Health vs. Fitness

What do you immediately think of when you hear the word “health”? Maybe you think about a doctor’s office or your most recent blood work. I bet most people think about eating a balanced diet, or waking up early to run; you probably see someone who lives a life in balance. Health is associated with lower stress levels, more energy, and insatiable cravings for whole grains, organic almond butter and Wasa crackers, which have the eerily similar shape and texture of those treats you feed giraffes at the zoo.  

Now think about the word “fitness”. Does something different come to mind?

When you see the pictures above, you immediately think, “WOW, he’s super healthy and I bet her liver enzymes are immaculate.” I doubt you're thinking about her enzyme profile or his “healthy” chest and abs. Instead you’re thinking-ripped/fit/hottie.

The words “health” and “fitness” have been used in combination and often interchangeably despite the differences in their meanings.  Merriam-Webster defines the words as follows:

Health- the condition of being sound in body, mind, or spirit; especially: freedom from physical disease or pain

Fitness- put into a suitable state : made ready > b: being in such a state as to be or seem ready to do or suffer something

The reason I am taking the time to define health vs. fitness is because I have people in front of me on a daily basis who have not made the distinction between what it takes to be healthy and what it takes to be fit. Often, I have someone describe a “ripped/fit/hottie” physique as his/her ideal, but when faced with the issue of overfeeding to add muscle mass or aggressive underfeeding to remove excess body fat, the program comes to a screeching halt. I will hear, “I want to get HU-UUGE, bro! I mean like a lot bigger- and strong, too.  ”

I say, “Cool, there are three easy steps: 1) Lift heavy weights 2)Take your protein powder 3)Eat 2-3 peanut butter and jelly sandwiches per day in addition to what you already eat. To recap, all you need is heavy weights, protein powder, and peanut butter and jelly.”

After a week, I ask the little guy, “How are those peanut butter and jelly sandwiches? How was squat day?” The response I get is the same 97% of the time…

“Oh, well, I don’t wanna get fat so I’m sticking to broccoli and chicken breast, and I heard that squats are bad for your knees, so I did the leg press and some curls ” or some such other bologna that can only be received to my ears as, “I don’t care if I get bigger.”

Then, we hop on the scale and it has not moved, or even worse gone down because of the added intensity of the new program. Keeping low body fat levels is very healthy, and from a health standpoint, I would rarely ever recommend adding body fat. Also, squats done incorrectly are terrible for your knees, and most people who are looking for general health have no real need to do heavy squats. The problem is Tiny Tim said he wanted to be HU-UUGE, not add small amounts of lean mass at a moderate pace. He came with an extreme goal, and is unwilling to go to extreme measures (If you can call eating like an adult and learning how to squat without getting injured “extreme”).  

I hear something to this affect regularly as well, “I hate working out because it hurts my joints and it makes me feel totally exhausted and I never lose any weight anyway. I have been in the gym for 2 hours a day and nothing is happening.” Or, “I am starving!! I never eat anything and I still don’t lose weight. WTF?!”

When I hear comments like this, I question if the person to whom I am speaking is taking his/her health into consideration. If weight loss is not occurring in spite of extreme efforts, I can assure you that your metabolism is not working for you. Throwing drastic and aggressive tactics at an already frail and unhealthy metabolism is never going to bring you success. You first need to find health through an approach that includes resistance training, cardio, smart food intake, wise supplementation, and recovery/flexibility/injury prevention.

Obtaining a high level of fitness, like a super muscular physique, a powerlifting or strongman contest, or even endurance races like triathlons or marathons, will always push you past the point of “…freedom from physical disease or pain”. It is the very nature of these events that they are painful, will push you past your current physical and mental limitations and especially in the case of ultralow body fat levels, bring you closer to disease not farther away from it.

As you are assessing your current goals, it is important to consider where you are in the journey. Are you seeking a fitness goal? If so be ready to make big changes, push yourself past the point of what is, by definition, healthy, and into an imbalanced approach full of extremes.  Maybe you are in a place where you need an approach that gets your body back to healthy so you can look and feel better and reap the benefits of a metabolism that is working for you instead of against you. Remember:

               Health=free of pain and disease.

Fitness=prepared to perform a task or endure suffering.

What you want out of your time and efforts in and out of the gym are completely up to you. Just do yourself the favor of being realistic with what you want, and make sure that your approach matches your goals.

Picture of Chad taken 6-10-2011

The information and discussions on this webstie/blog are intended for general information only.  You should not rely on any of the statements made without consulting a medical professional of your choosing.