Food/ Health & Wellness

Why We Should Concentrate More On Fitness Rather Than On Weight

In a society obsessed with looks, it is easier to miss the fitness level

The obesity issue around the world has created a myth that being thin is healthy and desirable. This is not always true, because your weight, while important, cannot define your fitness level.

The Oxford Dictionary defines fitness as:

‘’A condition of being physically fit and healthy, the quality of being suitable to fulfil a particular role or task.’’

So it is imperative that one can be of an ideal weight and not fit and vice versa. This is because you can eat minimally but all the wrong food will not make you fit healthwise.

‘’Losing weight is a healthy goal, and [one] I wouldn’t ignore. But zeroing in and focusing too much attention on that specific goal can be counterproductive,” says Stephen Devries, MD, a preventive cardiologist and associate professor of nutrition at the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health. “The quality of your diet is also important. Even if people are not successful at losing weight, if they’re able to shift to a healthier quality of diet, that can be helpful. Because the goal [of fitness] is for people to live more fully and to live longer.”

Women are particularly more at risk of compromising weight with fitness because we want to feel and look beautiful and be desirable. We are deceived by the so-called media influencers who portray unrealistic body images, advertisements, and weight loss plans year in, and year out.

Focussing On Weight Can Be Harmful

Although an ideal weight is significant in health, it is still not the best test of fitness, because being of an ideal weight does not mean you don’t have serious health issues.

“Fitness is a far better indicator of our quality of life, our mental health, our physical health, and our longevity than just being thin, which for many people is a very short-term achievement,” says Danna Hunnes. “A lot of times people lose weight, and then they gain it all back and more. I believe that this focus on thinness is really to our own detriment.” Danna Hunnes, A Clinical Dietician at UCLA Medical Centre.

Focusing on weight makes us look for quick fixes, and rapid weight loss methods which often do not produce the desired results in the long run.

“Many of these quick fixes are not sustainable. They’re not healthy,. you could eat a very poor-quality diet that’s calorie-restricted, and you could lose weight. But it would certainly not have any health benefits because of the unhealthy parts that you’ve introduced in your diet.” Stephen Devries.

These unhealthy habits can have a tremendous impact on our mental health as well, giving us, eating disorders, body dysmorphia, anxiety and depression.

Four Ways To Focus On Healthy Living Instead

Have a balance Plate. The most important thing here is to eat right, that is get the right nutrition daily in your meals. This means you should have what nutritionists call, A DIVERSE PLATE, where your meal provides you with a variety of essential nutrients.

Eat Right simply means having more natural foods than processed ones. This means eating more fruits and vegetables than animal products. Drink more water than ready juices. And if you fancy juices, make them yourself in your own home. Those shop ones do contain ingredients for longer shelf life. Ensure the body is well hydrated.

Be Active, and do not be a couch potato. Get moving, take a daily walk and or exercise daily. Look for one that resonates with you, for instance, you may love cycling, dancing, pilates, yoga or rope skipping. These are easy ones you can do on your own without much ado. You can easily get help on YouTube videos to do these at home.

Know Your Body, and listen to it. The body is the number one indicator that gives a clue if it is not feeling right. Eat when you are hungry, and do not overeat.

Three Ways To Measure Fitness?

Fitness is the measure of our overall health condition. These can be done in three ways:

Metabolic Measurements, that is blood sugar level, cholesterol, and blood pressure range.

Waist Measurement, says a lot about whether you have trunkal obesity or not. A person with a high waist circumference is at higher risk because of visceral fats (also known as toxic fat).

Body Composition Percentage. This indicates how much fat, muscle and bone you carry in your body. A healthy person should have more muscle mass than fat because more fat can signify risks of some diseases like cancer, diabetes, heart disease etc.

The Takeaways

• Physical activity also improves mental well-being.
• Excess stored fat is not healthy overall and can increase one’s risk of diabetes, heart failure, and fatigue.
• Try cooking from scratch as this improves appetite when you eat fresh.

DISCLAIMER

Although great research has gone into this post to give the genuine substance to it, nevertheless it does not still represent professional advice in any way. Please consult your professional health expert about concerns that you have. It is therefore given for readers’ interest and entertainment only. Thank you.😑

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