Five different measurable fitness quotients have health-related implications that indicate the condition of multiple systems in your body. Unlike skill-related kinds of fitness, such as agility, balance and speed, the health-related kinds of fitness directly influence your susceptibility to diseases and illnesses; improving them can strengthen your sense of well-being and enhance your overall quality of life. A well-rounded exercise regimen incorporates elements that help improve each of the five kinds of health-related fitness.
Aerobic Fitness
Aerobic fitness refers to cardiorespiratory endurance. Increasing your aerobic fitness helps your heart and lungs pump more oxygen, blood and nutrients to muscles and tissues throughout your body with less effort. Stroke volume, the amount of blood your heart pumps per beat, and cardiac output, the amount of blood pumped per minute, increase as your aerobic fitness improves. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recommend performing at least 150 minutes of aerobic activity per week. A brisk walk, jogging and cycling are examples of aerobic activity.
Muscular Endurance
Muscular endurance refers to the amount of energy stored inside your muscles. Your muscles can perform contractions for longer periods of time if you develop more muscular endurance. Mountain climbing, tug-of-war, swimming and rowing are some activities that require substantial muscular endurance. You can build more muscular endurance with high-repetition resistance training. The National Federation of Professional Trainers recommends increasing muscular endurance with weightlifting exercises that exhaust your muscles within 20 to 25 repetitions per set.
Muscular Strength
Muscular strength is the kind of fitness that refers to the amount of weight you can move or hold in place. Stronger muscles can hold and move heavier loads across further distances. Muscular strength also corresponds with lean muscle tissue, and increasing your strength generally produces bigger and stronger muscles. Increasing your muscular strength involves heavy resistance training. Weightlifting exercises that exhaust your muscles within four to six repetitions stimulate the most strength gains by targeting muscle fibers with the most growth potential.
Flexibility
Flexibility is the kind of fitness that corresponds with the range of motion in your joints. You should perform stretching exercises at least three times per week to improve or maintain your flexibility. Increasing your flexibility promotes better fluid circulation throughout your body and helps relieve stress and tension that results from muscle stiffness. The American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons recommends stretching muscular structures throughout your hips, groin, legs, torso and arms. Hold individual stretched positions for 10 to 30 seconds.
Body Composition
Body composition is a health-related kind of fitness that refers to the relative proportions of multiple substances that make up your total body mass or weight. Underwater weighing and skin fold measurements help determine your body composition. Your percentage of body fat is a primary indicator of your fitness in terms of body composition. The percentage of body fat for optimal health in women is 18 to 30 percent, and optimal health in men corresponds with 10 to 25 percent body fat. If your body fat percentage is high, you can improve your body composition by burning more fat and increasing muscle tissue with physical activity.
References
- The President's Council on Physical Fitness and Sports; Definitions: Health, Fitness, and Physical Activity; July 2011
- National Federation of Professional Trainers; "Fitness Trainer Manual"; Mark P. Kelly, et. al.; 2008
- Folsom Lake College; FITNS 304: Cardio Circuit -- Cardiorespiratory Fitness & Energy Systems; Jamie Willson; 2011
- Centers for Disease Control and Prevention; How Much Physical Activity Do Adults Need?; March 2011
- ExRx.net: Fitness Components
- Mayo Clinic; Stretching: Focus on Flexibility; February 2011
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