When most people think about a “fitness program” or “physical fitness”, they tend to think of the word “exercise”. They may go so far as to think the words “health” or “healthy” but they usually don’t tend to really examine the concept of fitness much beyond thinking about the sweating and discomfort and getting the “exercise” over with.

I am sure that many who read this have heard or read this analogy before but it fits, so let’s use it one more time.

Let’s say you were to purchase an expensive, high-performance car. Let’s also say, just for the sake of argument, that you went heavily into debt for it. So heavily, that it will be

years before you can even think of purchasing another car.

As you drive your new car, you begin to feel important, powerful, attractive. People turn and look as you drive by, vacations are comfortable events in your high-end vehicle, your gas and maintenance bills go way down because the car is such a high tech marvel, your boss begins to treat you like an equal or even someone he or she envies or looks up to. You realize that it’s happening because of the car, but after a while, it begins to feel like it’s all for you, and you think that life’s great. Everything seems to be coming your way at last.

Then one day, the

car sputters a little. You notice that the fuel economy isn’t as good as it was. The mechanic tells you it’s going to cost a bundle to fix the problem. There’s going to have to be major work done, several parts changed out, some reboring of cylinders, and a new set of tires as well.

You’re in shock! You might not be able to come up with that much money! How did it get so expensive? The car was such a beauty and ran so well.

The mechanic enlightens you.

He has seen that you have been neglecting regular maintenance and running on cheap, low-octane fuel. Cylinders have become scored and pitted, fuel

lines are clogged so badly they may have to be replaced, the oil that’s in there is now sludge and barely keeping the parts lubricated. The tires that you let run down are wreaking havoc with the suspension and steering, which is also contributing to the poorer fuel economy you have been experiencing.

Even worse, your car doesn’t shine like it did. Instead of purring, it rasps, coughs, and sputters. Its environmentally friendly engine is now belching clouds of black smoke. Its smooth whisper is now a collection of clanks and clunks.

Heads still turn when you drive by, but not for the same reasons as before.

You feel bad all the time…not just from the

situation with your car, but because now you are having to breathe in the pollution it is emitting and endure the bone jarring ride as the suspension system gives way.

Now you realize that had you run the proper grade of gas in the engine, had regular oil changes, and brought it in for regular maintenance checks, not to mention washing it from time to time, it would still be the sweet little jewel it was when you first saw it on the showroom floor.

Okay, you know where this is going. What if instead of a car we’ve been talking about your body? No matter how fine tuned it is, it will eventually begin to suffer the

effects of time. That cannot be helped, but the manner in which it occurs can be affected by several things such as exercise, rest, and nutrition.

The decision to become physically fit is not simply a decision to exercise. Going out and exercising, especially at higher levels, can actually produce poor or even negative results if you do not support your fitness program, and the overall health of your body through proper nutrition. When you exercise, you are actually damaging certain portions of your body and asking it to repair and remodel. In order to do this, your body needs not only the building blocks and materials necessary for the building, but it also needs the

mortar and glue which holds the system together as well as the energy required for the building and for daily activities as well.

My goal here is simply to raise your awareness of the need for proper nutrition as part of life in general, and a fitness program in particular. The nutritional information you will need is a wider topic than this small article has room for.

However, good basic nutrition is not hard. You should select foods from a wide variety of dishes. Eat plenty of fruits and vegetables, avoid sugar, and make sure you get some protein from meat, fish, or dairy products daily. Think before you select desserts, and avoid those made with

sugar, or opt for a smaller portion. Avoid candy, and anything sweetened with sugar or corn syrup. Drink plenty of water every day.

True, this small list raises its own questions, such as: How much water? How much meat? What kind of meat? Which vegetables are better? These questions do not even begin to address the needs of those with special conditions.

That is why I say that an in-depth discussion of nutrition is beyond the range of a small article such as this. However, even such a broad topic does not need to be daunting. Begin with your physician. He or she will have nutritional charts and information to

guide you. Check out a book or two from the library or do a little research on the internet.

Avoid fad diets and diet supplements, although a daily multivitamin might be in order. Some good places to search for real information online are:

The Mayo Clinic: www.mayoclinic.com
The USDA: www.usda.gov
Web MD: www.webmd.com

You can let the magnificent vehicle you were given become run down and dilapidated due to neglect, or you can provide it with the lubricants and fuels it needs for optimum performance.

Look at it this way. You can sit in the garage and rust, or you can, as the song says,

“Get your motor runnin
Head out on

the highway
Lookin for adventure
And whatever comes our way!”

Get some high octane fuel and get back out on the road.

Donovan Baldwin is a freelance writer living in Copperas Cove, Texas. He is a University of West Florida alumnus, a member of Mensa and the National Society of Newspaper Columnists, and is retired from the U. S. Army after 21 years of service. In his career, he has held many managerial and supervisory positions. However, his main pleasures have long been writing, nature, health, and fitness. In the last few years, he has been able to combine these pleasures by writing poetry and articles on subjects such as health, fitness, [http://yoga-4-the-health-of-it.com/]yoga, weight

loss, the environment, global warming, happiness, self improvement, and life. He has a collection of articles on
health, fitness, diet, and weight loss at http://nodiet4me.com/articledirectory/ .