Can a person be both fit and fat? With a national obesity rate of nearly 30 percent, this is a question that needs to be answered. People do not seem to be actively looking for ways to be thin, and just because a person is thin does not mean they are fit either. So who, really, has a healthy and fit body and how can we get there from where we are?

First of all, most people think you have to hit the gym in order to be the healthiest you can be, and this is just not true. Although exercise does nothing but enhance your health, fitness is not the only answer. It is not always about how you look. It is not always about how you eat. Just like everything else, having a healthy and fit body has many components.

Here are 7 Tips to know, once and for all, if you have a healthy and fit body!

Healthy and Fit Body Tips #1: Proper Nutrition
Providing your body with the right food and liquid is the most important component to your health. If you struggling with weight loss and the inability to get yourself fit, start with a change in your diet. Eating right does not mean eating less. A soy-based meal replacement once a day works for me, along with a few targeted supplements you can not find in food.

Even people who exercise all the time can not be totally fit if they grab a bag of potato chips over an apple. No matter what you look like on the outside, your inside is what matters the most. If your body is not getting right nutrition, you can not expect it to look and feel good. You are what you eat. Never forget that.

Healthy and Fit Body Tips #2: Muscle Mass
Our bodies require a certain percentage of muscle to stay healthy and meet the tasks of daily living. This varies per individual, but after the age of 30, our bodies lose muscle mass each year. The key to restoring this is resistance exercise to keep muscle mass. To age gracefully by being fit, keep your muscle mass percentage high.

Healthy and Fit Body Tips #3: Body Fat
This your total body weight that is composed of fat. 10 percent to 14 percent is considered good for men, and 14 percent to 18 percent is considered good for women. Being too far below it and above it both have health risks. Unless you're a weight-dependent athlete or a fitness model, you should strive to fall into your category.

Healthy and Fit Body Tips #4: Aerobic Endurance
I bet you do not think about how well your body transports oxygen, right? From shoveling snow to running a marathon, aerobic activity is a good indicator of good aerobic fitness. Your cardiovascular goal for fitness is simple. Get your heart rate up and hold it, then bring it down without becoming short of breath.

Healthy and Fit Body Tips #5: Strength
How much force can your muscles generate? Your body needs to be able to move stuff, and you, around. Mass protects your body, strength moves it and keeps it from falling over. Strength training requires short bouts of high-intensity outputs, much different from aerobic activity. Strength training slows the aging process, so the stronger you are, the slower you age.

Healthy and Fit Body Tips #6: Balance
Life is no fun if you're always toppling over. Your ability to maintain control of your center of gravity is important for obvious reasons. To stay in balance your body uses smaller muscles to help keep your joints tracking properly. A person with good balance has less chance of incurring an injury. The next time you see an exercise ball, use it!

Healthy and Fit Body Tips #7: Flexibility
Your ability to move your body freely through a full range of motion does not require an advanced class of yoga. Simply start stretching your muscles more because they contract during exercise and the daily rigors of living. Keeping your muscles supple gives you a buffer against being injured and is an indicator of overall fitness. It will also help you age with less complications.

As you can easily tell, there are many components that are of equal importance in order to have a healthy and fit body. It is not just the way a person looks on the outside but rather a combination of many factors. You have the ability to change your body for the better just as easily as McDonalds can change it for the worse. The difference is developing the mindset of a person who chooses healthy over unhealthy.