‘Fit’ and ‘healthy’ are used synonymously most of the time; but are they the same? Actually, no. While fit refers to external or physical fitness; being healthy is more integrative and comprehensive. One can be fit and not healthy at the same time owing to a perfect outer physical appearance; however, there can be much chaos going on internally concerning mental and behavioural aspects.
While taking care of our health we are primarily focused on taking care of our physical fitness; maintaining an ideal body weight, fat loss or a certain musculature become prime goals. However it is pivotal to understand that this fitness is just a component of health and not the entire health.
As per the World Health Organization (WHO), “Health is a state of complete physical, mental, and social well-being and not merely the absence of disease or infirmity.”
In the concurrent world of aesthetics, we are running after the ‘look good’ tag; hitting the gym for hours to attain a certain shape or to shed off some pounds. Layering your face with tons of skin products but missing out on basic skin hygiene? Similarly, we might not know the health status of our internal organs. How healthy is the heart, lungs, or liver? No wonder numerous examples can be quoted when people are seemingly fit but there is news that someone passed away while or after doing some strenuous workout.
It is here we miss to correlate that so and so was fit. How can he or she suffer a heart stroke or heart failure? Again, the answer is fit is not always healthy.
One can be at an optimal weight but might have high-fat content owing to raised lipid profiles and setting the stage for a cluster of cardiovascular diseases to plunge in. Or one can have an ideal BMI (Body Mass Index) but might have high-fat content around the vital organs or around the belly that is alarming. Likewise, one can appear lean and thin but might have nutritional deficiencies. Vitamin D deficiency, iron deficiencies, and calcium deficiencies are highly common in otherwise apparently fit individuals.
Likewise, the mental and behavioural aspects are equally important in the context of fitness and health. If an individual is battling a mental illness like generalised anxiety disorder or depression, certain chemicals or hormones are being released that are not favouring the optimal health to thrive. His/her physical fitness can lie but mental health won't.
Then coming to the social aspect; there is growing social aloofness amongst people which is again not a healthy sign. It is no more a rare sight to spot people sitting with family or at gatherings but immersed in their screens and smiling in their virtual world instead of having a real connection. We are far more comfortable in communicating virtually but finding it difficult to face real people and real situations. No wonder that is a red flag and a precursor to various socio-mental disorders; such as low confidence, social anxiety, bipolar disorders, and ADHD (Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder), to name a few.
Sleep deprivation, toxic relationships (personal and professional), prolonged working hours and conditions, and persistent lethargy are some of the stress builders that profoundly debilitate the overall health and wellbeing. Usually, they go brushed under the carpet, till the alarm beeps of an emergency and then, it gets too late to find a clue and rectify things.
That being said, fitness is just the tip of the iceberg and we need to get to rock bottom to make both inner and outer persona shine!
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