The main point to be noted is that fitness is not just a set of exercises, as many people imagine or believe. Exercises are, of course, necessary for getting and staying fit. But there are other things also involved – our eating patterns, living patterns, and other individual pursuits. Fitness is the collective outcome of what you eat and how much, how much and how often you consume alcohol, whether you smoke, and if so how often, and so on. To be short and precise, fitness is a culture, and not just a set of exercises.



For example, a person may jog regularly but also smoke daily, which is likely to do more harm than good. Similarly, some regular exercisers also overeat or choose the wrong things for eating, only to realise that their exercises are not fetching the desired results. In the same way excessive alcoholic consumption can prove harmful irrespective of whether a person exercises or not. For getting fit and staying fit, we need to develop the ‘fitness culture’ which is a combination of various things. This is the reason why it is not sufficient to join a gym for staying fit (although it is good to join a gym). Exercising is only one small part of the ‘fitness culture’. The other part is up to each individual.



The compulsory requirements for getting and staying fit are: (1) Say ‘NO’ to smoking; (2) Alcohol intake should be moderate (or even lesser), if you feel you cannot avoid it totally; (3) Mind what you eat, and eat wisely; (4) Set aside 20-30 minutes a day for at least 4 to 5 days every week for physical exercises; (6) Ensure that you rest and relax sufficiently in a 24-hour cycle. When you meet all these conditions, you may be said to be following the ‘fitness culture’. If you do not meet any of these conditions, you may be temporarily fit, but ongoing or long-lasting fitness cannot be achieved.



1.  Say ‘NO’ to smoking: It has now been widely accepted that even one cigarette a day can cause considerable harm to the body. The risks are enormous, and the results can be terrible and scary – lung or mouth cancers, tuberculosis, other lung diseases, heart problems, blood vessel diseases and so on. In order to get fit and stay fit you have to stay away from smoking totally. If you are already addicted to smoking you must find ways to quit smoking, or else you can never follow the fitness culture.
2. Alcohol intake: Alcohol causes damage to the liver and brain cells. If you are not able to avoid it completely, it should be taken in a controlled way. The problem is that of addiction. Since alcohol consumption is addictive, it would be much better and safer if you can stay away from it completely. If this is not possible, it is certainly a must that you do not get addicted to it. Moderation is acceptable, but then the word moderation is open to different interpretations, and harmful quantities can also be argued as being moderate. If you are serious about fitness, your alcohol intake should         be controlled wisely.
3. Eating wisely: Do not overfill your stomach. Eat only until you feel reasonably full, but not too full. It would be a good practice to restrict your number of meals in a day to three. Otherwise you might end up eating too much for your body needs. The old saying, “Breakfast like a king, lunch like a prince and dine like a pauper” has been found to work positively with a lot of people, according to studies made. Fatty foods should be avoided by people who have a tendency towards gaining weight. Fibrous foods should be taken in sufficient quantities. Make sure that you drink plenty of fresh water daily. For proper food choices, foods to avoid, and guidance on nutritional benefits of food items, you may visit the “Articles” section of www.rajathifamilykitchen.com 
4. Set aside 30-45 minutes a day for exercising: Exercise can be in different forms – aerobics, jogging, walking or yoga asanas. (Muscle-building is not be considered a part of fitness culture - large and heavy muscles demand more nutrition and greater blood supply). This fitness series is intended to provide more detailed information on exercising for fitness. For further information you will need other chapters of this series “Fitness Culture”. For example, the topic “Natural ways of losing weight” (Chapter 3) is meant to reveal some natural ways of staying slim and fit. It would also be helpful to read other related topics under the “Articles” section of www.rajathifamilykitchen.com
5. Relaxation and rest: This is a very essential part of physical and mental fitness (the right mind-set). You must relax and rest sufficiently within a 24-hour cycle. Otherwise your efforts for fitness will be wasted. In addition to proper sleep (at least for 6 or 7 hours a day), doing some form of meditation is likely to keep you physically and mentally fit, and help you get the right mind-set. You will find more information about rest, relaxation and meditation in this series “Fitness Culture” (in a future chapter, to be published shortly), which can also found under the “Articles” section of www.rajathifamilykitchen.com .



The best time to get started on fitness culture is right now!  You only stand to benefit from it! All the best!



Article written by: Saikumar Iyer

Dated: 25th September 2012

​