Is Being Fit Necessary for Good Health?

 Is Being Fit Necessary for Good Health?

You probably have no idea, which is surprising if you're anything like me.

I don't see why not.

We neglect to track our health metrics because we are preoccupied with achieving the ideal body type.

"So in truth, in the process of building a better body, we regrettably may forget all about our health." So, we're really into getting those six-pack abs, and we're putting in a lot of time and effort on the treadmill first thing in the morning to burn off all that belly fat. Ignoring our health for the sake of getting a better physique is, unfortunately, a real possibility.

Curiously, a lot of individuals think that being physically fit just naturally leads to better health. That improving one's physical condition is the path to health.

Accordingly, my thoughts were also influenced.

Remember when I shared one of my biggest "Ah-ha moments" with you in an earlier Editor's Letter for "Truth Matters"? I had to come clean about my use of anabolic steroids. Honestly, I'm embarrassed by it. But I want to be forthright because showing your imperfections is an essential part of any healthy friendship.

I was actually killing myself inside at the time, even though I must have seemed super healthy to the average observer. The chemicals I was using were gradually harming my health.

Years later, I had a revelation that would awaken me to the relentless quest of achieving the greatest possible physique within the limits of my genetics and ultimately lead me to my life's work: instructing others to do the same.

Nonetheless, I gleaned a profound truth from this experience: we go in life either toward health or toward death.

My sad experience tells me that the majority of people will wait until something bad happens, like a heart attack, ulcer, or cancer, before they decide to get their lives in order and go on the "health-kick" bandwagon. (Unfortunately, there are instances where people put it off until the last possible moment!)

"...we 'think' we are healthy, but in fact, there's a good chance we are not that healthy after all." Actually, there isn't a middle ground. But the majority of us call that place home. Exactly at the center. What this means is that we may not actually be as healthy as we "think" we are.

Let there be no doubt. It is difficult to quantify health. Let that sink in. Because of this, taking a multivitamin is difficult for the majority of people. It is yours to keep. The next day, you might not feel any better. Also, tomorrow. Or, well, even a month from now. Thus, you discontinue its use.

However, if you use a high-quality creatine supplement or fat burner, you should start to see effects after a week or two of taking the supplement. It is measurable. That is why it is so easy for us to become preoccupied with building our bodies to the point where we neglect our health.

Until my wife and I had our first child, which was approximately four years ago, I honestly believed that I was in very good condition. I didn't let my health consume me to an unhealthy degree. I "felt" very good about my health at 30 years old, thanks to my regular weight training and wise, nutritional eating. I had no idea the extent to which the anabolic steroids I had used more than a decade ago would have harmed my body.

Michael F. Roizen, a preventive gerontologist from the University of Chicago, was initially exposed to me at a lecture I attended in Denver, Colorado. Like me, these entrepreneurs worked long, stressful hours during the week, didn't always get enough sleep, and were interested in hearing Dr. Roizen's thoughts on health, so they asked me to an event.

Unlike what I had anticipated, I discovered more than just my actual health status that day; I also learned something completely new, what he referred to as our "Real Age."

The scientific practice that Dr. Roizen has established is based on his hypothesis of Real Age. In essence, he has devised a method to ascertain your biological age, which, for better or worse, might differ significantly from your chronological age, or the number of days on the calendar.

At the lecture, I found out that Dr. Roizen had devoted the past nine years to gathering information on more than a hundred elements that could affect one's health. Some of these factors include your diet, amount of alcohol and tobacco use, health of your parents, whether or not you own pets, your level of education, and the number of prescription and over-the-counter drugs you consume. After painstakingly reviewing a mountain of scientific literature, he incorporated questions about your lifestyle, mental health, and physical health into a quiz he called "Real Age." You have the potential to appear years younger or older than your actual age on calendars, depending on your level of self-care.

"Dr. Roizen's objective is to help you identify how healthy, or unhealthy, you really are—despite what you may think of yourself—and then offer up sound advice on how to correct it."It is not an easy questionnaire. The completion time can reach 45 minutes. However, I firmly believe that the time spent on it is well worthwhile. And if you've ever taken your health for granted, my buddy, you're in for a rude awakening.

After you finish the survey, Dr. Roizen will walk you through the steps of creating a unique "age-reduction plan" that includes everything from simple solutions (like always wearing a helmet when you ride your bike) to more involved strategies (like limiting your exposure to radon and the sun) and even the most challenging ones (like finding ways to alleviate stress). His counsel isn't groundbreaking in the slightest, which could come as a surprise to you. The suggestions are reasonable and almost obvious. However, learning my biological age as opposed to my chronological age was the most fascinating thing to me.

Of course, Dr. Roizen wants to help you figure out how healthy (or unwell) you actually are, regardless of how you feel about yourself, and then give you good advise on how to fix it. Depending on how much you surpass it, he reveals a method to subtract 10–20 years from the declared biological age.

There is no cost to take the Real Age exam online. Here you can take the unique Real Age test to find out how old you really are. Personalized suggestions, health information, and solutions to make your Real Age younger will be sent to you once you know your Real Age.

My biological age was revealed to be that of a man in his forties the first time I did the Real Age test, which may come as a surprise to you. (As you may recall, my 34th birthday was in August.) Saying I was let down by myself is a major understatement. Envision it for a second. I was crushed because I have taught and strived to live by the basic realities of maintaining a strong, healthy body for over fifteen years.

Despite how devastated I was, I decided to use the news as a springboard to make some serious changes in my life rather than dwelling on the past and accepting my chemically abused upbringing as punishment.

You won't believe how little adjustments were really necessary.

...like always donning a bike helmet—something I had always assumed was reserved for cowards—as I rode my mountain bike. Despite the fact that both of my grandfathers suffered from heart attacks at a young age, I began taking CO-Q10 tablets every day for my heart (something I had previously disregarded as being solely for "health nuts").

Once more, as already mentioned. Tiny, "healthy-minded" items.

In addition to extending your life expectancy, improving your lifestyle choices can actually slow down the aging process, as pointed out by Dr. Roizen. Your life expectancy and Real Age are both impacted by the decisions you've made up to this point.My biological age began to change noticeably as a result of these seemingly little factors. Actually, I'm pleased to report that my Real Age has fallen below my chronological age, a feat I achieved over the past three years. Based on Real Age, I am thirty years old.

Let that sink in. It is quite logical, isn't it?! In addition to extending your life expectancy, Dr. Roizen found that improving your lifestyle choices slowed the rate of aging in the here and now. The decisions you have made up to this point in time have an impact on both your expected lifespan and your actual age.

So, is your health defined by how much time and effort you put into being physically fit and how your body looks? That's probably what you'd prefer to believe. If you don't go to your primary care physician for yearly "check-ups," how confident are you in your health?

Surely you're curious to find out.

The hallmark of a strong, healthy body... and living your best life—is finding balance between health and fitness.

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