‘The 7 Most Important Fitness Tips’

People often confuse ‘health’ with ‘fitness’ considering them to be synonyms, which is wrong. Health is a physiological state meaning ‘normal functioning’ of the body. If all pathological values are normal, you’re ‘healthy’, but ‘fitness’ is the ability to perform physical tasks beyond what is expected from a normal human being. If a 50-year-old looks and functions like a 50-year-old, then in all probability, he or she is ‘healthy’. But if that 50-year-old looks and functions like a 25-year-old, then we have a very ‘fit’ human being and if a 50-year-old looks, behaves and performs like a 70-year-old then we have a very ‘unfit’ individual. Ironically such an individual could be healthy at the same time! As a Fitness Educationist, I want to inspire people to be ambitious in goals related to their bodies. Aim for fitness, as aiming just for a healthy body doesn’t make you ‘fit’.

As I congratulate Parsi Times’ on its fabulous Seventh Anniversary, here are my Top Seven Fitness Tips for a fabulous you!

Fitness Tip 1: Train for comprehensive fitness. Follow a regime that focuses on all components of fitness viz. Cardio-respiratory endurance, Muscular Endurance, Flexibility, Musculoskeletal Strength, Ideal Body Composition.

Fitness Tip 2: While selecting strength training exercises, focus on ‘Structural Lifts’ like Squats , Deadlifts , Overhead Presses; as well as ‘Unsupported Compound Movements’ such as Bent Over Rows, Step Ups done using Free Weights. These will help one develop Functional Strength that will be useful in performing day to day physical tasks.

Fitness Tip 3: Selection of exercises for Strength, Endurance or Flexibiliy does not depend upon gender. There are no exercises that are ‘gender specific’. Hence train comprehensively, irrespective of gender.

Fitness Tip 4: There are no specific exercises for ‘Spot Reduction’. One cannot reduce body fat from a specific body part by exercising that body part more. So focus on holistic training.

Fitness Tip 5: You are never ‘too young’ nor ‘too old’ to embark on an exercise program. Working towards improving all components of fitness can start at any age.

Fitness Tip 6: Do not embark on a fitness program only ‘to lose weight’. Fitness regime should be to improve the physical capability of the body, improve physical performance, combat degenerative forces of ageing. This would require a comprehensive approach of eating as per sports nutrition guidelines and training comprehensively. Once this approach is taken, losing unwanted excess body fat is one of the many excellence consequences of the end result!

Fitness Tip 7: Eating ‘home food’ need not be better than eating out. One must eat based on Sports Nutrition guidelines and hence make smart selection of food choices. This can be done anywhere. Nutrition should be such that it helps fight ‘Reactive Oxidative Stress’ and thus ageing; protects body against infections and fights inflammation at a cellular level. Keeping the above in mind, a ‘High Fat- Low Carbohydrate-Moderate Protein’ approach is optimal for Metabolic Health.