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physical fitness is better than mental fitness

The age old argument that health trumps wealth or is wealth is given new life with this debate motion. Healthy,happy and beautifully fit people have a higher emotional quotient than irritable sick people, who may work doubly hard and produce superior work but lose out on points because of their/our attitude.

That is, being smart is not half as important today than being amicable and pleasant.
Healthy people apart from having stable moods resulting from hormonal balance also look better. More and more research reveals that better looking men with equivalent qualifications to their not-so-handsome-male-counterparts; make significantly more money than the latter for the same position/job. With women, looks can be both an asset and liability in the workplace possibly because of sexual harassment laws.

Healthy people have a positive outlook on life, a greater propensity for fighting disease and bounce back up from setbacks quicker than their cranky,stressed and obese/skinny peers.

All the Yes points:

  1. Physically fit people have better mental health and do better at academia
  2. pretty people(great skin,great health resulting from physical prowess) have a one-up on everything
  3. Fit people are happy people

All the No points:

  1. Mental health can impact on physical health
  2. Depends on your goals in life.

Physically fit people have better mental health and do better at academia

Yes because…

Exercise(the prime requirement for good physical health) stimulates the release of neurotransmitters called endorphins; this release makes people happy and helps people to be alert and mentally active. [[http://health.howstuffworks.com/mental-health/human-nature/happiness/exercise-happiness2.htm]]

Tall people are not stupid! [[http://www.conanstevens.com/tall-actors-giant-life/conan-stevens-life/big-tall-people-are-not-stupid—and-my-mensa-membership-genius.html]]

There is a significant positive correlation between height and intelligence.-[[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Height_and_intelligence]]
The fitter you are as a growing child the taller and smarter you are, in comparison to students of the same age.

No because…

The relation between height and intelligence for grownups is pretty obscure.
[[http://ageing.oxfordjournals.org/content/39/2/272.short]]

Most male geniuses have been found to be of middle height (5 foot eight in most instances); which in a large number of cultures can be thought of as being short.
[[http://query.nytimes.com/gst/abstract.html?res=F50F13F73F5913738DDDA80B94DF405B8785F0D3]]

Happy people or at least those who claim to be happy really, are not very sharp/smart. There is largely negative correlation between the two. [[http://www.flickr.com/photos/cfhss/3468171157/]]

is it the fact that they are physically fit that helps them have a better mental health or the fact that they have better mental health to focus on staying more phsyically fit?

pretty people(great skin,great health resulting from physical prowess) have a one-up on everything

Yes because…

[[http://www.careerbuilder.com/Article/CB-312-The-Workplace-Do-Pretty-People-Earn-More/]]

“Studies show attractive students get more attention and higher evaluations from their teachers, good-looking patients get more personalized care from their doctors, and handsome criminals receive lighter sentences than less attractive convicts…The ugly truth, according to economics professors Daniel Hamermesh of the University of Texas and Jeff Biddle of Michigan State University, is that plain people earn 5 to 10 percent less than people of average looks, who in turn earn 3 to 8 percent less than those deemed good-looking”

Yes the world is highly look-ist and studying all night for an exam will probably not help you score as well as getting a good night’s beauty sleep before the big day and looking prim for the exam will. [[http://kidshealth.org/teen/your_body/take_care/how_much_sleep.html]]
[[http://www.ehow.com/how_2263964_sleep-before-test.html]] [[http://www.ehow.com/how_2154911_sleep-before-final-exams.html]]

Healthy sleep habits, healthy eating habits and good health as a whole contributes more than intelligence to success and joy.

Counterargument:
Good-looking convicts are all physically fit.

No because…

Lady Diana was Bulimic. Being pretty does not equate to being healthy; certainly not in the cases where good-looking persons get superior hospital care or where psychopathic killers with bullet wounds or leg injuries get off on loftier sentences.

[[http://msn.careerbuilder.com/Article/MSN-1668-Career-Growth-and-Change-Do-Pretty-People-Earn-More/]]

your problem is you said “handsome criminals receive lighter sentences than less attractive convicts”. If someone had great mental health and was thinking in the right state of mind, wouldn’t you say they wouldn’t hve done the crime to begin with?

Fit people are happy people

Yes because…

The connection between fitness and Endorphin has already been highlighted in the first point.
Fit people are also happy because they are more likely to dance all night at parties or nightclubs; since some clubs do not permit overweight people to come in.

In our zeitgeist facial features and skin colour no longer dictate what/who is attractive and all criteria for good looks boils down to friendly facial expressions,good posture, fit bodies, good skin, clothes and hair. Anyone who is physically fit qualifies. [[http://www.beauty-fitness-guide.com/]]

No because…

There are exclusive clubs for fat people, the butterfly for example.

Clubbing cannot really make people happy. Drinking,dancing and sleepless nights are bad for the liver,brain and looks.

People who are very good looking also face social stigma; they are assumed to be conceited or rude and it is very difficult for them to interact with normal people; because of all the prejudice against them. [[http://www.thethinkingblog.com/2007/11/caligynephobia-fear-of-beautiful-women.html]]

as stated above your saying that “phsically fit” is equivelent to “good looking people”. That is not always the case. Some peple look pretty good but can’t be too physically fit if they are restlesss alcoholics.

Mental health can impact on physical health

No because…

It is better to be mentally healthy as your mental health can impact on your physical fitness. People who suffer from Bi-polar or schizophrenia often suffer more from the following conditions with the following ratiosRethink.org

2-4 x the rate of cardiovascular diseases
2-4 x the rate of respiratory diseases
5 x the rate of diabetes
8 x the rate of Hepatitis C
15 x the rate of HIV.

Yes because…

Often these conditions do not cause the physical unfitness, but instead are caused by the same factors that caused the mental disorder. For example, people who do not feel empowered often have mental health disorders. People who feel like they lack empowerment also do not visit the doctors. They do not feel that going to the doctors will help. There are other factors that we need to assess rather than just linking the mental disorder to the physical disorder. For instance, the medication that people take often has a large impact on physical health[[http://www.rethink.org/how_we_can_help/news_and_media/briefing_notes/briefing_5.html]]. We therefore should not just assume that it is the mental illness itself that causes the physical unhealthiness.

Depends on your goals in life.

No because…

Someone who has a job that requires concentration, mental endurance, raw knowledge and problem-solving skills but isn’t physically demanding, like a researcher or programmer, should develop their mental health, they probably won’t use their physical health much and they won’t have time to do both if it is a demanding job.

Do you want to be happy for happiness’ sake, or satisfied at a job well done? Someone who really wants to succeed is willing to sacrifice their mental and physical health to do so – for instance, a political campaigner who risks torture or goes on hunger strike in prison. This person will need exceptional physical and mental endurance, but only their raw willpower and faith will keep them going ultimately.

Yes because…

But in order to achieve your mental goals, using your example for research or programming, you need your physical health in order to conduct the research as effectively as you can and for as long as you can. A researcher crouched over his desk and not exercising or seeing sunlight will not be physically healthy and therefore he will die sooner [[http://www.dailymail.co.uk/health/article-1309650/Mens-health-No-exercise-long-hours-double-fatal-heart-risk.html]]. If they only spent the recommended half an hour a day doing moderate exercise they could have achieved far more.

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ray shurdha
3 years ago
Reply to  Dave

no

Conroy
11 years ago

Smart People will run things and physical fit people do the heavy lifting. For Example A general : A Soldier, Boss : Employee

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