Have you ever wondered mate if there are obvious differences between health and fitness? Yes, of course the terms 'health' and fitness are often used interchangeably these days, but there are important noticeable differences between them, even though they do intereact. 

 

Let me throw more light on these terms. 

 

Most people think that health and fitness are the same.  This is totally incorrect. Health is defined as the state where all the body skeletal, nervous,  muscular,  digestive,  hormonal,  lymphatic are working in  an optimal way. 

 

According to the constitution of WHO (1946) and adopted by the International health conference held in new York by the representatives of 61 states which actually came into force in April 1948 ,  health is defined as a state of complete physical,  mental and social well being and not merely the absence of disease or infirmity. 

 

Being in good health implies being free from illness or disease,  and not suffering from any impairment or pain.

 

However,  there are several factors that determines a persons health know as the determinants of health. 

Many factors combined together are likely to affect the health of individuals and communities. Whether people are healthy or not, is determined by their circumstances and environment. 

To a large extent, factors such as where we live, the state of our environment, genetics, our income,  educational level, our relationships with friends and family all have considerable impact on our health, whereas the more commonly considered factors such as access and use of health care services often have less of an impact. 

 

The determinants of health include; 

 

1. the social and economic environment, 

2. the physical environment,  and

3. the person' s or individual characteristics or ‎or behaviours.

 

Most importantly , the condition of people's lives determine their health,  and so blaming individuals of having poor health or crediting them of good health is inappropriate. It is impossible for individuals to directly control many of the determinants of health which includes not only  the above  factors but many others as well;

• ‎Income and social status- higher income and social status are linked to better health.  The greater the gap between the rich  and poor people,  the greater the differences in health. 

• Education-  low education levels contribute to poor health,  stress and lower self confidence, whiles for a well educated person it's the opposite. 

• Physical environment- clean drinking water, clean air, safe working places, safe houses,  our communities, good infrastructures all contribute to good health. 

• Employment and working conditions -  research shows that people in employment are healthier especially who have more control over their own working conditions. 

• Social support network - Greator support from families,  friends and communities is linked to better health.

• Culture- customs and tradition and beliefs of the family and  community all affect our health.

• Genetic- Inheritance plays a part in determining a person's lifespan,  healthiness and the probability of developing certain illnesses. 

• Personal behaviour and coping skills- Balance dieting, keeping active, smoking,  drinking and how we perceive things,  deal with life stresses and challenges all affect health.

• Health services- Access to health services that prevents and treat diseases influences health. 

• Gender- As we age, men and women suffer from different types of diseases.

 

‎Lifestyle and behaviour choices are important factors in influencing our health. Unhealthy diets and physical inactivity are major risk factors for overweight and obesity as well as a number of chronic health conditions including cardiovascular diseases, type 2 diabetes, and some cancers. We need to be food smart and to make healthier and safer food choices when shopping in the supermarket or eating  out. Its easier to be food smart by carefully reading food products labels which will inform and guide us in our selection. For instance, if we are choosing between products we need to avoid products with more fat, salt, sugar

 

Nowadays we are all aware that supermarkets uses traffic light labelling like red, amber,  and green colours to better advice their customers of healthier food options. If you are useless like me in making healthier and safer food choices smart phones ,  can be used to download clever apps like Meal mixer, Fooducate and Fooducate plus, Healthy out, Best shopping list, Weight Loss Hypnosis etc. to guide you .    EU legislation called the Food Information for Consumers Regulation ( EU FIC) has also just introduced a new regulation which comes into effect from  Dec 2014,  that will soon change the way allergen information appears on labels and on food that is pre-packed, sold loose or served when you're eating out.  (EU FIC) will bring general and nutrition labelling together into a single regulation to simplify and consolidate existing labelling legislation.

 

These changes will provide allergen information in a clearer and more consistent way;  making it easier to make safer and healthier food choices when buying food and drinks. Food  allergy advice statements are not a legal requirements but many food  companies choose to provide such statement so never assume that a product is free from a food you are trying to avoid(eg. Gluten/crustacean) but please  read the ingredients list for allergen information prior to selection.

