Are Fit and Healthy the same?

Are Fit and Healthy the same?

We often lump the words fit and healthy together in the same sentence. But are they the same?

So I had a friend back home in London, A South African guy, he was actually the partner of one of Nats friends, but I digress. Anyway he was one of those big people. Like he just had a big bones, had a big frame, he naturally grew up playing a lot of Rugby (Union) and was deeply passionate about it. Did he choose the sport of did the sport choose him because of his frame?

Anyway, he was great, the loveliest gentle giant character if you will, he played a fair bit of sport, Rugby and water polo every week, but he also loved to ‘go’ to the rugby, which meant a massive drinking session, and I mean putting away 10-20 PINTS of beer. And he loved his red wine along with a really quality steak, and also had a massive sweet tooth.

So on the surface of it, if you looked at him, you’d probably say, he’s overweight and doesn’t look very fit.

This is where as a society, and in particular for women, for as long as we can remember we have been conditioned by main stream media to think that thinner is fitter and healthier. That being fit has a certain look. Look on the front cover of any fitness magazine and you’ll see what ‘fit’ looks like, look back through magazine and news articles and celebrities have been slammed for ‘letting themself go’ when in fact they actually look amazing, but it didn’t fit the skinnier, thinner look we had been conditioned to believe that we need to chase.

So, on the surface, my mate, did not look fit. And if you compared him with me at the time, you’d probably say I was fitter.

Now i’ll tell you, as much as i’d love to believe I was fitter than him. This guy had an incredible engine. We use that term to describe our cardiac ability to keep going. He would run non stop for a whole game of rugby whilst also getting bashed, it’s a bit like running a 10k whilst throwing in some Brazilian Ju Jitsu at the same time. I read somewhere that being in a Rugby tackle is like the same force and being in a car crash.

Then he’s also play water polo, and occasionally go to the gym. One of those naturally strong individuals, because of his size, he could just lift really heavy weights. So, he was fit, I think really fit.

I on the other hand, at the time, was lifting a fair amount of weights, but practically did no cardio. Had the zombie apocalypse come along, sure i’d hold off a zombie or 2 for a few minutes but i’d get chased down and eaten fairly quickly. My mate would have run all day long, but on the surface you might have assumed I had the better cardiac ability.

So, a) don’t judge a book by it’s cover and b) this brings me to my other point. Yes, my friend was fit, but was he healthy. I guess what I determine as healthy is what’s going on inside the body and how are the internal organs functioning. Whilst my friend had good muscle tone, he was pre diabetic, and whilst he had a great engine, he also had very high cholesterol, and his liver i’m sure was not in the greatest state also.

He would have lived this way, with this kind of diet for a good 20-30 years and it was starting to show. Whilst I think you definitely need some balance in your life when it comes to your diet, I think he probably took it to the extreme a lot for too long and it is having an effect.

Anyway, i’m not sure if this is helpful, but I think we need to not be thinking people are fit or unfit just based on how they look. Think about how the media has conditioned us to think, and also know that the body likes to store a bit of fat. The fat is actually good for us for protecting out organs, keeping us warm and balancing our hormones. And especially for women they tend to store more fat than men.

Dieting down to very lean levels can sometimes do more harm than good with women losing their period or sending their hormones out of whack, but that’s a chat for another time.

Focus on keeping your body fit, and your insides healthy through a balanced diet and you’ll be sweet.

Lawrence x