The Swedish Pilates Studio

Fitness should be all about a healthy body not model looking bodies!!!

We are constantly fed by media about celebrities diets and training for the perfect body, but is that really the focus we should have? I admit I don’t mind having a fit body that looks athletic but most of all I want my body to be healthy.

Being skinny is not being fit. You can have a skinny body, but an unhealthy inside. You can have weak muscles and bad joints and not be able to move or function well.

Being at a good weight is part of being fit. But it’s not everything. It also means that your muscles and joints are fit and healthy, you can walk, run, jump, climb, bend over, etc. It means you can lift your own groceries, tie your shoes and run after your children or grand children.

You can get slim by not eating anything but that is not healthy, but you can’t be fit by doing nothing.

It’s all about the balance!

If the gap between meals is too long your body gets too hungry. This is the reason people overeat at their next meal. That’s why it’s important to carry a healthy snack in your bag so that you aren’t starving by the time your next meal comes around. This way you keep supplying your body with energy throughout the day. A lot of people feel it is hard to keep track of your eating habits when you are working. But it’s not! It is as easy as carrying a fruit in your bag or bringing a home-cooked meal for lunch instead of eating out.

So, after we have the meals under control what should we do for the muscles and joints?

As you have heard so many times before it’s all about mixing cardio and weight training.

Whatever form of cardio you prefer, it can be swimming, zumba, running or walking you need to do weight training as well. Weight training is important because it tones your body. Weight training does not mean that you will have big bulging muscles. In fact, it is important for everyone since it helps tone lean muscles and helps make bones stronger.  Lean muscles are calorie-burning machines and it will make your metabolism soar. Cardio is important for your heart. But, cardio is not enough on its own. Neither is weight training. You have to do both to become fit!!

Getting my heart pumping, my muscles working, my lungs out of breath, and some sweat dripping just makes me feel so alive. The numbers on the scale and the size jeans I wear are just markers, indicators; icing on the cake, actually.

And that’s what a healthy body is all about!!!!!

Yours in Health & Fitness,

Birgitta
www.newfitness.com.au