Physical Fitness
What does it mean to be physically "fit?"
• Physical fitness is defined as "a set of attributes that people have or achieve that
relates to the ability to perform physical activity"
• In other words, it is more than being able to run a long distance or lift a lot of
weight at the gym.
• Being fit is not defined only by what kind of activity you do, how long you do it, or
at what level of intensity.
• While these are important measures of fitness, they only address single areas.
 Overall fitness is made up of five main components:
– Cardiorespiratory endurance
– Muscular strength
– Muscular endurance
– Body composition
– Flexibility
What is cardiorespiratory endurance (cardiorespiratory fitness)?
• Cardiorespiratory endurance is the ability of the body's circulatory and respiratory
systems to supply fuel during sustained physical activity.
• To improve your cardiorespiratory endurance, try activities that keep your heart
rate elevated at a safe level for a sustained length of time such as walking,
swimming, or bicycling.
• The activity you choose does not have to be strenuous to improve your
cardiorespiratory endurance.
• Start slowly with an activity you enjoy, and gradually work up to a more intense
pace.
What is muscular strength?
• Muscular strength is the ability of the muscle to exert force during an activity.
• The key to making your muscles stronger is working them against resistance,
whether that is from weights or gravity.
• If you want to gain muscle strength, try exercises such as lifting weights.
What is muscular endurance?
• Muscular endurance is the ability of the muscle to continue to perform without
fatigue.
• To improve your muscle endurance, try cardiorespiratory activities such as
walking, jogging, bicycling, or dancing.
What is body composition?
• Body composition refers to the relative amount of muscle, fat, bone, and other
vital parts of the body.
• A person's total body weight (what you see on the bathroom scale) may not
change over time. But the bathroom scale does not assess how much of that
body weight is fat and how much is lean mass (muscle, bone, tendons, and
ligaments).
• Body composition is important to consider for health and managing your weight!
What is flexibility?
• Flexibility is the range of motion around a joint.
• Good flexibility in the joints can help prevent injuries through all stages of life.
• If you want to improve your flexibility, try activities that lengthen the muscles such
as a basic stretching program.
Training for Fitness
• Principles of Training:
– Principle of Overload: increased demands are made upon the body by
modifying the: Frequency Intensity Time Type
– Principle of Progression: gradual increase in exercise or activity over a period
of time
– Principle of Specificity: improvements in various fitness areas require specific
kinds of activity
– Principle of Regularity: perform exercise on a regular basis
– Principle of Individuality: your exercise program must be based on your
individual goals and objectives
•
Other Training Factors:
– Plateau: performance shows no improvement for a period of time
– Rates of Response: each person has a different rate of response to his or her
particular training program
– Overtraining: participating in physical activity at very high intensity levels or for
unusually long periods of time
– Cross Training: combining two or more types of exercise in one workout or
using different exercises alternately in successive
workouts
By following the basic principles of training you can develop a program that will
lead to improved health and fitness. These principles are overload, progression
and specificity. It is important to understand these principles as you develop your
exercise program. You can vary the overload placed on the body during exercise
by changing the frequency, intensity, time, and/or type of the workout based on
the fitness component you are working to improve. Once the body adjusts or
adapts to this increased overload, it becomes necessary to increase the
workload again. This is the principle of progression. Improvements that occur as
a result of your training should also follow the principle of specificity – they will be
based on the particular fitness area that you train. The type of exercises selected
also affects the results you achieve. To avoid injuries and make certain your
workouts will have the benefits you are seeking, following the principles of
training, warm-up before exercise, cool down after exercise, avoid overtraining
and consider a cross-training program.
•
Two Types of Personal Fitness:
Health Related Fitness
Cardiorespiratory Fitness
Flexibility
Muscular Strength
Muscular Endurance
Body Composition
•
Skill Related Fitness
Coordination
Agility
Reaction Time
Power
Speed
Balance
Factors Determining Your Level of Fitness
Heredity
Maturation
Environment
Motivation
Behavior or Lifestyle
Looking at health risks associated with a lack of physical activity, it is clear that
Americans who are not yet regularly physically active should become active.