 

 

FITNESS

 

‎Fitness on the other hand is a sub category of health. It is a measure of the amount of physical capabilities than a measure of well being. Fitness is almost entirely the result of action within a person's control and staying fit is the main way to being well and healthy.Certainly food and drink can influence fitness, but the best way to increase  fitness involves the combination of aerobic and anaerobic exercises or simplified terms combining cardio and strength training/exercises ( Mark Levine, fitness instructor). In order to be fit you need to incorporate strength and cardio into your workouts. However it is possible for someone to be fit and not healthy if this person eat too much 'junk' food and be healthy and not necessarily fit if the person does not include enough exercises  in their everyday routine.

 

Regular physical activity is fun and healthy and incrreasingly more people are starting to become more active every day.

Being more active is very safe for most people. However, some people should check with their doctors before they start becoming much more physically active. If you're planning to become much more physically active than you are now,  then you need to answer the ff 7 lmportant PAR-Q questionnaires honestly to yourself with a 'Yes' or 'No' answer;

 

1. Has your doctor ever said that  you have a heart condition and that you should only do physical activity recommended by a doctor? 

2. Do you feel pain in your chest when you do physical activity? 

3. In the past month have had chest pain when you were not doing physical activity? 

4. Do you lose your balance because of dizziness or do you ever lose consciousness? 

5. Do you have a bone or join problem (eg, back, knee or hip) that could be made worse by a change in your physical activity? 

6. Is your doctor currently prescribing drugs (eg, water pills) for your blood pressure or heart condition? 

7. Do you know of any other reason why you should not do physical activity?  

 

If you have answered 'Yes' to one or mo re questions then you need to speak to your doctor before becoming much more physically active.

To stay healthy adults age 19 - 64 years should be active daily and should engage themselves  in exercising activities (moderate to intensive aerobics) for a period of  not less than150 minutes per week such as Brisk walking,  cycling,  swimming,  jogging,  etc.

 

They must also try and do alongside their aerobic exercises muscles strengthening activities for at least 2 days a week that workout all the major muscles group such as the legs,abs, back, hips,  chest, shoulders and arms. If you're unsure of how to perform any of these exercises correctly then please speak to a fitness instructor,  a personal trainer or a friend with experience to guide you. It is advisable to spread your workout over 5 days in a week.E xercise  are good but can be  dangerous if not done correctly. 

Alternatively, adults of the same age ( 19- 64) can also do a minimum of 75 minutes ie. (1hour 15mins) minimum of vigorous to intensive aerobics such as running, cycling  on hill climbing/incline position per week plus a minimum of 2 days muscle strengthening workouts. 

An equivalent mix of moderate to vigorous to intensive activities for 150mins (2hours 30mins) plus 2days or more muscle strengthening workouts.

 

‎Some Health benefits:

Given the enormous evidence,  it seems obvious that we all engage in some sort of physical activity.  It's important decision if we want to live a healthy and fulfilling life onto old age. The decision and choices to live a physically  active or sedentary life is within the control of individuals which is influenced by their behaviour/lifestyles. The choice is yours.  Here are few tips to help you make a choice today;  

It's medically proven that people who do regular physical activity have ;

 

• up to 35% lower risk of coronary heart disease and stroke

• up to 50% lower risk of type 2 diabetes

• up to 50% lower risk of colon cancer. 

• a 30% lower risk of premature/ early death

• up to 83% lower risk of osteo arthritis

• Up to 68% lower risk of hip fracture 

• A 30% lower risk of fall(among old people)

• Up to 30% lower risk of depression.

• Up to 30 % lower  risk  of dementia.

 

 

‎It is important to explain the two major types of exercises to finish off before question time; aerobic and anaerobic exercise comes down to the use of oxygen. Oxygen is carried through your breath to the muscles giving them the energy needed to sustain the effort during aerobic exercise. When we exercise aerobically our bodies use glycogen and fat as fuel. This low to moderate level of exertion can br sustained over a long period of time. As we breath more heavily with exertion carbon dioxide is expelled from your body. Lactic acid is not produced as it is with anaerobic exercise. On the   other hand, oxygen is not present at all  during anaerobic exercise.

 

 

 

‎Due to this reason anaerobic exercise or high intensity exercise last for a shorter period of time. 

 

It's worth  comparing  a sprinter   ( anaerobic) and a marathoner (aerobic).  With sprinting a person uses maximum effort that is sustained for a shorter period while with marathon a moderate effort is used for a longer.