| Most of the advice pumped out in the health/fitness | | | | want to value fitness over health? Some people |
| industry is much more heavily geared to FITNESS | | | | rationalize that being temporarily unhealthy while |
| goals, as opposed to HEALTH goals. What we have | | | | achieving a certain fitness goal is acceptable, and then |
| to differentiate between is that what might help you | | | | once it is reached you can start being healthy again. |
| achieve a certain level of fitness is not necessarily | | | | However, this attitude stems from the belief that health |
| healthy for you. | | | | and fitness cancel each other out, or that it is not |
| For example, many workout programs offer a diet | | | | enjoyable to do healthy things. |
| that will help you build muscle or lose fat. But, virtually | | | | To value fitness over health means that you are trying |
| every one of these programs does not actually take | | | | to impress someone, straight up. That is the ONLY |
| health into consideration THAT MUCH. | | | | REASON that you would ever do things you know |
| Newer people, and often even more experienced | | | | are detrimental to your health (unless you're in some |
| people, will freely relay advice or talk about how this or | | | | kind of sport or competition that requires you to have |
| that program is the best because it helped them to do | | | | a certain level of fitness). When having a six-pack is |
| achieve their fitness goals. What they don't realize is | | | | more important than a healthy cardiovascular system, |
| their advice might actually be detrimental to someone | | | | then you have committed the worst kind of betrayal to |
| who values health over fitness. | | | | yourself. And what makes it even more twisted, is that |
| I have had many people give me the most awful | | | | people will tell themselves that they're doing it for their |
| advice for building muscle, such as eating ridiculous | | | | own benefit as they think things like, "Oh, all the girls will |
| amounts of fast food. The rationale was that since I | | | | think I'm hot!". |
| burned fat so easily, I could get away with eating all | | | | Hahaha, wow...but let's not get off-topic! |
| this junk and it would help me to gain mass. Now, | | | | Health and fitness are two DISTINCT things. The idea |
| although this practice might actually help me to put on | | | | is to formulate goals and create action plans that take |
| muscle when combined with a workout routine, it is | | | | both of these into consideration, whenever possible. If |
| absolutely horrendous health advice. Anyone telling you | | | | one has to be sacrificed for the other, then you |
| to eat fast food is just wrong from the get-go...it | | | | sacrifice fitness...not health. Get used to having to |
| doesn't matter who they are. | | | | make significant corrections to most popular diet |
| People often assume that everyone has the same | | | | advice. Seek information that is grounded in hard |
| goals as them and give advice freely, without realizing | | | | evidence concerning HEALTH and then find how you |
| that what the other person wants might be completely | | | | can tailor that to your fitness goals. |
| different. And more importantly, why would you ever | | | | |