Fit or Healthy? There Is A Difference!

The older I get the more I realize how important it is to be fit and healthy. Building a foundation of fitness and health is vital for anyone planning to live a long and active life. But is there a difference between being fit and healthy? The answer is yes! Being fit doesn't mean you are healthy and conversely being healthy has little to do with being fit. We use various terms to describe health. A person has vibrant health or radiant health. One can be healthy as a horse or the opposite: poor health and failing health. But what is health and how can I tell if I am healthy? Below are some ways to gauge your health.

1. Free from debilitating diseases.
2. Vital signs like blood pressure, cholesterol levels, heart rate are normal.
3. Your weight is within the acceptable range for your height.
4. At your last physical exam the doctor gave you a clean bill of health.

Now let us look at fitness. Of course there are different levels of fitness. There is the Lance Armstrong level and then there is the fitness level of a jogger you runs 5k races. But basically fitness is the measure of being able to perform a task efficiently. Fitness is achieved through physical activity. For example if I want to win a 5k race I have to run on a regular basis, gradually increasing my pace and lowering my time. A person can be fit and unhealthy. How many times have we heard or seen in the news of a seemingly healthy athlete collapse and die because of an undetected aliment. Even Lance Armstrong when he was at his peak of physical fitness developed Testicular cancer. Fortunately for Lance he beat the big 'C' in no small measure because of his level of fitness. By the same token a healthy person's fitness level maybe at the low end of the scale because he or she doesn't exercise.
In my own case I maintain a level of fitness that most sixty-five year old would envy. I'm no Armstrong, but I am able to perform physical most tasks at levels that would leave a "normal" thirty year old breathless. Despite being fit, I do have some health issues. I have to take statins for my high cholesterol and my blood pressure is slightly elevated. Both problems run in my family so I guess I will blame genetics. As important as being fit is and as much as I like the feeling that comes with being fit and healthy if I was to chose one or the other I would chose health over fitness. Thanks to modern medicine many health problems can be effectively treated, but of course you can't pick your parents, so genetically you have to live with the cards you are dealt. However if you are out of shape there's definitely something you can do. Being fit can keep help you stay healthy by building a foundation that will fight off many common aliments such as colds, flu etc. Most people who are fit live a lifestyle that even if they suffer a major health issue such as cancer have a better chance of survive.

Age should not prevent you from living and active, healthy and rewarding life. It is never to late to start building a foundation of health. There are alternatives to to the ravages of old age.

Happy Diet News

The weight reduction product industry has evolved into a multi-billion dollar business trend. This translates as good news to diet product executives, but not such good news for weight loss hopefuls. Many of these products list side-effects and a large sample do not work the way they advertise. In an age where excess weight and obesity are thought to be the primary cause of many health issues, every decision counts. The best way to lose a few pounds and stay on top of well reviewed products is by visiting Happy Diet News. This site is dedicated to reviewing current diet systems that yield results and help maintain weight loss.
Of course, the best way to impact any diet program is to get the necessary amount of exercise while limiting, not depriving, your diet of certain foods. People reporting the most well-maintained weight reduction has done so by simply eating their four food groups spread out during the day and exercising for an hour four times a week. Sensible choices will truly be the best jump-start to any program. However, with age, lifestyle and career factored in, some programs need a bit of a jolt.
The fastest growing natural weight reduction tool is the Acai berry. Many products feature this tiny gem from the Amazon as a catalyst for weight loss, while others promote its overall health benefits. Popular Acai weight loss supplements such as Acai Pure, Acai Optimum and Natural Acai all boast use of the Acai berry along with other ingredients that promote weight loss and boost overall health. They are also in the top five rankings of the 2010 Top Diets list.
The second place contender for best diet product of 2010 is ParaSlim Force. While it doesn't use Acai in its formula, it does contain several ingredients known to promote weight loss. Vitamin B6, a key component in metabolism, and EGCG, extracted from green tea are two of the many powerhouse ingredients in ParaSlim Force.
The number one rated product is Colon Cleanse Elite. Impacted fecal matter along the intestinal walls harbor bacteria and toxins that causes illness, fatigue and adds weight. Colon cleansing is a safe way to remove the harmful bacteria and helps the dieter lose up to ten pounds of unwanted pounds. Colon Cleanse Elite not only advertises as a weight reduction supplement, but also as a detoxifier to your system.
Colon cleansers not only help in maintaining healthy weight reduction, but users report an improvement in overall stamina, health and well-being. Staying ahead of false weight loss claims is an imperative part of weight loss because it prevents breaking healthy habits out of frustration. Happy Dieting!

