What Does Being Healthy and Fit Do?

Mr Incredible is superhuman, and it seems we all want to be just like him.

‘Health’ and ‘Fitness’ are meaningless terms by themselves. They only become meaningful when you take the time to give your own personal definition to them as it applies to you.

Many people will change the way they eat, exercise and live in an effort to be ‘healthier’ and ‘fit’, but how do you measure this?

One of the obvious answers is the look of your body. It’s reasonable to assume that a healthy body is a healthy looking body.

There are other metrics like blood markers of disease risk and physical ability to do work (running a distance for time etc)

But these don’t seem like an end in and of themselves but rather sign posts along the way.

I believe all of our health and fitness pursuits are simply an effort to cheat death and live as long as possible. After all would do an exercise that made you look better, and made you more fit, and reduced your risk of disease, but also shortened your life?

John

Posted by johnbarban in Health
Tags: Fitness, healthy lifestyle |14 Comments

14 Responses to “What Does Being Healthy and Fit Do?”

  1. Mike Navin Says:
    May 19th, 2010 at 11:57 am

    Agree on the issue of cheating death. Since I started really paying attention to my “health and fitness” 10 years ago, it’s come along way and now that I’m in my late 30s, and tell people I meet how old I am, they’re pretty shocked and had assumed I was in my mid to late 20s. Not a bad thing when you’re in a bar full of 20-something women.:)

  2. Jim Says:
    May 19th, 2010 at 12:18 pm

    I agree with the cheating death idea. Getting fit doesn’t stop the ageing process unfortunately.

    John it would be incredible (pun intended) if you could get Aubrey de Grey to appear on one of your podcasts, I know he works on £1 million a year and is in desperate need of more funding for his research, maybe a podcast could spread awareness of the SENS organisation?

  3. Jason Says:
    May 19th, 2010 at 3:21 pm

    I think being healthy and fit gives you a sense of control. Control of your body composition, control of your activities and schedule, etc. If I just had all day to eat like crazy and lay on the couch, it would never end.

  4. FitXcel Says:
    May 19th, 2010 at 5:31 pm

    If you’re like me, they help you perform better doing the things you love. For me, that’s soccer. For some, it’s running or biking or whatnot.

    -Drew

  5. usernametooshortnowitstoolon Says:
    May 19th, 2010 at 7:51 pm

    “I believe all of our health and fitness pursuits are simply an effort to cheat death and live as long as possible. After all [who] would do an exercise that made you look better, and made you more fit, and reduced your risk of disease, but also shortened your life?”

    Well said, John. I like how you always are able to reduce everything to its most base meaning, e.g. people lift weights to look better and any other reason is pretty much B.S.

  6. usernametooshortnowitstoolon Says:
    May 19th, 2010 at 7:55 pm

    FitXcel,

    Yes, but then you’re not exercising to be more fit and healthy but rather for soccer, so you’re really not an exception to John’s rule. I agree with John – people strive to be healthier and fitter to live longer. In your case, FitXcel, you exercise not to be healthier and fitter (although I’m sure those are auxiliary benefits) but for soccer.

  7. FitXcel Says:
    May 20th, 2010 at 12:48 am

    Is there really a difference? If I weren’t healthy or fit, I wouldn’t be any good at soccer. I’m not trying be be an exception to a rule. I’m just saying why. If I couldn’t play soccer, life wouldn’t be nearly as enjoyable.

    As John said, I’m making them meaningful to me, not necessarily to anyone else.

    -Drew

  8. usernametooshortnowitstoolon Says:
    May 20th, 2010 at 1:22 am

    FitXcel, people exercise for different motives. Your motive is to get better with soccer. Then there are people who exercise to get healthy and fit. John is talking about the latter.

  9. Wood Says:
    May 20th, 2010 at 2:44 am

    i work out to look better. It doesnt happen, but I try lol. I dont think I can do anything to live longer, expcept I dont smoke, dont drink and try to eat responsibly.
    But If someone told me If I give 5 years to look like Flex Wheeler in his peak condition in the rest of my life.. well i would be thinking…

  10. FitXcel Says:
    May 20th, 2010 at 6:04 am

    I think John is talking about everyone. It’s all just different parts of the same spectrum. Like John said, “signposts along the way.”

    Just my opinion.

    -Drew

  11. Paramjit Says:
    June 20th, 2010 at 9:53 am

    Great question. We exercise and keep healthy to cheat death and look good. Most people do it first to look good. They only start looking at a health at a much later time in their lives.

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