Be a Witness to Your Fitness!

WHAT IS FITNESS?

Fitness is the ability to perform daily tasks vigorously and alertly, with energy left over for enjoying leisure. It involves the performance of the heart and lungs, and the muscles of the body. Fitness varies by age, sex, heredity, personal habits, exercise and eating practices.

KNOWING THE BASICS:

There are five basic components of fitness:

• Cardio-respiratory endurance-The ability to deliver oxygen and nutrients to tissue, and to remove wastes, over sustained periods of time. Long runs and swims are among the methods employed in measuring this component.

• Muscular strength-The ability of a muscle to exert force for brief periods of time. Upper-body strength, for example, can be measured by various weight-lifting exercises.

• Muscular endurance-The ability of a muscle, or a group of muscles, to sustain repeated contractions or to continue applying force against a fixed object. Push-ups are often used to test endurance of arm and shoulder muscles.

• Flexibility-The ability to move joints and use muscles through their full range of motion. The sit-and-reach test is a good measure of flexibility of the low back and hamstrings.

• Body composition-Is often considered a component of fitness. It refers to the makeup of the body in terms of lean mass (muscle, bone, vital tissue and organs) and fat mass. An optimal ratio of fat to lean mass is an indication of fitness, and the right types of exercises will help you decrease body fat and increase or maintain muscle mass. Your BMI (body mass index) will indicate how much body fat is composed in the body. BMI CAN BE CALCULATED by multiplying body weight in pounds by 705 and dividing this figure by the square of the height in inches. For example, an individual who weighs 172 lbs. and is 67 inches tall would have 27% body fat (172 X 705/ (67) (67)=27. According to BMI, the lowest risk for chronic disease is in the 22-25 range. 25-30 is considered overweight and 30 and above is considered obese, and both of these ranges are at risk for chronic disease.

YOUR EXERCISE PROGRAM-should include something from each of the four basic fitness components. Each workout should begin with a warm-up and end with a cool-down. Space your workouts throughout the week and avoid consecutive days of hard exercise. The body needs time to repair itself.

Here are the amounts of activity necessary for the average healthy person to maintain a minimum level of overall fitness:

WARM-UP: 5-10 minutes of exercise such as walking, slow-jogging, knee lifts, arm circles or trunk rotations.

MUSCULAR STRENGTH: A minimum of two 20 minute sessions per week that include exercises for all the major muscle groups. Lifting weights is the most effective way to increase strength. If possible it is always helpful to use a personal or athletic trainer to help you in your weight training.

MUSCULAR ENDURANCE: At least three 30 minute sessions each week that include exercises such as calisthenics, push-ups, sit-ups, pull-ups, and weight training for all major muscle groups.

CARDIO-RESPIRATORY ENDURANCE: At least three 20-minute bouts of continuous aerobic rythmic exercise each week. Activities can include brisk walking, jogging, swimming, cycling, rope-jumping, cross-country skiiing, and other sports activities like racquetball and handball.

FLEXIBILITY: 10-12 minutes of daily stretching exercises performed slowly, without bouncing. You may want to do this previous to a workout or during a cool-down.

COOL-DOWN: A minimum of 5-10 minutes slow walking, low-level exercise combined with stretching.