Living a generally healthy lifestyle and becoming physically fit are two entirely different things. Living that healthy lifestyle is far less intense, and perhaps even more important, than improving your fitness level.
In other words, it is not always important to “kill yourself” in order to be healthy. In fact, it has been shown that previously sedentary individuals actually attain better results when exercising at lower intensities.
That said, advancing your fitness level can be one of the most rewarding things you do for yourself. You can feel an increased sense of wellbeing, boost your self confidence, have more energy, feel less pain… even overcome depression just by becoming more physically fit, but it does take hard work.
Becoming more fit is a balancing act of patience and urgency, of discipline and play, of know how and of blind faith. Some say that fit people are just born “lucky.” Well… the harder you work, the luckier you will get. Like Machiovelli once said, the means employed to attain an end will be what is required to maintain that end. So choose your methods and your aims carefully.
At the end of the day, any activity above and beyond what you are currently doing will produce some benefit.
Below are the National Strength and Conditioning Association guidelines for general health and for improved fitness levels.
Which of the two are you and which do you want to be?
General Health Activity Recommendations:
Frequency: 5-7 days per week
Intensity: Moderate (increase your heart rate, breath a bit heavier)
Time: 30 minutes total per day
Type: General activity; walking, using stairs, dancing, mowing yard.
Enjoyment: The higher the better!
Improved Fitness Recommendations:
Frequency: 5-7 days per week
Intensity: 60 – 90% of heart rate max (max = 220 minus your age)
Time: 20-60 minutes per day
Type: Any Activity
Enjoyment: The higher the better!