Everyone can benefit from physical activity. The activity need not be strenuous to
be beneficial – moderate activity can provide great health benefits. Maintaining
personal health and fitness is a matter of individual choice. Many of the health
problems we develop result from things which are under our control – things we
can do something about. How we live determines to a great extent how long and
how well we live. The decision to be healthy and fit is within your reach. You can
establish a lifestyle which enables you to achieve your optimal fitness level.
Evaluating Your Health Related Fitness:
Health Related Fitness:
Cardiorespiratory Fitness: ability to do vigorous, large muscle exercise over a
long period of time. Tests to measure: distance runs, one mile walk, Pacer test.
Muscular Strength: amount of force that can be exerted by a single contraction
of the muscle.
Muscular Endurance: ability to continue using certain muscles for a period of
time. Tests to measure muscular fitness: curl ups, pull ups, flexed arm hang,
push ups, trunk lift.
Flexibility: ability of a join and a muscle group to move through a range of
motion. Tests to measure: back saver sit and reach and shoulder stretch.
Body Composition: percent of body weight composed of fat compared to the
percent that is composed of tissue, bone and muscle. Tests to measure: body fat
skinfold measurement and BMI.
A number of tests are available to help you measure your level of fitness. A set of
criterion-referenced health standards can be used to evaluate your test results.
Reaching these standards is important, since they represent a minimum level necessary
to prevent health problems in each fitness area. In establishing a plan for improvement,
seek to reach the Healthy Fitness Zone in all areas rather than trying to compete with
others. Strive to reach your optimal level of personal fitness. By understanding these
tests and how to interpret the results, you can use them to retest yourself from time to
time. Using these methods of evaluating your fitness, establish a goal of optimal
personal fitness for you.
Evaluating Your Skill Related Fitness:
• The Skill Related Components of Physical Fitness:
Agility: ability to start, stop and move the body quickly and in different directions.
Balance: a kind of coordination which allows you to maintain control of your body
while stationary or moving.
Coordination: ability to do a task integrating movements of the body and
different parts of the body.
Power: ability to combine strength and speed in a movement.
Reaction Time: time required to start a movement after being alerted to the need
to move.
Speed: ability to move your total body quickly from one point to another.
Factors Determining Your Skill Related Fitness:
Heredity
Practice
Specific Training
In order to successfully participate in sports, recreational activities and everyday
activities, it is important to achieve an acceptable level of skill-related fitness.
Identifying your areas of strength and weakness will enable you to establish a
plan for improvement, and you will have more success and enjoyment in your
sports activities. In addition, these skills will help you enjoy being active and
reaching the goal of 30 to 60 minutes of moderate to intense activity on a daily
basis.
Becoming a Wise Consumer
Checklist for a Wise Consumer
Before making a purchase, a wise consumer should answer these questions:
• Do I need this product or service? Or is it the advertisement which makes me
think I do?
• Will it do what I expect? How do I know that for a fact?
• Is the price reasonable? Have I at least compared the cost at one other store?
• Have I thought about this purchase? Or am I buying this on impulse?
• Is the store or company reputable?
As a consumer, it is important to your health and for your budget to make wise
decisions. Although this is not always an easy responsibility, use the guidelines
for avoiding rip-offs and understanding advertising claims presented in this
chapter to assist you. Make certain you know the difference between facts, fads,
quackery and fallacies – especially related to health and fitness. Before you
invest in a product or service, review the wise consumer’s checklist.
Because of increased awareness and concern about health and fitness, there are
numerous exercise and health products on the market. As a wise consumer,
select only those that can truly assist in obtaining optimal fitness.
Lifetime Personal Fitness
Specific Health Problems
Know how to avoid the health problems caused by the following:
• alcohol
• tobacco use
• anabolic steroids
• stimulants and supplements
• asthma
• osteoporosis
Wellness and Fitness Forever
Getting fit and staying fit depends on:
• self motivation
• time management
• commitment
• enjoyment
Use what you have learned in this course to help you achieve your optimal
health. What is important is the quality of each day of your life. The goal is to feel
the best you have ever felt in your life now, not just the distant future. It will take
action and sacrifice on your part to improve your lifestyle. We can’t guarantee
you will live one day longer, but we can guarantee you a healthier, happier, and
more productive life. How important is health to you? Is your lifestyle worth dying
for? The choice is yours!