Exercise vs. Recreation is the most important and basic concept in exercise philosophy. However, it is rarely acknowledged or applied in any area of fitness or medicine.

Perhaps the most destructive as well as the most misunderstood concept in fitness today among researchers, the commercial health facilities, and the general public alike is the confusion of exercise and recreation.

We accept that both exercise and recreation are important in the overall scheme of fitness, and they overlap to a great degree. But to reap maximum benefits of both or either they must first be well-defined and then be segregated in practice.

Exercise, in a nutshell, is a process whereby the body performs work of a demanding nature. [Here, we use the first 13 words of the complete Definition as detailed in Chapter 15 of Super Slow®: The Ultimate Exercise Protocol. For convenience in this discussion we can temporarily dispense with the remaining qualifiers.] The key word here is "demanding." If an activity is not demanding, then it does not qualify as exercise.

If muscular loading is not meaningful to render momentary muscular failure within 1-3 minutes then the activity is not demanding.

Through exercise we are sending an ultimatum to the human body: "Your protective margins are inadequate. Adapt, enhance, improve, grow, increase, . . . or you will not survive." This is perceived as a threat by the body, although it can be effected safely through Super Slow Exercise.

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