This document discusses the importance of fitness for health. It defines fitness as achieving physical well-being through proper nutrition, exercise, and rest. Maintaining fitness requires balancing calories consumed with calories burned through exercise and daily activities. Regular exercise has many benefits, including improved cardiovascular health, stronger muscles, increased flexibility, and an overall enhanced quality of life. Both aerobic and anaerobic exercises are important to incorporate into a balanced fitness routine.

1. Know About Fitness And How Important It Is For Your Health
Fitness, health and quality living are all interdependent. But
most people tend to confuse fitness with extra hours of workout
with meager healthy habits. This is not the case. So what does it
mean when we talk about fitness? Well, we are going to discuss
everything that you need to know about fitness and how it is
going to improve your health. Additionally, you will also be able
to collect some crucial health and fitness tips in this article.
According to Wikipedia, physical fitness has been described as
-
“Physical fitness is a state of health and well-being and, more
specifically, the ability to perform aspects of sports,
occupations and daily activities. Physical fitness is generally

2. achieved through proper nutrition, moderate-vigorous physical
exercise, and sufficient rest along with a formal recovery plan.”
Thus, the definition says it all. So, fitness is not just hitting the
gym but it is a way to maintain a healthy lifestyle while being
physically and mentally sound. Thus, with physical exercise, you
need to include proper nutrition through a balanced diet and
adequate rest that helps you in the recovery of the damaged
tissues you might have while doing intensive exercises. Fitness
also means improving your stamina and immunity to be less
prone to falling sick.
What Was The Starting Point Of Fitness?
Now you may ask how fitness came into existence. Physical
fitness has always been an important aspect of life. It has been
theorized that when people left behind the hunter gatherer
lifestyle, and started forming fixed communities based on
agriculture, the fitness level that usually existed started to
decline.
That being said, it is not to be referred to that the levels of the
physical labour has decreased but the type of work people had
adopted were not necessarily conducive as a general level of
fitness. This gave rise to the regimented fitness regimes that
became more common. This was seen especially in the case of
various classical civilizations such as Rome and Ancient Greece.

3. In Greece, physical fitness was considered to be a crucial
component of a healthy life. It was a norm within the Greek men
to hit the gymnasiums on a frequent basis. Physical fitness was
also considered to hold immense importance in the ability of
the nations to train their soldiers for making an effective
military force. These were just some of the reasons the
organized fitness regimes have come into existence all through
the known history and many countries even hold evidence to it.
The gymnasiums that became quite familiar at the
contemporary age started to become increasingly common in
the 19th century. Many people started to lead sedentary
lifestyles owing to the industrial revolution. There existed an
increased awareness regarding this to be potentially harmful to
health. This can be considered as the main motimativing factor
for the formation of a physical culture movement, especially in
the USA and Europe.
The movement had advocated hiked levels of physical fitness
for women, men and children. It sought to do so via various
forms of outdoor and indoor activity as well as education. In
several ways, it has laid foundations to the contemporary
fitness culture. However, it has been seen that people are more
focussed towards losing weight and not specifically being fit. In
the next segment, we will go through this.
The Age of Information Overload

4. “How To Lose Weight” has been one of the most searched topics
on the internet these days. And from where this has come from?
Well, you might have guessed already. It all came from the
sedentary lifestyle where people mostly spend their time sitting
on a chair and long hours in front of the computer. But this is
not only to be blamed. The improper food habits like skipping
meals, overeating or consumption of junk foods have led to
weight gain.
To find a solution for losing weight, many programs, products,
supplements and even tea that has been brought into the
market. But still people are immersed in confusion regarding
this topic. If you are one of them struggling to know about
fitness, chances are that you must have YouTubed the fitness
contents online or have read about them. The more you
research about this, the more you are turning towards
confusion.
The internet is flooded with a huge amount of conflicting
information that draws you in different directions. You will know
that some information that has been put out on the internet is
solely for marketing while the others really aim to teach you.
There are some videos that state that you can lose weight in
just 10 minutes. If you believe in that then I would like to tell you
that it is not possible. If you continue doing those 10 minute
workouts for a long period, then you might see some very basic
changes. This is because not everyone would like to see a 30

