Most people believe that being healthy and fit go hand in hand. Yet, from a medical perspective, these terminology cover two distinct states of physical being.
Fit people can also have underlying chronic health concerns, and vice versa.
What distinguishes health from fitness, then?
Health is “a condition of total physical, mental, and social well-being and not only the absence of disease or disability,” according to the World Health Organization (WHO). Longevity and a high quality of life are two measures of health.
On the other hand, fitness is described as a collection of qualities people possess or attain that have to do with their capacity to engage in physical activity.
Fitness is defined as any physical activity that stimulates and improves the function of the body’s musculoskeletal, cardiovascular, and cardio-respiratory systems. A healthy lifestyle is essential to fitness and includes exercise. It does not, however, represent the only factor influencing an ideal healthy state. A balanced diet and nutrition, sufficient hydration, upholding a physiological sleep cycle, and stress management all contribute to health.
You won’t necessarily be healthy just because you are physically active or just concentrate on your exercise routines. Exercise by itself cannot stop the start of or reverse physiological damage brought on by nutritional deficiencies or the pathologies of chronic diseases that are inherited or have a family history of them.
