Real health requires fitness of mind and body. Body fitness, or physical fitness as most call it, has different definitions based on the demands of the individual’s lifestyle. I prefer to think of it as the ability to perform your expected duties with capacity in reserve, and to perform the unexpected when required.

Imagine a construction worker who has developed his or her physical strength to the point that they can perform their working tasks with a minimal amount of fatigue and no drop in performance by the end of the day. Most people would consider construction workers to be "fit." And I would agree to the extent of comparing them to an office worker who sits all day. But when something unexpected happens and that construction worker has to run a mile or two for some emergency … how do they fare? That would actually be a better test of total “fitness.”

With fitness, the concept of intensity of work comes into play, which refers to the amount of work done in any relative period of time. The office worker can sit all day and be exhausted at quitting time due a plethora of possible stresses, but their output of physical energy was not enough to demand an increase in physical capacity. The same can be said of the construction worker. The body, over time, steps up to meet the tough demands placed upon it. The work is physical enough to increase strength, however it isn’t intense enough to demand an increase in oxygen delivery to the tissues.

The same is true of being a chiropractor. This job is physical enough to burn energy and keep up certain muscular development, but it does not increase my heart rate enough to change the cardiovascular system. For an experiment try what I did. I took my heart rate monitor and wore it for a variety of activities. I remember hearing that if you want to get fit, go chop wood. Well, as I live in the Pacific Northwest and we heat the main living areas of our house with a wood burning fireplace, chopping wood is a backyard necessity rather than an exotic pastime. Even so, apparently the chop your way to fitness theory is an urban myth. No question that after chopping a couple of cords I was tired, but my heart rate never got above 90-95 unless I jogged on the spot while I set the next log on the block.

The required heart rate for conditioning is usually calculated as a percentage of your maximum heart rate: 220 – age = maximum. For fitness one needs to get to 60-75% of their maximum for 30 plus minutes and do this 3-5 times per week. In the beginning – especially if they have never exercised, people should shoot for 50-60% of their maximum. Some well-trained athletes require heart rates out of their age bracket due to previous conditioning.

I bet you can see where this article is leading. Yep, I recommend people procure some kind of heart rate monitoring devise and use it for their exercise programs. How else are you going to really know if your fitness routine is really getting you “fit?” It is important to remember that stretching and strengthening should be included for all-round fitness. Also be sure you check with your healthcare provider to be sure you are healthy enough to start on a fitness regime.

Frankly, I have found in my practice and in my personal life (I was a State-level Kickboxing title belt-holder and fought for the North American championship when I was in my mid-thirties) that the best way to approach fitness is find something you like to do and make it part of your lifestyle. If you do this, fitness becomes part of a natural routine and a joy rather than something you “should” do.

And hey – a heart rate monitor makes a great (and unexpected) holiday gift for loved ones too!

To your health,
Gordie
www.drgordie.com [1]