The Power of Being Fit and Healthy
People, in general, tend to take health and fitness for granted. In fact, it’s only when something isn’t right that they try to do something about it. For example, if you are naturally gifted and healthy, it’s unlikely you’ll think too much on what you eat or how much physical activity you are getting. On the other hand, if you are underweight, overweight, or have some other malady, you’ll get more focused on your diet and exercise. However, almost everyone needs to pay attention to their health and fitness.
Benefits of Fitness and Health
Most noteworthy, chances of living a long life are best for fit and healthy individuals In fact, staying fit reduces your risk of suffering from heart diseases, stroke, high blood pressure, type 2 diabetes, osteoporosis and many types of cancer.
In addition, staying in good shape gives you more energy to perform everyday tasks at home or at work. Furthermore, staying fit as you age reduces your risk of falling.
Also, according to the Centers for Disease Control, staying active and fit reduces your risk of depression and helps you maintain a healthy brain.
Next, a fit and healthy person will spend less money on health care than one who is not. And, these savings continue to increase as you get older. In fact, a study at University of Texas looked at 20,000 middle-aged men and women. And the study found that the healthiest individuals had 38 percent lower health care costs later in life than individuals who were not fit and healthy.
In addition, another study published in the Public Library of Science Medicine had 20,000 individuals. And this study reported that individuals who exercised regularly, drank alcohol only in moderation, consumed a nutritious diet and avoided smoking had a 14 year longer life expectancy.
Finally, a healthy diet and regular exercise helps reduce free radicals as well as inhibit the release of toxins associated with disease and infections.
Components of Fitness and Health
Now, the four major components of fitness and health are:
Diet and food
Sleep
Stress
Exercise
Diet and Food
First and foremost, food and diet plays the most significant role in keeping you fit and healthy. A diet that is well balanced provides the energy you need to keep active all day long. And staying active helps you maintain a healthy weight. In addition, your body gets nutrients needed for growth and repair, which helps prevents diet-related illness.
For example, a balanced diet low in saturated fat and high in fiber found in whole grains, helps to reduce risk of developing type 2 diabetes.
Meanwhile, a diet rich in fruits, vegetables, whole grains and low-fat dairy helps reduce risk of heart disease by maintaining low blood pressure and cholesterol levels.
Finally, a diet rich in calcium keeps your teeth and bones strong while helping to slow down bone loss as you get older.
Sleep
Next, sleep is an important component necessary for your health and fitness, overall health, and mental well-being. Well published guidelines recommend that to obtain the most benefits, eight hours of good sleep is needed every day. On the other hand, lack of sleep has many bad consequences on your health and well-being. For example, insufficient sleep has been proven to lower the efficiency of your immune system. In addition, lack of sleep has also been implicated in contributing to heart disease and type 2 diabetes. Finally, as another example, recent studies suggest that not getting enough sleep prevents people from losing weight.
Stress
Meanwhile, stress is also an important component of your health and fitness, overall health, and mental well-being. In fact, stress affects you in many ways. Some of them include, anxiety, overeating, under eating, fatigue, sleep problems, lack of motivation, restlessness, social withdrawal to name just a few. Fortunately, there are many techniques, such as physical activity or meditation, to help you reduce stress.
Exercise
Finally, regular exercise, such as walking or running on a treadmill, helps you become and stay fit and healthy. And, when they do exercise they get some of the following benefits.
Benefits of Exercising
First, regular exercise helps you live longer.
Next, exercise reduces the likelihood of chronic diseases like heart disease, high blood pressure, type 2 diabetes, stroke, metabolic syndrome, abnormal blood cholesterol and triglyceride levels, colon cancer and breast cancer.
Also, regular physical activity improves muscle strength and boosts your endurance, thereby making you fit and healthy.
In addition, exercise increases bone density.
Moreover, exercise helps burn calories. Also, in combination with a good diet, exercise helps control your weight and makes you look good.
Next, physical activity helps reduce stress, anxiety, and depression while improving your mood. Consequently, you feel happier, more relaxed and less anxious. You also feel better about your appearance and yourself. Which, in turn, boosts your confidence and self-esteem.
Also, exercise gives you a chance to engage in activities, such as dance classes, that make you happy and gives you opportunities to socialize.
In addition, exercise helps you sleep better.
Meanwhile, moderate exercise increases production of natural antioxidants, which help protect your skin and delay signs of aging.
Furthermore, exercising helps brain health and memory. In fact, exercise stimulates production of hormones that enhance growth of brain cells.
And, exercise enables you to present yourself as empowered and confident, just as you would feel after completing a long run or after lifting your personal best in the gym.
Lastly, exercise boost your sex drive.