Fitness Fundamentals
Information, Tips, & Ideas

 

To start fitness fundamentals - four basic parts to physical fitness are outlined below:

  1. Muscular Strength: exerting force (for a brief period of time). Upper-body and/or lower-body strength can, for example, be measured by different weight lifting exercises.
  2. Muscular Endurance: the ability of the muscle (or group of muscles) to repeat and apply force, for example, an exercise like pushups.
  3. Flexibility: the ability to move joints and muscles through a full range of motion, for example, and exercise such as the sit-and-reach test. This exercise measures flexibility of the lower back and also the backs of the upper legs.
  4. Cardio-respiratory Endurance: the ability to deliver oxygen and nutrients to tissues (and to remove wastes) over a sustained period of time. For example, long runs or swims are methods used in measuring this part.

Even though I said there are four parts, this last component (I'll number it 5) should be recognized before starting fitness fundamentals:

  1. Body Composition: simply put, is the makeup of the body in terms of lean mass (muscle, bone, vital tissue and organs) and fat mass. An indication of your fitness level can be calculated through the ratio of fat to lean mass. Right forms of physical fitness will help you decrease body fat and increase (or maintain) muscle mass.

***Please Note***

Just a few points before you jump up off the couch and run around the block to begin training for that marathon…

  • Warming Up: always warm up before strenuous activity and vigorous exercise. Spend 5-10 minutes doing a bit of light physical fitness exercises and stretching to get your body ready to move!
  • Don’t Exercise Right after Eating…very uncomfortable, besides, this causes strain on the digestive system and can induce nausea (yuck)...it's perhaps best to start your physical fitness routine an hour before eating dinner or in the morning (if you're a morning person...which I'm not).
  • Stay Hydrated! Yup, drink plenty of water and fluids not only DURING exercise but throughout the day!

 

Now for some TIPS to help you keep on track with your fitness exercise programs:

  1. Increase repetitions and frequencies as you get more confident and notice progress. Why? Because you are constantly improving (give yourself a pat on the back), and besides, you don’t want to just keep doing the same things over and over again.

…challenge yourself…

  1. Alter your physical fitness routine to focus on the different parts.

    For example:

    • lifting weights - for strength
    • calisthenics/pushups/sit-ups etc. - for endurance
    • aerobics - for cardiovascular
    • stretching - for flexibility
  1. Track your physical fitness results – yup, write down some stats…

    Record your:
    • weight
    • heart rate changes
    • body mass
    • measurements
    • endurance
    • all aspects of your body fitness

     

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