Doesn’t being physically fit mean you’re healthy? Maybe you jog a few miles every morning, eat your greens, and can lift your body weight. So you must be doing great when it comes to your well-being, right?
Maybe. Being fit doesn’t always mean being healthy. Our rural health care clinic team sees many patients who are active and seemingly healthy but may be unaware of underlying health conditions that could put their long-term wellness at risk.
So, how do you know if you’re actually healthy? The East Adams team is here to help. In this blog, you’ll learn more about the differences between fitness and health and how regular checkups offer insight that even the best fitness routine can’t cover.
Schedule a Wellness Visit at EARH Today
Fitness vs. Overall Health: What’s the Difference?
Let’s begin by defining our terms. Physical fitness is the ability to do daily activities and exercise. It includes a lot of different measurements, such as your strength, cardiovascular endurance, flexibility, and stamina. You might run marathons and be in great shape, but you could still have health issues happening behind the scenes. Fitness is just one element of overall health.
“Health” is a much broader term. Health includes heart health, blood pressure, mental well-being, organ function, and more. While being fit can benefit a lot of these measurements, they can also be impacted by genetics, your environment, and other factors. For example, someone with well-defined muscles and great stamina might have high cholesterol or prediabetes. Or someone might look like they are fit but have untreated anxiety or the early signs of kidney disease.
Your overall health is a lot harder to measure with an app or fitness device because a lot of health concerns have few or no symptoms early on. They only cause more obvious symptoms when they become more serious.
Why Regular Checkups Matter (Even When You Feel Fine)
You can feel great and still have a condition that needs medical attention. That’s why annual wellness visits and routine screenings are essential to your overall well-being, no matter how active and fit you might be. Some of the most common chronic illnesses develop silently over time, but a medical assessment by a trained professional can help catch them early on.
Our rural health care clinic can help patients identify conditions such as:
- High blood pressure (hypertension)
- Type 2 diabetes or prediabetes
- High cholesterol
- Thyroid disorders
- Kidney or liver function issues
- Certain cancers or skin conditions
Fitness apps might log your steps and calories, but they can’t spot the early signs of heart disease or screen for skin cancer. Regular checkups, on the other hand, give your doctor a chance to track any changes in your overall health year over year. If something starts to change, that can help them catch it early before it becomes more serious.
The Value of a Rural Health Care Clinic for Checkups
Instead of driving hours for a basic physical or lab test, East Adams Rural Healthcare brings those services right to your backyard. Our providers offer comprehensive wellness exams, routine lab work, and screenings for conditions like high blood pressure, high cholesterol, and diabetes in one convenient location. That means great healthcare with fewer trips, shorter wait times, and faster results.
We take a personalized approach to your healthcare, too. Our team takes time to understand your lifestyle, health history, and goals so we can build a care plan that fits you and not just about satisfying a number on a chart.
When you live in a rural community, you aren’t just another patient at a rural health care clinic. You are a neighbor. We can help you stay on track with preventive care that’s local, accessible, and consistent.
Let’s Build a Health Plan That Works for You
Taking care of your health isn’t just about feeling strong or eating right. It’s also about knowing what’s going on inside your body. Our rural health care clinic connects you to professional tools and tests that help you take control of your health.
No matter how fit you are, you still need a yearly checkup—and EARH can help. Call our team today and ask about scheduling your annual wellness exam. Or, you can stop into our walk-in clinic anytime during opening hours and get a physical exam without the need for an appointment.
We’re making healthcare easier and more convenient for all Adams County residents. Contact us today to learn how to schedule your wellness exam.
