The Importance of Physical Fitness

A person who is fit is capable of living life to the fullest possible extent. Mental and physical fitness play very important roles in our lives, and people who are mentally and physically fit are usually less prone to fall prey to medical conditions.

What is fitness?

Physical fitness is your ability to carry out tasks without undue fatigue.

Being physically fit is not all that fitness refers to, but also refers to the mental state of a person as well.  A person will not be able to function optimally if he or she is mentally unwell or troubled, even if he or she is physically fit. Mental fitness can only be achieved if your body is functioning well. By exercising regularly and eating right, you can help relax your own mind and eliminate stress.

Why is it important to be physically fit?

A change in life style is essential to becoming physically fit. You will have to eat healthier foods and also incorporate a regular exercise routine into your life. You will be able to become physically fit by avoiding junk foods, fizzy drinks and bad habits like smoking and alcohol, and by getting adequate amount of rest.

Your body will be able to detox and become stronger by eliminating all these substances from your life. Make sure that you spend more time outdoors in the sun, and get plenty of fresh air and take part in healthier activities. These positive activities can include; running, fishing, swimming, hiking or even playing football with some friends, and these activities should be a part of your physically fit lifestyle.

What are the advantages of being more active?

You can increase your body’s fitness levels and also avoid health problems like diabetes and high blood pressure from developing by becoming more physically active.

Some Components of Physical Fitness Definitions and Examples:

Agility

The ability to stop, start and change directions quickly. Agility is a skill-related component of physical fitness. Doing specific footwork drills on an agility ladder, staggered tire formation or any other type of obstacle course that requires the individual to adjust body position, speed and direction quickly can increase one’s agility. Timing individuals running through a series of staggered cones or obstacles for a set distance is a good way to test one’s agility. A good example of agility is a football player cutting across the field.

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Balance

Controlling body positions while standing still or moving. Balance is a skill related component of physical fitness. Balance can be tested by standing on one leg with eyes closed for 30 seconds on each leg. Increasing your overall core strength can help to improve your balance. Specific training techniques using exercise equipment such as balance discs, or standing on one leg while performing an exercise can help to improve one’s balance. An example of agility can be seen in a surfer on a surfboard riding a wave, or simply jumping around on one foot.

Body composition

The quantity of muscle to fat in the body is a very important factor. Body composition is a health related component of physical fitness. Having a high percentage of body fat compared to lean muscle has been shown to increase the risk of heart disease, diabetes, certain types of cancers and strokes. Daily cardiovascular exercise and strength training, along with a healthy diet, will help to reduce body fat and help to increase lean muscle mass. Body composition can be measured by skinfold calipers, waist-to-hip ratios, and circumference measurements.

The components of physical fitness that are directly health-related and the components of physical fitness that are skill-related should be incorporated into our daily exercise routines. Combining all these components of fitness into your exercise regimen will certainly make you stronger, faster, improve your balance and increase your flexibility.

Image courtesy of: cplongevity.com.

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