physically fit- when your bones are strong and muscles are supple- it’s easy to make the best of everyday. You will have more energy and more stamina. You will be more attentive at work and less prone to distraction. You can run and play with your children or grandchildren, in carefree abandon. Studies show that fitness brings out good results in school.
People who are fit are less susceptible to viral and bacterial infections. Even if they fall ill, they will recover faster than a tired, unhealthy person. This is mostly because fitness translates into good blood circulation. So, your immune system can be on top of its task. Antibodies and other disease-fighting agents will be able to reach the infected areas quickly and kill invading cells before they do much damage.
When you take care of your physical makeup, your vital organs will perform much better and longer too. The heart and lungs especially will be in tiptop shape, meaning that you will be at low risk for heart attacks, strokes, cancer, diabetes and high blood pressure. These situations are mostly associated with middle-aged people, but it doesn’t mean that you should strive to be fit when you are past your 30’s. Teenagers and twenty somethings need to keep themselves fit so that they will not suffer later on in life.
If you want to be fit, exercise and peace of mind is not enough. They need to be supported with nutrition. Eating right seems to be the hardest out of the three for some of us. All it takes is making slight changes to our lifestyle and sticking to it. You may think that being fit for a certain period of time is going to give you lasting benefits-but maintaining fitness for one month only to neglect yourself during the rest of the year, it’s not going to do you any favor.
For athletes, fitness is like religion. They may be very skilled but if they don’t carry out some fitness regime, they will find it hard to stay above the competition. For some demanding sports, like Formula 1 Racing, fitness can be the difference between life and death.
