Fitness – It is not just about Physical Health…



Oxford Dictionary defines fitness as "the condition of being physically fit and healthy". The stone age man did not have any workout programs or gym memberships, however he had better physique than us! They lived in wilderness and had to be alert for prowling animals. Uneven terrain, constant natural disasters and the struggle for survival are the secrets behind their fitness. These situations strengthened their muscles and boosted their mobility; they were also skilled in hunting, farming and running. The cherry on top of the cake is—they had a Palaeolithic diet, which boosted their immune system, psychological memory and helped in weight loss. Our ancestors have left us with a very healthy gift indeed! Many people are shifting to this diet because of its incredible virtues.

During the 80’s, Jazzercise—a form of choreography emphasizing on cardio and aerobics was a big thing. It was a decade of neon leotards, sweat bands, hula hoops, light weight dumbbells, leg warmers. In the 90’s, group fitness classes and gyms came into the picture. Since last year, technology and fitness have been walking hand-in- hand. Fitness trackers that track diverse amount of physiological parameters such as heart rate level, intermuscular glycogen storage, number of steps, distance travelled have come tumbling into the market! Our lifestyle has become extremely sedentary, thus why gyms are earning so many bucks. We paid loads of money to get a gym membership and tell our brain that "Ok! Time to get fit!" but end up neglecting it. That aside, the internet has enlightened us with healthy recipes that have high amount of proteins, less carbohydrates and fat. People have started using oils that have more omega-3 than omega-6; they have switched to organic and nutritional foodstuff. There is a huge wave of fitness craze going on this year due to the

rise in technology. We are trying to do whatever we can to avoid seeing a huge list of ailments. This year, many of us are moving from high-intensity interval training to a low impact training. Zumba dancing has replaced the 80’s trend of Jazzercise. Young and old population both attend Zumba classes to dance their way to slimness. However, overdoing workouts can also damage our body. It has to be given some time to recover and fix itself from the wear and tear caused by the regimes. Kayla Itsines workout is one such nice workout technique that is very well balanced in many aspects. Hence, too much of everything always ends up harmful.

Fitness not only depends on physical health, but also psychological health. For optimum mental health, daily physical exercise is required. Many psychological factors can affect our physique, such as—depression, low self-esteem, lack of sleep, stress and so on. Assertion, Visualization and Relaxation are three significant steps that should be taking in improving one’s mental health. Telling your mind positive messages such as "You are a good person with individuality, don’t compare" is known as assertion or affirmation. It helps in boosting self-confidence and self-esteem. Whereas, visualization is about visualizing situations where you are accomplished your aims. May it be weight loss or corporate goals; this surely relieves your stress and grants you motivation to work with persistence. Meditation and yoga are a part of relaxation; these give you relief from work pressure. Psychological and physical fitness are two sides of one coin; they should be balanced out. Once again, too much of something is not good.


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