Most individuals think that physical fitness and overall health go hand in hand. However, both terms refer to two physically separate conditions from a medical point of view.
Chronic health issues can exist in otherwise healthy persons, and vice versa.
If exercise and health are so similar, what sets them apart?
The World Health Organization (WHO) defines health as “a condition of total physical, mental, and social well-being and not just the absence of disease or disability.” Two indicators of good health are length and quality of life.
However, fitness is defined as a set of characteristics that an individual possesses or develops in relation to their physical ability.
Exercises that target the musculoskeletal, cardiovascular, and cardio-respiratory systems are considered fitness activities. Exercising is only one part of a healthy lifestyle that is crucial to staying in shape. However, it is not the sole determinant of a healthy condition. Maintaining a healthy lifestyle includes eating right, drinking enough water, getting enough sleep, and learning to cope with stress.
Just because you exercise regularly or engage in other forms of physical activity does not guarantee your health. Nutritional inadequacies and the underlying pathologies of chronic diseases that run in families cannot be prevented or reversed by exercise alone.
