Take care of physical fitness because fitness and health go together.
Health has many dimensions and physical health is one. Physical fitness and health go together.We often hear the statement that health is wealth. But health is usually taken for grated. All the advances in the field of modern medicine are generally directed at curative services. Cost of medical services is going up regularly. Even health insurance is not able provide for all the expenses. In such a situation people should take every precaution to maintain good health. While some factors influencing our health are beyond our control (genetic factors for example) many diseases are caused by improper food habits, lack of exercises and bad habits like cigarette smoking and alcoholism. 
Exercising daily is extremely important for maintaining physical fitness and health. Today people are spending too much of time watching TV and playing video games. The advances in information technology, though highly useful has produced a group of people who are glued to the computer all the time. Many young people who are highly ambitious of making plenty of money ignore their health leading sedentary lives. They pay a heavy price in later life. The advance in science and technology has resulted in availability of many fitness equipments. They are quite useful for those who can afford them. Treadmills and cycles are useful for aerobic exercises. The more sophisticated ones display the caloric expenditure per session. Other equipments are available to exercise abdominal muscles, shoulders and legs. These equipments make exercising enjoyable. Daily aerobics exercises strengthen the heart and keep the blood vessels elastic. India has given to the world a system of exercises called Yogasanas which does not require the purchase of any equipment. It is better to teach young children to practice them as their bodies are more flexible. Regular practice of these asanas goes a long way in preventing many diseases like backache and joint problems. While more research in needed to ascertain whether regular practice of yogasanas can prevent other diseases there is absolutely no doubt about its beneficial effects. Proper food, regular exercises and avoidance of smoking and consumption of alcohol help considerably in maintaining physical health which also has an impact on mental health.
Flexibility: It is the range of movement enjoyed by various joints. Yogasanas greatly improve flexibility. Cardio-respiratory endurance: If a person has to do any extra work the heart has to pump more blood and the lungs have to supply more oxygen. The ability of heart and lungs to cope with additional workload is known as cardio-respiratory endurance. Regular aerobic exercises will improve the cardio-respiratory endurance so that the person does not get fatigued easily and help in safeguarding fitness and health. Body composition: A person with excess fat in the body is prone to get diseases. When we exercise regularly any extra fat is burned for providing energy and the muscles develop. Strength of muscles: This is the ability of muscles to perform a task-for example lifting a weight. Muscular endurance: This is the ability of muscles to perform sustained activity like walking or running. Children should be encouraged to play outdoor games for sometime regularly. Swimming and cycling are other enjoyable exercises. It is desirable to teach swimming to every child. Apart from being a very good exercise it can be life saving in certain situations. It is a good idea to attend a gym, if one is nearby, as one gets motivated by seeing others exercising and keeping fit. Childhood obesity is becoming a major problem and all parents should motivate children to exercise regularly and explain the consequences of obesity. Elderly people should cultivate the habit of walking daily if they cannot do other exercises. It is better to go for early morning walk as they can get fresh air. Regular walking is also helpful in maintaining fitness and health. Beware of your paunch: It is said that an adult is one who stops growing at the ends and starts growing in the middle. Many people develop a paunch around forty years which is quite unsightly and also bad for overall health. This can be prevented with regular exercises. However once it develops, more effort will be required to get rid of it. Today there are special equipments to strengthen the abdominal muscles.
Return from fitness and health to good family life
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