The Quest for Health and Fitness

Every year like clockwork, the New Year arrives and shines a spotlight on all the New Years Resolutions that were made near the end of the previous year. One resolution in particular, totally amazes me. It is the one that declares a start or restart into personal health and fitness. It is made with all sincerity in December and generally fades into the shadows by the end of January. How can something so important as ones own health and fitness be tossed aside in less than a month? The simple fact is that most people simply do not understand all the ramifications of such an undertaking.

The truth is, a deficiency of regular rigorous exercise is harmful to your health and well being. It has been reported in such publications as The New England Journal of Medicine, that maximum exercise tolerance (MET) helps create longevity of life. Most of us understand that there are many benefits from appropriate exercise. However, it should also be noted that there are serious consequences related to being sedentary.

For example, muscles will atrophy (shrink) very rapidly without exercise and create a weak, soft and flabby appearance even if body fat increases have not yet taken place.

Lack of activity also affects the cardiovascular system in such a way that compromises lung capacity, blood circulation and can also increase risk of clogged arteries. As if all of that is not bad enough, body fat levels will rise and the metabolic rate will fall. This combination will cause any foods eaten to be stored as even more body fat. The longer the lack of sufficient exercise persists, the more these conditions will exist.

Remembering these situations and conditions will help solidify the continuing quest to stay on track for personal health and fitness. It's up to each of us. No one else will do it for us. THAT, you can be sure of.