5. minutes video and then consider doing it. This would be
extremely boring.
However, there is good news that fitness does not necessarily
have to be as hard as you might think. It is as simple as riding a
bike. You might stumble a little bit in the beginning. But
eventually, you will adapt yourself and it will no longer feel hard
or boring. The first step, thus, is to track your weight correctly.
Correctly Tracking Your Weight
This is a very crucial starting step. If you track your weight
correctly, then it will provide you with an accurate measurement
that you can make use of to work with. Here are the steps that
you need to follow:
1. Use a weighing machine and find out your weight every
single morning after you wake up.
2. Do this method everyday for a week and calculate your
MEDIAN weight for the week.
3. This is a continuous method where you need to do this on
a weekly and monthly basis that will help you to determine
how much you have lost or gained.
The Median weight is much more accurate than the average
weight owing to the fact that the former discards the outliers. It
is also a good habit to weigh yourself every morning to receive

6. an accurate reading rather than solely weighing yourself every
week.
Calories In vs. Calories Out: The Golden Rule
If you are focussing on losing weight and thereby building
muscles, then this is the golden rule. The rule of thumb states
that “As long as you will burn more calories than what you
consume, you will definitely lose fat.” You must keep in mind that
gaining or losing weight is just a game of numbers.
A lot of misconceptions exist today regarding weight loss. Some
of the most common misconceptions are:
● Weight loss is effective only through consuming greens,
lean meat and brown rice.
● Carbohydrates are bad for your health.
● 5 small meals on a daily basis is the best way to lose
pounds.
But these are all misconceptions that you need to avoid as it
confuses people even more. You might find it crazy but you can
lose weight while you are still enjoying your favourite chocolate
bar or favourite flavour of ice cream. The goal of fitness is to
enjoy the process and make it a lifestyle. If you cannot continue
it for a very long time, then you might be doing it wrong. In this

7. regard, it can be said that you need to take into consideration
the following three things.
● Reading The Nutrition Facts
You need to check the back of the products (sachets or
containers) that you consume. All the nutritional facts of
the products are given in detail. However, there are certain
tricks that the companies apply and at the first glance you
would not be able to tell as well.
For example, the nutritional facts on the backside of a
product mentions that “Calories per serving is 250” and
number of servings is 2.5 per container. Many people will
say that the calorie content of the product is 250. However,
this is not the case. Many people do not consider the
number of servings per container/sachet.
So, to find out the actual calorie of the product, you need
to take the calorie per serving and multiply it with the
number of servings. Thus, in this case, it would be 250 x 2.5
= 625 calories.
● Making Use Of A Food Scale A Habit
Investment on a food scale is probably the best one for
your fitness and health. It is considered to be the best
thing than the pre-workout session or the protein

8. supplements that you might have invested in. The scale will
give you the right calculation of your consumption and
you need not have to do a guesswork on how much calorie
you have taken in.
Calculation of the calories will also give you an idea of
whether you are going to lose weight or further gain it. If
you are calculating the protein, then it will make sure that
the consumed protein can help your body to recover and
build muscles. It is recommended that you must consume
0.8-1.5 grams of protein per lb of your bodyweight.
● Take Help Of A Calorie Tracker
At this point you must be eager to know how much exactly
your calorie intake should be on a daily basis. The calorie
intake varies from person to person. The number that you
will receive will depend on your height, weight, age and the
number of days you invest in hitting the gym. You must
also take into account the BMI or Body Mass Index.
There are a whopping number of calorie tracker platforms
available on the internet. Apps have also been released in
the App Store and Google Play Store. Two of the most
commonly used apps in this regard are MyFitnessPal and
TDEE Calculator. These apps are aimed at providing you
an estimated number of calories that you are required to

9. hit for losing your weight. This is followed by the training
aspect.
How Many Days In A Week Must You Train Yourself?
When you are at the gym challenging yourself and lifting heavy
weights, it is very monotonous and calorie burning. This is the
reason why you must not train yourself overly. The best way to
lift weights is to limit the days to 3-4 times a week. This will also
give your body an opportunity to recover from the past
damages and you will be refreshed every time you hit the gym. If
you are targeting to lose fat and build muscles, then 4 times a
week is more than enough. On the contrary, if you are focusing
on maintaining your physique then 3 times of a week is best for
you. On your off days, you might go ahead and indulge in
outdoor games.
It is essential to keep rest days in a week as these days calms
your body, mind and muscles. There are people who believe in
“no rest days”. They believe that following no rest days will help
them to build muscle faster. Little do they know that this is a
deluded mentality that will burn them down in just a short span
of weeks or months.
The professional bodybuilders and the powerlifters understand
how important are the rest days. They are just as important as

