Physical Fitness Components

More and more the term physical fitness seems to be misunderstood. Some people may assume that just because someone is not morbidly obese or drastically under weight, that they are pretty fit. Nothing could be farther from the truth. As a culture we seem to have lost touch with all the different facets of being truly healthy and fit. Experts go by a set of 5 components to determine physical fitness.

The first component that goes into determining physical fitness is cardiovascular health. The cardiovascular system, which is also referred to as the circulatory system, includes your heart and blood vessels. Many problems can arise from poor cardiovascular health. Heart disease (which is the largest cause of death in North America), blocked arteries, high blood pressure, heart attack, embolisms and strokes are all cardiovascular problems. To be physically fit a person must maintain a healthy supply of oxygen to the organs via the circulatory system.

The second component is muscular strength. This refers to the amount of force that a muscle is capable of exerting against a marked amount of resistance. The muscles of your body are responsible for your movements. Your muscular strength can be built by resistance exercises that will build muscle mass and overall strength to the body. Stronger muscles aid your body in doing strenuous activity.

The third component is that of muscular endurance. Muscular endurance deals with the ability to maintain muscular activity for a marked period of time. Poor muscle endurance can hinder simple tasks as being able to walk very far or climb a flight of stairs.

The fourth component of being physically fit is flexibility. This refers to a person’s ability to move their muscles and joints to their fullest range of motion. When muscles are not stretched they become stiff and atrophied.

The final component is body composition. This deals with the ration of fat to lean tissue in the body. And overabundance of fat in a body leads to many diseases and health problems that can be not only hindering, but fatal.

Along with these 5 physical components, doctors can also look at 6 skills related components. The first is speed. This refers to how fast a person can move from one point to another. The next component is agility. Agility can be summed up as the ability to change direction and type of motion quickly.

Third is a person’s balance. Balance is maintaining a steady upright position during stasis and movement. The fourth component is coordination. This is how well ones movement is integrated with the senses. Reaction time is the fifth component. This is measured by how long it takes for the body to react with movement. The final component is power. This refers to the ability to perform strength requiring activity at an accelerated pace.

The road to overall health and well being are paved with these components of physical fitness. The benefits of maintaining health in these areas prevent diseases and other debilitating medical conditions that can lead to a loss of the overall quality of life and in many cases death. Overall physical fitness will aid in daily life, helping you to have more energy, feel better, breathe easier and have full range of motion with no stiffness or pain.

Being physically fit also helps you to better enjoy and excel when participating in sporting activities that an out of shape person would not be able to partake in. These basic components are the basis for you to live your life to the full potential your body is capable of.