The best way to lose weight and get fit is to discover the difference between fitness and health before starting an exercise program. People can exercise religiously and still be in poor health. It depends on how they condition their bodies and their metabolism. Being able to perform an athletic activity, which is basically what the definition of fitness is, does not mean that a person is healthy.

To truly be healthy the vital organs and all the systems in the body should be operating at peak performance. This means your heart, lungs, circulatory system, digestive system, etc., should all benefit from and improve with your fitness program. These systems are what determine the quality of our health and how long we live.

Fitness programs need to first get started by building an aerobic base. Aerobic means “with oxygen” and is about endurance. Your capacity for endurance depends upon your body’s aerobic system. This system involves the lungs, heart and blood vessels. When your workouts engage your aerobic system you are burning fat and increasing your body’s capacity for oxygen. This should be your goal. Every cell in the body uses oxygen.

The level of intensity determines whether we are exercising aerobically or anaerobically. Most exercises or sports can be either one. How to determine if you are in an aerobic state is easy. You should be slightly winded and able to carry on a conversation as you are working out. But if you are gasping for air, you are out of the aerobic state.

When a person is exercising anaerobically, which means without oxygen, they are burning sugar. While doing aerobics is about endurance, anaerobic exercise is about power. Remember this vital fact: whenever you are exercising anaerobically you are doing so at the expense of endurance.

Before doing anaerbic workouts, such as an intense game of tennis, your body needs to be up to it. Meaning that an aerobic base needs to be firmly in place. You should condition your body’s metabolism for endurance and oxygen. Start by working out at a pace where you are slightly out of breath for at least 12 minutes if you can.

So if you want to enjoy that great shape and live into your 90’s, improve your health as you get fit and lose weight. Then it can function the way it was meant to for energy, vitality and long life.