Here's one I made earlier

Oof. Busy as sin at the moment, from training and work. Because of that, I thought I'd dig out this old article I wrote a year or so ago. What does being fit and healthy mean to you, and what would you do to get there?

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The Difference between Health and Fitness

Kick around in the park - fun and social

A lot of people talk about ‘getting fit’, or trying to be ‘healthy’. It’s the sort of vague New Year’s resolution or earnest promise that often falls by the wayside, precisely because it can mean almost anything. The key thing is to understand exactly what being fit or healthy entails.

Most people aren’t influenced by the government’s constantly changing recommended level of weekly exercise. For most people, it’s about somehow enriching their lives in some fashion. It’s about fun, achievement. Otherwise it would be hard for many people to continue, because the truth is, when you begin any exercise regime for the first time, it’s a sore and painful experience.



For a lot of people, the goal is simply to lose a bit of weight, to put on a bit of muscle, or just to have a bit more energy in day to day life. For others, it’s the pursuit of a specific goal, such as lifting a certain amount of weight, reaching a certain time, or increasing sporting performance.

Some people are attracted by the prospect of competition, whether it’s with others, or with themselves. Some exercise for the sake of it: exercise produces endorphins, giving you a satisfying natural high. Many find this reward to be worth the effort of strenuous exercise: another similar phenomenon is the ‘adrenaline junkie’, who enjoys the thrill of extreme sports. Sporting clubs are also a great way of meeting like-minded people, so there’s also a social element involved.

Pumping iron. Less fun, less social

However, it’s not uncommon for a hobby to become a huge part of someone’s life, and it can become an all consuming passion or obsession. It can put you under massive physical stress, especially when balanced alongside work and family commitments. It can wear down the immune system, defeating the initial purpose of exercising.

It’s easy for new hobbies to take over a huge part of your life, to the detriment of your career, your family life, and your social life. And this was supposed to be fun!

For many people who get wrapped up in their chosen pursuits, the initial vague goal of getting fitter or healthier fades away. A lot of sports aren’t particularly good for the body. For example, marathon runners put enormous strain on their bodies, arguably putting themselves through more punishment than is good for them. But are there other less tangible benefits?

Achieving goals and seeing improvements can give real boosts to your confidence, including a sense of purpose, confidence, and self-worth. Suffering in the name of performance can teach us valuable lessons about self sacrifice. It might be sub-optimal physically, but it can do wonders for your mentality.

For example, I’m a mixed martial artist. I can train at a high intensity for long periods of time: by anyone’s standards, I have excellent cardiovascular fitness. But am I healthy? I’m not an old man, but sometimes I hobble like one. My ankle clicks, and there’s something wrong with my knee and I’m not sure if I want to know what it is. I’m constantly weary through over-exertion. Several joints ache, and certain movements hurt- sometimes a lot.

Mark Coleman - "Daddy's OK"

My coaches and teammates have similar lists of complaints, and the general consensus is that it’s an unavoidable part of the sport and the hard training that goes with it. For us, the benefit is not about getting fit, it’s about the excitement and the love of the sport, and the hard work, pain and injuries are a price worth paying. Getting in shape is a requirement, not an end.

Some people, such as professional sportsmen or those with an extreme dedication to healthy living, will alter their diets in the pursuit of peak performance. They might ingest all kinds of pills, supplements and food products, or eat as cleanly as possible in order to feel good, both physically and ethically.

I have a friend who lives on a raw food vegan diet, while I’ve just opened a book on healthy living that recommends the broccoli sandwich as part of a healthy lifestyle. Now that’s not exactly high up on my list of tasty treats. That said, while supplements such as wheatgrass can be hard to stomach, others such as the ultra trendy goji or açai berries are actually rather tasty.

And what about alcohol? Many super fit athletes or health conscious individuals foreswear alcohol altogether. Conversely, there are also countless studies that suggest that daily moderate intake of red wine gives great health benefits and numerous high profile athletes do go along with this.

Some athletes may smoke despite the fact it might hinder their performance, balancing reward against risk, while others find that upping their training is the incentive they need to kick the habit.

There is a minefield of excess information in the world today. If you look hard enough, you can find information conflicting with and discrediting just about anything else. If you want to believe in a particular trend or habit, you can almost always find some sort of evidence corroborating it, even if it’s just anecdotal.

In other words, sometimes it’s best to realise that it may be better to make a few sub-optimal choices in terms of lifestyle and diet, so long as you feel happy about it. I came across a French bar saying that tickled me and illustrates the point pretty well: ‘white wine may be bad for the nerves, but it’s not as bad as no white wine’. The key thing is finding a balance that works for you. Think of the more extreme diets used by champions over the years such as Michael Phelp’s ridiculous high calorie diet.

A normal, healthy, balanced male

The Oxford English Dictionary defines health as ‘the state of being free from illness or injury’ or ‘a person’s mental or physical condition’. Health is about looking and feeling good. It can mean being mentally and physically able, being physically fit enough to live an active lifestyle without discomfort, and having an immune system that rarely succumbs to illness. It means exercising, eating, and drinking a moderate amount. It means being able to enjoy your life, however you see fit. Whatever path you choose, the important thing is that it makes you feel good– now that’s a healthy way to live.