Are You Fit or Healthy?

Are you fit or healthy? That’s a trick question because I hope you are both! Unfortunately, many are one or the other. Back in 1997, I was exercising hours a day and weighed only 97 pounds at 5′ 10″. I was fit, but I was not healthy due to mismanaging stress. I thought I would share the difference and how you can strive to be both, which ideally is balanced health and where I reside today.

Let’s start with being fit. We see these folks living at the gym, exercising hours upon hours. These same people often leave the gym to go get fast food and eat their evening ice cream. They think because they have put the hours in that they can eat whatever they want. Some handle stress like I did with over activity without proper nutrition. In either case, they may be fit but they certainly aren’t healthy.

Then we have healthy people who are mindful of what they eat and usually have low blood pressure, but they can have weak muscles and frail bones because they don’t exercise. These people tend to be rail thin with zero endurance because they don’t exercise. They rely on a severe reduction of calories to maintain. They may have healthy markers, but they are not fit.

Neither of these is where you want to be. Fit people with poor nutrition can be walking time bombs, and uber skinny people who eat like birds are one fall away from hospitalization. You probably have been each of these, but I want to help you be both fit and healthy at the same time.

Fitness requires daily cardiovascular exercise for the heart along with resistance training for your muscles and bones. It’s what gives us stamina and endurance to deal with life and do more than just survive. When we are fit, we can take on new challenges and participate in outdoor and/or athletic activities. Even if you are a city person, being fit makes you look better in your clothes!

Being healthy means we are putting proper fuel or nutrition into our bodies, not garbage. We are eating plenty of fresh fruits and vegetables, lean proteins and limiting our intake of process foods. We drink plenty of water knowing our brain and muscles consist of 75 percent water! When we eat right, we are sharper mentally with a clearer focus and ability to function. Our body is happy on the inside.

Strive for both fit and healthy, and you have a winning combination that sets you up for not only longevity of life but quality. Should you need some coaching or assistance striking a balance between these two, I can help! I am a certified professional person trainer and life coach here to help you bet your best. I also have a great book on how to maximize each chapter of life you face, starting in your 30s and going through to 100: Fit Over 50. May this chapter of life be your best yet!