10. the days that you hit the gym. Just as everything that glitters is
not gold, more does not always necessarily mean better.
Exercises To Focus On
Two types of fitness are there that you need to know before
proceeding - Aerobic and Anaerobic. In this segment we will
cover both of them.
● Aerobic Exercise
Aerobic exercise or cardiorespiratory fitness is measured
using the VO2 max. It is a measure of the oxygen amount
the body can take up and use. These exercises improve
cardiorespiratory fitness and thereby increase stamina.
Additionally, it involves movement that increases the heart
rate for improving the body’s oxygen consumption. This
form of exercise forms an important art of all the training
regiments and can be done by both professionals and
everyday persons.
Prominent examples of aerobic exercises are:
❖ Jogging
❖ Working on Elliptical Trainer
❖ Walking
❖ Treadmill

11. ❖ Swimming
❖ Cycling
● Anaerobic Exercise
All the high intensity movements fall in the anaerobic
exercise category. These exercises are performed for a
relatively short period of time. These exercises do not
require the body to use up the oxygen for producing
energy. It helps in promoting endurance, strength, power
and speed. The bodybuilders generally use this for
building workout intensity.
The anaerobic exercises are meant to increase the
metabolic rate permitting one to burn excess calories as
the body recovers from exercise owing to an increase in
the body temperature and excessive post-exercise oxygen
consumption (EPOC) as the exercise ends.
Some of the prominent examples of the anaerobic
exercises are:
● Isometric exercise
● Weight Training
● Sprinting
● Interval Training

12. In addition to this, there are another two kinds of fitness that
you need to stress on.
● Muscle Strengthening
Stronger muscles implies that these are more powerful
and can do bigger jobs such as lifting the heaviest weights
or that can work for longer periods without getting
exhausted too easily. Weight training or resistance training
or even the simplest of the exercises like pushups are two
ways that you can do to strengthen your muscles.
● Flexibility
Flexibility is considered as an outcome of physical activity
and stretching is the most effective way. When your
muscles are in use especially while exercising, they are
repeatedly shortened. These muscles need slow and
regular stretching for counteracting the repeated
shortening that occurs via other activities.
Diet & Body Fitness
Your diet plays a vital role on your fitness results and health.
Both diet and fitness go hand in hand which we often do not
want to hear to believe. You cannot really out-train a bad diet.

13. Thus, what you are actually consuming will impact how your
body is fuelled for exercise and recovers later. Your diet also
impacts the way it processes all the calories that you enjoy
eating.
That being said, it is not just the calories that matter. The
breakdown of the macronutrients in every meal is also
important. The breakdown consists of the percentage of
protein, fats and carbohydrates. You need to make sure that
you are consuming enough protein as you start developing the
lean muscles and improve your strength.
Another thing in regards to diet that you need to maintain and
often people tend to overlook is the portion size. It is one of the
most common culprits when we take fitness and diet into
account. You need to maintain a portion size preferably less
but full of nutrients. If you are looking forward to improving
your overall health and receiving the best results from your
training, you need to ensure that your diet is properly
maintained and it is very much essential.
Drugs, Alcohol & Fitness
It is a fact that the drugs are detrimental to both long-term and
short-term health. It can lead to addiction. However, they
possess a specific impact on fitness. Below is a petite list of the

14. major ways the recreational drugs will be responsible for
affecting your fitness:
● Breathing - The depressants such as Cannabis, Codeine
and Heroin affect the capacity of your lungs and narrows
down the airways. This makes it much more difficult to
receive oxygen rich blood supply to your muscles while
exercising.
● Coordination & Concentration - The depressant drugs
also affect your alertness thus making you pretty slow to
react. On the contrary, the stimulants aim to make you
restless and irritable.
● Heart - The stimulant drugs like cocaine, ecstasy (MDMA or
Molly) and speed expands your heart rate thus, exerting
undue stress on your heart.
Comprehensively, drugs can play mayhem with your behaviour
and brain. This would affect your body, mood and mind. If you
aim to get good results through training, then you must not
mess with drugs that could inhibit the results but prove to be
potentially dangerous or fatal.
You might find it tempting to reach for a refreshing glass of
wine or beer post hard workout. But there are a couple of
concerns regarding alcohol on your fitness before you go for
the next glass.

