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The story of the Fountain of Youth dates back centuries. Probably it goes as far back as when the first early man died of old age rather than some sort of attack or natural disaster. Everybody wants to find a way to hang on to the health and vivacity of youth, as well as avoid their own impending death. To that end, people engage if a variety of tasks, rituals, and exercises designed to stave off the inevitable while increasing the quality of life. That is the underlying fear that drives all of the interest in health and fitness, and it’s that fear that makes health and fitness a booming industry. Of course, it’s not all about fear. There are very good, demonstrated reasons to be concerned about it. In fact, there are many diseases and illnesses that are entirely preventable with a little bit of care for personal health and fitness.
Health does not just refer to the state of your physical body. More and more doctors are even beginning to look into holistic medicine—that is medicine focused on healing the physical, the mental, and the spiritual to bring your body into harmony. Some of that is probably quackery, but the larger point is valid—if you want to be truly healthy and happy, you need to see to your mental health and your emotional state as well. Of course, not every single self-help book and article is going to be worthwhile or even accurate; however, most have something important to say.
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