Health Benefits Of Fitness For Overweight Adults

For years, overweight adults have been told that obesity is the worst of health problems. It has been proven the risk of heart disease, stroke, diabetes, and some forms of cancer will increase with too much body fat. However, a study in the March 1999 issue of the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition reported that overweight men who were physically fit were less likely to die of all causes, including cardiovascular disease, than men who were lean but unfit.

This is good news for overweight people who are physically fit. It is also a good reason for overweight people who are not fit to begin a fitness program. It means that it is possible to be overweight and still reduce the risks of cardiovascular disease by becoming physically fit.
 
There is the objective description for the definition "physically fit". The human body is composed of a variety of tissues.  The lean tissue of the body includes tissues, such as muscle, bone, and organs.  These kinds of tissues are considered to be "alive," or metabolically active.  The fat tissue (adipose) of the body is not active.  It is divided into three categories: essential fat, storage fat, and non-essential fat.  Non-essential fat is considered a hindrance to health and serves no real purpose.  This type of fat should be kept to minimum.  

Body weight does not measure the percentages of lean tissue and fat tissue.  Stepping on a scale is simply a method of measuring total body weight.  Scales cannot indicate the difference between over-weight and over-fat.  In order to measure the different body tissues, a body composition analysis must be performed. 
 
If we would start performing this test in schools, we could find out that there is a growing crisis in our nation. Childhood obesity threatens one in three kids with long-term health problems. To help promote youth fitness, daily physical education must become part of the core curriculum in all grades (K-12). Many schools over the past two decades have eliminated physical education in order to replace these classes with academic instruction. However, the result has not increased levels of academic achievement but increased levels of obesity. The lack of daily PE along with the increased amount of time playing computer games has had a staggering effect on the health of our nation's youth. Most children are not getting the 30-minute daily physical activity recommendation of the Surgeon General.

Long Should I Diet

Anyone who loses a few pounds by dieting seem to gain them all back (and more) after they go back to their eating habits, no matter how long they sustained the diet. Naturally, they'd like to know exactly how long it takes for a diet's effects to stick for good.
If you're asking how long you should diet, then there's good news and bad news for you. The bad news is that there is no diet duration. Going into a diet isn't temporary. Dieting involves a change in lifestyle, and by that, it's meant to last your entire life. How long do you need to stick to your diet? As long as you'd like to stick to your ideal weight!
But there's good news, too. Staying with a diet can be easy. The main reason why so many dieters fail at their diets after only a while is because they go through all the drastic lifestyle changes all at once. Believe me, no one's that strong. Instead, try to break into your diet slowly and steadily. Here are some tips to help you stick to your diet much more easily.
Start small, but don't stop growing.
Start your diet with a very doable sacrifice. A good way to start would be to swear off all forms of soda in favor of water, natural fruit juice, or low-fat milk for the first few weeks. (Did you know that a typical can of soda contains about ten teaspoons of sugar?) Sticking to your diet will be much easier when you're in charge of it, instead of having to follow every single "diet rule." Once you get used to one sacrifice, impose another manageable limit. Then another. And another. Lifestyle changes are much easier to deal with if they come in chunks!
Exercise - it really does work.
Dieting is fine on its own, but if you want to lose weight faster, you'll need to put in at least an hour of exercise five days a week. Exercise will also keep those pounds from rushing back if for some reason you reverted to your old eating habits. Naturally, going to the gym is the best way to stay fit - incorporate cardiovascular exercises, strength training, and flexibility routines into your workout. Choose something that you find fun - dancing, kickboxing, Yoga, whatever - so that sticking to your diet will be even easier.
Don't be so hard on yourself.
Remember that any kind of food, no matter how fattening or "sinful" it is, can fit into a diet as long as it's taken infrequently. Make sure you balance out your intake with more healthy food.
Also remember that no one can stick to a diet flawlessly - there's bound to be the occasional temptation. You may miss a workout on a busy schedule. You may need to drink to toast a friend's wedding. Whatever the setback, it's never the end of the world. Instead of feeling sorry for yourself and not trying again, get up and get back on track as quickly as you can. If all goes well, your weight will continue dropping as though nothing happened at all!