Physical Fitness - It's Not a Temporary State, It's a Lifestyle
That said, what is good health made of? Is it all in the genes or diligent work is required to acquire, maintain and improve it? ‘Every human being is the author of his own health and disease’, Buddha held. Doctors and experts concur and lean heavily in favor of fitness. As such, good health is a process, a way of life. The essay about physical fitness reveals what is a physical fitness and how to maintain such a lifestyle.
The God of the skies created human being in His image and cocooned him in Mother Nature – the warmth of her sunshine, the goodness of her waters and the freshness of her air, all of them appealing to his disparate senses and fulfilling his wide-ranging needs and desires. However, not all homo sapiens can equally savor the priceless gift of life. An age-old adage goes, ‘the greatest wealth is health’. But what is health - the body’s ability to function well? True but soundness of the mind is equally essential to the optimal performance of daily chores. This is why the World Health Organization in 1948 expanded the parochial definition of health from mere absence of ailment to encompass overall physical, mental and social well-being.
Physical fitness is the ability of body to perform tasks without excessive fatigue, meet emergency situations and resist hypo-kinetic diseases. In recent years, there has been a proliferation of fitness programs tailored to individual skills, age and health-related needs. The Physical Activity Guidelines for Americans published by the Office of Disease Prevention and Health Promotion warned against the dire impacts of sluggishness on physical and mental health and recommended a minimum of 150 minutes per week of moderate intensity physical activity. A person’s work-out regime can range from jogging and running on a track, treadmill or elliptical, swimming and cycling to weight lifting and yoga. The benefits of regular exercise in preventing or treating chronic health conditions are numerous – by controlling blood pressure and improving cholesterol levels, it reduces the risk of heart diseases and Type 2 diabetes; physical activity lessens inflammation and also bolsters the immune system. It keeps obesity at bay by distributing body fat proportionately and preventing its accumulation in the abdomen area. It is just not in bones and flesh that gain from consistent physical training but the temple of our body, the brain also profits immensely from increased blood flow and release of hormones. Studies have found exercise to improve sleep and mental clarity as well as alleviate symptoms of stress, anxiety and depression.
Health and fitness do not come only from strenuous workout sessions. It is also equally important to watch one’s diet. This entails eschewing processed foods, excessive sugar, cigarettes and alcohol and reverting to our roots for a balanced diet with variety of fruits, vegetables, legumes and meat but in modest portions. The utility of water for smooth functioning of body and mind cannot be emphasized enough. With suicide tolls mounting every year, it is critical to empathize with individuals who are struggling with their emotions, assist their healing and do our part in making our social environment tolerable for all and sundry.
Eat clean; sweat it out, meditate and be positive should be the mantra. Dalai Lama so aptly summed it up, ‘happiness is the highest form of health’.