15. ● Dehydration - Alcohol is considered diuretic. This means
that it accelerates the loss of fluids and the other
electrolytes that are deliberately needed by the body.
● Weight Gain - You must know that alcohol is high in
calories. Additionally, it is low in nutritional value. So, if
you are aiming for weight loss, you are probably ruining
the results of what you might have received from your
previous workouts. This damage is possible in
consumption of just a few glasses only.
● Reduction In Muscle Growth - Alcohol is known to interfere
in the growth of your muscles. It also hampers the ability to
maintain your muscles.
That being said, you might wonder if you have to completely cut
out alcohol and promise to never touch it. Well, not exactly. If
you want to enjoy a couple of drinks and still not hamper
yourself or your goals, then you need to educate yourself and
learn how to consume in moderation. This way you will never
miss parties or be ungrouped with and still move towards your
goal.
Benefits Of The Physical Activity/Fitness
Considering the importance of fitness, you must know by now
that staying active is one of the prime ways to keep our bodies
healthy. Have you ever understood the fact that it can also
improve the general well being and quality of life?

16. Below are just a couple of most important ways in which fitness
can help you feel better:
● Fitness Is Considered To Be A Natural Mood Lifter
If you have already made fitness a part of your daily life,
then we are sure you must have noticed how your mood
stays all throughout your day. Conducting physical activity
on a daily basis can relieve you from anger, stress, anxiety
and depression. It is just like a happy pill bearing no side
effects.
● Keeps You Physically Fit & Able
If you are not indulging yourself in regular physical
activities, slowly your body will lose its strength and ability
to function properly. Additionally, you will also lose your
stamina. Exercise is responsible for increasing the muscle
strength, that in turn increases the ability to conduct other
physical activities.
● Keeps The Doctor Away!
Sedentary activities, especially sitting for longer hours can
increase the risk of heart diseases and can lead to stroke.
One study has revealed that adults who watch television

17. for over 4 hours a day, are prone to 80% higher risk of
death from cardiovascular disease.
On the other hand, if you are more active, then it can help
you in the following ways:
● Lowering your blood pressure
● Boosting your levels of good cholesterol
● Improving blood flow or blood circulation
● Keeping your weight under check
● Preventing bone loss that might lead to a medical
situation known as “Osteoporosis”.
Adding up such good things can lead to lesser medical
expenses, interventions and medicines in your life.
● Helps You To Live Longer
It is proven that the more you are active leaving behind
the sedentary life, the more you can expect to live. It has
been seen that those individuals who are physically active
and maintain a healthy weight lives up to seven years
longer than those who are inactive and obese. The best
part is that the extra years that you live are the healthier
years.
If you stay active, this means that you are taking serious
steps towards preventing chronic diseases that are

18. associated with aging. Thus, the active adults maintain
their quality of life and independence as long as they age.
Some of the other fitness facts and engaging in physical
activity are:
● Helps you to quit smoking and remain tobacco-free.
● Boosts your energy level so that you can work
actively.
● Helps you to manage tension and stress.
● Offers you a positive attitude and outlook.
● Helps you to have a more sound sleep and makes you
fall asleep faster.
● Improves your self confidence and self image.
● You can spend more time outdoors.
Treating Fitness Right
The real thing - Know about fitness! Fitness must never be your
main priority at the end of the day. You must focus more on
your career and personal life. Fitness must be treated as a way
to enhance your lifestyle. The American Heart Association
recommends that an individual must indulge in 150 minutes of
moderate intensity aerobic activity every week. You will be able
to knock that out in just 30 minutes per day and that you have
to be active 5 days in a week. Every minute of the moderate to
vigorous activity that you indulge in counts towards your goal.