Exercise:
* Focus: Refers to specific physical activities performed to improve health and fitness.
* Definition: A planned, structured and repetitive bodily movement done to improve or maintain one or more components of physical fitness.
* Examples: Running, swimming, lifting weights, yoga, dancing.
Fitness:
* Focus: Refers to a state of overall well-being achieved through regular exercise and healthy habits.
* Definition: The ability to perform daily activities with vigor and alertness, without undue fatigue, and with ample energy to enjoy leisure-time pursuits and meet unexpected demands.
* Examples: Being able to climb stairs without getting winded, having enough energy to play with your kids, feeling strong and healthy.
Key differences:
* Exercise is the action of doing physical activity, while fitness is the result of those actions.
* Exercise is a means to achieve fitness, which is the end goal.
* Fitness is a broader concept that encompasses more than just physical activity, including nutrition, sleep, stress management, and mental well-being.
In simpler terms:
* You exercise to become fit.
* You can exercise without being fit, but you cannot be fit without exercising (and other healthy habits).
Here's an analogy:
* Exercise is like planting seeds - the action you take.
* Fitness is like having a beautiful garden - the result of your actions.