French  German  Italian  Portuguese  Spanish

Health Care : Fitness

You can hardly pick up a women's magazine these days that doesn't have some sort of fitness plan outlined among its pages. Often the accompanying photographs show thin, defined, athletic women who bear little resemblance to us or to any of our friends. Meant to encourage, sometimes these articles have the opposite effect, as we put the magazine down thinking 'I'll never look like that, so why bother.'

But fitness is not really about looks, it's about health. Many women find that as they get fitter, their goals change. They feel good and strong and healthy, and that quality of life takes precedence over vanity. Looking great, which doesn't necessarily mean being thin, becomes a side effect.

Many activities lead to fitness -- walk, jog, bicycle, lift weights, swim, attend aerobics classes, learn swing dancing, take up yoga, skate, hike, jump rope, fence, kayak, do calisthenics. Even vigorous house cleaning or weeding in the garden counts.

And don't forget about sports. Soccer, softball, volleyball, football, rugby, and other team activities are more than just exercise, they're social outings. Pallas Athene affects how strongly you are drawn to (or repelled by) sports.

As we find again and again, moderation is the key. Women who become obsessed with exercises, who work out too hard too often, damage their bodies. Over-exercising can cause your body to consume its muscle tissue rather than burn fat, leading to serious health complications.

Fitness is not a temporary thing -- it's a lifestyle. And it has to come from within -- no one can do it for you.