Physical fitness

Physical fitness is the ability to function effectively throughout your workday, perform your usual other activities and still have enough energy left over to handle any extra stresses or emergencies which may arise.
     There are 5 Components of Physical Fitness
The 5 components of physical fitness are often used in our school systems, health clubs and fitness centers to gauge how good a shape we are truly in. The 5 components that make up total fitness are:
Cardiovascular Endurance
Muscular Strength
Muscular endurance
Flexibility
Body Composition
Total fitness can be defined by how well the body performs in each one of the components of physical fitness as a whole. It is not enough to be able to bench press your body weight. You also need to determine how well you can handle running a mile etc.
A closer look at the individual components:
Cardiovascular endurance is the ability of the heart and lungs to work together to provide the needed oxygen and fuel to the body during sustained workloads. Examples would be jogging, cycling and swimming. The Cooper Run is used most often to test cardiovascular endurance.
Muscular strength is the amount of force a muscle can produce. Examples would be the bench press, leg press or bicep curl. The push up test is most often used to test muscular strength.
Muscular endurance is the ability of the muscles to perform continuous without fatiguing. Examples would be cycling, step machines and elliptical machines. The sit up test is most often used to test muscular endurance.
Flexibility is the ability of each joint to move through the available range of motion for a specific joint. Examples would be stretching individual muscles or the ability to perform certain functional movements such as the lunge. The sit and reach test is most often used to test flexibility.
Body composition is the amount of fat mass compared to lean muscle mass, bone and organs. This can be measured using underwater weighing, Skinfold readings, and bioelectrical impedance. Underwater weighing is considered the “gold standard” for body fat measurement, however because of the size and expense of the equipment needed very few places are set up to do this kind of measurement.
     Principles of Exercise
Adherence to certain basic exercise principles is important for developing an effective program. The same principles of exercise apply to everyone at all levels of physical training, from the Olympic-caliber athlete to the weekend jogger.
These basic principles of exercise must be followed.
Regularity
To achieve a training effect, you must exercise often. You should exercise each of the first four fitness components at least three times a week. Infrequent exercise can do more harm than good. Regularity is also important in resting, sleeping, and following a sensible diet.
Progression
The intensity (how hard) and/or duration (how long) of exercise must gradually increase to improve the level of fitness.
Balance
To be effective, a program should include activities that address all the fitness components, since overemphasizing any one of them may hurt the others.
Variety
Providing a variety of activities reduces boredom and increases motivation and progress.
Specificity
Training must be geared toward specific goals. For example, people become better runners if their training emphasizes running. Although swimming is great exercise, it does not improve a 2-mile-run time as much as a running program does.
Recovery
A hard day of training for a given component of fitness should be followed by an easier training day or rest day for that component and/or muscle group(s) to help permit recovery. Another way to allow recovery is to alternate the muscle groups exercised every other day, especially when training for strength and/or muscle endurance.
Overload
The work load of each exercise session must exceed the normal demands placed on the body in order to bring about a training effect.
    Other things that you can do to make the most of your workouts include
Choosing activities that work all the different parts of the body, including your core (muscles around your back, abdomen, and pelvis). Good core strength improves balance and stability and helps to prevent lower back injury.
Choosing activities that you enjoy. It's easier to make exercise a regular part of your life if you have fun doing it.
Exercising safely , with proper equipment, to prevent injuries. Also, listen to your body and don't overdo it.
Giving yourself goals. The goals should challenge you, but also be realistic. It's also helpful to reward yourself when you reach your goals. The rewards could be something big, like new workout gear, or something smaller, such as movie tickets.
   Why physical fitness could be reduced?
Physical fitness could be hampered because of altered lifestyle. Too much fat and calorie rich diets would result in reduced physical fitness. If you are getting used to alcohol or smoking, physical fitness would decrease substantially. Lack of exercise could result in decreased physical fitness. Sedentary workers very often suffer from lack of body fitness. Let us look how we can improve the physical fitness.
   If you can obtain a better physical fitness, it will not only improve your look, but also it will help to deliver a better psychological and spiritual health. As body and mind are closely related, there is no way of getting a sound mind without getting a proper fitness level. For this reason, it is mandatory that you go for regular exercise and take sufficient water as well as fresh fruits and vegetables.
Having a better physical fitness level could not only deliver self-confidence, it would also improve the productivity. In terms of stress management and coping up with daily struggles, physical fitness could help significantly. Whether you are trying to stay healthy or preparing yourself for normal day-to-day stresses, there is no alternative of getting physically fit, not to mention the underlying long term health benefits associated with it.