Main Components of Physical Fitness
More than 2,500 years ago the components of physical fitness were defined by Aristotle. He taught that a thing that suits its purpose well is fit. Today we understand that the cardiovascular system, lungs, skeleton, muscles, endocrine system and all the other vital components of the body function for our purpose: to live well.
Many experts define physical fitness as consisting of five major components:
- Body composition – a comparison of lean body mass to body fat
- Cardiovascular Fitness – ability of the circulatory system to supply blood and oxygen to your working muscles during exercise
- Flexibility – degree or range of motion available
- Muscular Endurance – ability of muscle groups to sustain movement or maintain position over an extended length of time
- Muscle Strength – is the amount of force that a muscle can produce
When you exercise, you benefit your body in various ways, each involving one or more of those systems.
Your heart rate increases when you exercise and increase your physical activity. When your heart works harder, the blood flow increases and your tissues are flooded with fresh oxygen which also helps remove cellular waste products.
Physical activity causes the lungs to inhale extra oxygen to immerse the tissues and help power the heart. Exhalation removes carbon dioxide, a waste product of certain biochemical reactions in the body.
Becoming physically fit through a regular exercise program also has more direct benefits. Most people desire to become physically fit in order to obtain: increased muscle mass, toned legs, buttocks, arms, stomach and healthier looking skin. Along the way, you’ll also gain the benefits of increased strength, improved balance, higher endurance and a healthier mindset.
Different components of the body well benefit from different exercise programs. Aerobic routines aid the cardiovascular and pulmonary systems, weight lifting helps in building muscle tone and mass, yoga and pilates will benefit balance, flexibility and muscular control. All of the exercise programs not only benefit the intended focus group, they aid all of the body’s components. Since the body’s systems all work together, whatever benefits one component usually helps the others as well.
All those benefits, at least to a reasonable extent, can be attained with modest daily effort. You can begin to optimize your physical fitness with moderately intense activity for only 30 minutes a day, at least five days per week. This activity does not require expensive equipment or formal training – you can take a fast walk, take the stairs, jump rope or have a short daily jog.
More intense activity, done properly, can increase your fitness even further. A vigorous tennis game, a few laps in the swimming pool, an hour on the treadmill or exercise bike, or any of a dozen others, can raise your fitness to a peak with only a moderate investment of time and money.
For the truly committed there are, of course, a thousand and one classes at the gym, and every conceivable kind of home fitness equipment to fit a variety of budgets. A daily routine using free weights, followed by a good jog around the park will keep all systems functioning well.
And, as Aristotle taught all those centuries ago, to function well is to live well.
