Succeed in Physical Fitness

Physical fitness means different things to different people. Your physical fitness success will be determined by your definition of the type of fitness you are wanting to achieve, so take some time to make sure you have a clear fitness definition. If you ask yourself this question, "Fit for what?" then you are asking the right question.

There are two types of fitness:

Health-related fitness is linked to fitness components that affect an individual's quality of life and may lower risks such as high blood pressure, diabetes, or low back pain. Health-related physical fitness includes the following components:

Aerobic fitness (Cardiovascular endurance) - the ability of the heart and lungs to deliver blood to muscles
Muscular strength and endurance - enough to do normal activities easily and protect the low back
Flexibility - the ability to move your many joints through their proper range of motion, and
Body composition - the ratio of lean body mass to fat...particularly important around the waist.

Performance-related fitness is linked to an individual's athletic performance (for example: a 50-yard dash time or the ability to maneuver around obstacles quickly.) A marathon runner will define fitness differently than a bodybuilder. A long distance runner will define fitness by muscular and cardiorespiratory endurance; a bodybuilder will define fitness by muscle size and definition. Performance-related fitness is linked to the following components, none of which have any affect on the health aspect of an individual's life:

Speed - relates to the ability to perform a movement within a short period of time
Reaction time - relates to the time elapsed between stimulation and the beginning of the reaction to it
Agility - ability to rapidly change the position of the entire body in space with speed and accuracy
Power - the ability to exert maximum force in minimum time...considered to be a combination of strength and speed
Coordination - relates to the ability to use the senses, such as sight and hearing, together with body parts in performing motor tasks smoothly and accurately i.e. hand-eye coordination or foot-eye coordination, and
Balance - relates to the maintenance of equilibrium while stationary or moving. (Although some fitness experts are now including Balance with health-related fitness.)

Not everyone can be a good athlete...but everyone can be fit.