When most people think of fitness, they think of fitness training or weight loss. And while those are important elements, there are many more facets that go into building and maintaining a healthy, active lifestyle that will benefit you for the rest of your life. Physical fitness is the ability to do various tasks and activities of daily living and, in particular, the ability to do cardiovascular activities like running, calisthenics (karate type) and other strength-training exercises. Physical fitness is also usually achieved through regular nutrition, adequate rest, and a healthy amount of physical activity. The average adult has no idea how much he or she needs to be fit and active.
Most people have a vague idea of what a healthy lifestyle consists of, and they have an even more vague idea about the components of that lifestyle. On the mental and emotional levels, people tend to think of fitness as working out in the gym and eating well at restaurants. But, practically speaking, healthy living consists of a variety of components that support and promote health. The following 4-page guide provides some broad but essential descriptions of the different elements of a good physical fitness routine.
The fourth element is skill-related fitness. Skill-related fitness relates to the body’s ability to do certain things. It may mean stamina, flexibility, strength, endurance, or coordination. Think back to when you were learning to ride a bike or scaled a wall. You probably didn’t feel like you were particularly fit at the time, but the things you learned from doing those things became part of your fitness system and grew into a skill that is necessary for living in modern society.
The second component is life performance, which is essentially a measurement of health. It includes your heart disease risk, your stroke risk, your diabetes risk, your lung function, your longevity, and your general health. All of these factors are important to your quality of life and your fitness level. One of the biggest contributing factors to life performance is exercise, which can have both immediate and long term health benefits. If you are looking to develop lasting fitness habits and get fit, you need to incorporate a daily workout plan with an enjoyable activity such as dancing.
Thirdly, we need to make our fitness means relevant. We may enjoy the occasional workout or sport, but if we want to be healthy and live longer we need to take a more active approach to our physical activities on a regular basis. Fitness and exercise need to become a part of our lives and not something we do only when we are forced to do it. For example, if you walk your dog for a few hours each day, this will improve your health and fitness mean you will be less likely to develop poor eating habits and put off having a physical exercise routine.
Finally, cardiovascular fitness also has something to do with how fit you are. When you are fit, your heart rate will remain within a safe range, your oxygen levels will remain high and your muscles will be strong. This means you will be less likely to incur injuries during exercise and your performance will improve as well. Cardiovascular fitness includes speed and strength training, aerobic exercises, swimming, and even simply walking briskly. Being fit allows you to be a better athlete, which in turn means you will live a longer, happier life.
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