Why do you exercise - only to lose weight or for fitness? If you're slim and lean, you don't have to pump iron - true or false? As long as I watch what I eat I am healthy, do you agree? Most people believe in these false and mythical 'facts'.
Fitness is a product of healthy diet and exercise, sleep and well being. 'Physical fitness is considered a measure of the body's ability to function efficiently and effectively in work and leisure activities, to be healthy, to resist hypokinetic diseases, and to meet emergency situations' as mentioned in Wikipedia, Fitness. Here is why fitness is a far better goal than weight loss in the long run.
Difference between Weight loss and Fitness
While all fitness does involve weight loss, all weight loss does not involve fitness. One can lose weight - the unhealthy way - through crash dieting, over-exercising, weight loss pills and several other, equally, harmful quack weight loss methods.
There is a finer point here: Unhealthy weight loss involves losing mostly muscle and a little bit of topical fat. Visceral fat, or fat that is stored internally around organs, does not budge with unhealthy weight loss practises. In fact, it increases manifold due to the starvation mode that you set off with unhealthy dieting.
Pursuing general fitness and well being, on the other hand, takes care of the harmful body fat, while giving you a healthier mind and body and, yes, burning, calories. Weight loss is about losing weight rapidly. Fitness is about healthy living and longevity.
Fitness is a combination of exercise, diet and rest. Weight loss is a short term routine of exercise, diet and rest.
When weight loss is your only target, you tend to ignore the other benefits of living a healthy life.
Importance of Fitness: To the Respiratory and Circulatory system
The easiest way to understand the impact of fitness is to look at what your body needs to live a long, ailment-free, healthy life. This state of being depends entirely on your body's systems, which in turn depend on organ, vessel and tissue health.
This brings us, first, to the respiratory and the circulatory systems.
You know the heart is a muscle that pumps blood and oxygen to the body. Exercise helps the heart in circulation of blood and oxygen. That means healthy skin, alertness and a healthy system. Similarly, a healthy diet, aids your circulatory and respiratory system by preventing thickening arterial walls and better blood circulation.
Importance of Fitness: To the Digestive system
When we are constipated or feeling bloated we look for a change in diet to relieve us from our discomfort. Even exercise can help you avoid digestive problems. Breathing, walking, and other physical activities can improve your digestive system.
A poor digestive system leads to a poor state of being. Quick weight loss ignores this fact of life. The result of crash dieting is usually the Irritable Bowel Syndrome, and plenty of abdominal fat the minute you stop crash dieting.
Instead, focusing on general fitness through balanced eating and exercise will give you a smoother digestive function.
Importance of Fitness: To the Lymphatic system
'The lymphatic system is a part of the circulatory system, comprising a network of conduits called lymphatic vessels that carry a clear fluid called lymph,' as mentioned on Wikipedia, Lymphatic system. A healthy lymphatic system reduces swelling, improves circulation, metabolism and flexibility. Stretching, strength training and aerobic exercises improve the Lymphatic system.
Importance of Fitness: To the Cardiovascular system
Enough research has proved, time and again, that pursuing fitness is the best way to achieve better cardiovascular health. This means that your cardiovascular system is able to function a lot better when you're fit, within your desired weight range, and live an active life with healthy eating.
The cardiovascular system is responsible for circulating oxygen to the body and important nutrients too. Opting for fitness, instead of quick weight loss, will help you avoid diseases related to the cardiovascular system like heart attack and stroke. Strength, stamina, agility also gets a boost with a well functioning cardiovascular system. Cardio exercises are the key to a functioning cardiovascular system.
