Read about xeloda and avastin here

What We’re Reading

Meta

5 Components of Physical Fitness

I am about to start a full blown fitness program. I hope you all will join me. As I am developing my fitness program I began doing some research. I am a 10 year Navy veteran, so I naturally looked to my beloved US Navy for guidance and as I suspected, they had a lot of information. This post addresses some of that information as it relates to physical fitness. Enjoy!!

Physical fitness is one of the keys to staying healthy. But the question is, “What exactly is physical fitness?” I looked around and the definition that I felt was the best was created by the American College of Sports Medicine. Their definition is, “physical fitness is a set of characteristics (i.e., the work capacity of your heart and lungs, the strength and endurance of your muscles, and the flexibility of your joints) that relate to your ability to perform physical activities.” This can be broken down into 5 components of physical fitness. They are:

1. Cardio respiratory (Heart and Lung Capacity and Capability) -This component addresses the heart (cardio) and the lungs (respiratory). These two organs work together to provide oxygen and nutrients to the blood. The heart works as the pump to distribute oxygen rich blood throughout the body and to pump oxygen deficient blood from the body. The lungs work to infuse the blood with oxygen and to expel carbon dioxide from the body. This is why we need oxygen when we breath and we exhale carbon dioxide. So the purpose of cardio respiratory exercise from a fitness perspective is to develop your heart and lung’s capacity to do this job, which of course allows you to perform and feel better. This is the purpose of aerobic exercise. Point of note, by default if you do not do any type of aerobic exercise your heat and lungs aren’t working together as well as they could.

2. Endurance (Muscle Endurance) - This component addresses your muscle’s ability to repeatedly lift a weight. Repetitions. Weight training addresses this physical fitness component as well as other exercises, pushups, for example. This component is most often associated with runners, but muscle endurance also relates to repetitive athletic actions like pitching, shooting a basketball, soccer, etc.

3. Strength (Muscle Strength) - This component addresses your muscle’s ability to exert force to resistance. Weight training specifically addresses this component, lifting weights for example. This is the component of physical fitness we all associate with fitness. I am going to comment on this later.

4. Flexibility (Joints) – This component addresses the ability to move your joints freely through the full range of motions. Stretching addresses this physical fitness component. Other exercises that address this component are disciplines, such as yoga or Pilates.

5. Body Composition – This component addresses your body type. This is important, because what may be important for one with respect to a component of physical fitness may not be as important for another. For example, I am 6’4” with an athletic build. My physical fitness needs are different from a stocky short person or even a tall thin person. Understanding this component is important to tailoring your physical fitness program to your specific needs.

My Two Cents: In my pursuit of being healthy. Nothing has impacted my thinking about physical fitness than realizing the importance of have a concerted effort to address each of these components with equal importance. I have seen people in the gym lifting massive weights (muscle strength) with a beer belly, who treat the treadmill like it is a torture device. Conversely, I have seen people who run on the treadmill for 2 hours (cardio respiratory), but couldn’t lift a piece of paper without straining. My point is a holistic approach is what is needed for optimal health. So ensure that you do an exercise or two that addresses each of these components of physical fitness. If you have any comments, suggestions or exercises don’t forget to comment to this post.  And Remember…Get Healthy!!! Your Life Depends On It!!!

Source: Singh, Anita, Ph.D., RD, Bennett,Tamara L, M.S. and Deuster, Patricia A., Ph.D., M.P.H., 1999, Peak Performance Through Nutrition and Exercise, Department of Military and Emergency Medicine, Uniformed Services University of the Health Sciences, F. Edward Hebert School of Medicine

convert this post to pdf.

Posted under Exercise, fitness

This post was written by admin on October 25, 2008

Tags:

Viewing 84 Comments

 

Trackbacks

(Trackback URL)

close Reblog this comment
Powered by Disqus · Learn more
blog comments powered by Disqus

More Blog Post

Next Post: Eating Healthy On The Go: Wendys
Previose Post: Eating Healthy On The Go: Chick-Fil-A
For Email Marketing you can trust
Add to Technorati Favorites

Categories