What is Fitness?

Fitness can be referred as an exceptional state that is achieved when body and mind is tuned in a

structured way. A healthy mind and body is required to attain Serenity and Happiness in life. How do

we fine-tune them? Every individual is endowed with unique mind and body mechanism. Hence, a

common approach would not fit all. It is recommended to understand this concept thoroughly and

choose a methodology that suits the individual.

Unique Lives Unique Solutions – To comprehend this better, let us assume human body as a string

instrument that has four strings. As long as the tension in these strings remains proper, the music

generated sounds desirable. Added tension leads to high pitch and lesser tension drops the pitch.

Now let learn in detail about the four strings in human body.

1. Cardio Vascular Fitness

Deals with how the respiratory system – Heart and Lungs, cope to various functions carried out

in the human body.

2. Muscular Fitness

Depends on how strong, flexible, fast and functional the muscles are.

3. Psychological Fitness

Psychological fitness is essential to keep the cardiovascular and muscular systems intact. For

instance, a short tempered person is prone to cardiovascular diseases and high blood pressure.

Whereas, a person with less self esteem finds it difficult to compete despite having strong

muscles because of poor psychological fitness.

4. Energy System

Unless the energy system is soundly built, both mind and body related functions are prone to

damage. Energy does not depend only on the food we consume. It is generated even from the

water we drink and the air we breathe.

All these strings in the human body together help in performing our day to day activities. Never

forget that this musical instrument requires adequate Rest.

Human body acts as different musical instruments as it ages. For the first 30 years, it appears very

active like guitar. For the next 30 years, it turns out to be bit heavier like Veena. Hence, it needs to

be handled carefully. For the later 30 years, it seems to be Sitar which is fragile and needs delicate attention.
It is must to design the lifestyle according to their ages. If properly designed, the human body can stay as
Guitar even during 60s. This is the objective of CFR training.

Why Fitness?

If you take a closer look into the evolution of mankind, early human kept moving from place to

place. This was largely done by walking, where he depended on his legs for many centuries. Early

human is believed to walk for 12 miles a day as per researches. He did not eat Paleo diet and sat in

front of computers back then. For the past 5000 years, human kind does not seem to show any

improvement in evolution. Rather industrial evolution is drastically advanced ever since the past. Do

you think this is the last stage of human evolution? Definitely not; The industrial evolution has taken

dominance over human evolution. What we think as the biggest achievement in industrialization is

just 10% of the brain potency. Our ancestors have achieved multiple times of this development

centuries ago. We cannot simply deem this as a myth. Physical activities had remained as a

significant factor for their sturdy lifestyle.

In modern days, human prominence has been dominated by the mechanical lifestyle where most of

our time is spent in front of the computers and smart devices which is slowly degenerating the

humankind. How long will this go on? This hopeless way of living does not stop with us. This is being

spread to the next generation like an inherited disease. It is essential for every individual to cease

this by beginning a healthy lifestyle.

How to set up a healthy lifestyle?

If you plan to start your fitness routine seeing superficial celebrity transformation or next door

marathoner, you are taking it wrong. Chuck the thought of 10 kg weight loss/ weight gain, it should

not be the ground moto. Though anything is achievable, it is crucial to get in the right mindset for a

good beginning. Start by keeping in mind that “Fitness is Fun”. This is necessary since you are about

to do a lifestyle modification. It is more like brushing your teeth. To have healthy and whiter teeth,

you should brush them every day over a period of time. Although the goal is met, how long does the

process go on to sustain the results? The familiar question that is asked to many fitness trainers is

that “Master! Will the results vanish if I stop training?” This is mainly because of poor understanding

in the concept of exercise and health. This is more like asking “Should we brush our teeth every

day?” It is obvious what happens if we do not brush them daily. Similarly following a Metabolic

Transformation, exercises should be carried out in the desired intensity and intervals. Otherwise,

the muscles you gained will start depleting in a course of 3 to 6 months. Instead of getting terrified

about this process, start thinking it as Fun. Eventually it would turn to be easier. Exercise must

become habitual like brushing or bathing.

In general, human body can be classified into 3 main types

1. Ectomorph – Thin

2. Mesomorph – Medium

3. Endomorph – Stout

To achieve the medium level stereotype, the other 2 counterparts perform training. Those who are

already in the mesomorph category, work out to further shape themselves. This is termed as

Metabolic Transformation. This requires a specific period. Based on my personal experience, it takes

3 years to get this transformation done. An instant query that pops up in mind – “The muscle growth

that we attain in a quick span of 3 months is fake?” – Of course not. But to achieve a healthy

lifestyle, consistency is the key.

First step in making this lifestyle modification is ensuring yourself that you are going to follow a

particular routine over a defined period. It is a common practice for any routine for any intervals.

Any exercise regimen that has been carried out over a period of 40 days, becomes a habit – A

lifestyle modification. From there, it is easier to set the right goals according to your needs. Without

this clear thought, the ideology of fitness remains clumsy.

Persistence prevails.