The importance of physical fitness- 5 components you must know!

Introduction

The perfect body shape promoted on social media has influenced most of us. It is practically impossible for everyone to look that way. This body shape is often mistaken for fitness. That’s not the case. Physical fitness is an entirely different thing. We need to dig deeper into the idea of physical beauty and health to understand what we should run after. To learn more and ignite a passion in the field of physical fitness, keep reading!

What is physical fitness?

It is a way of improving and maintaining the health of the body. Just like cars or other objects need constant maintenance to work smoothly, our bodies also need exercise to keep them active. It is called physical fitness. 

You can describe it scientifically as a condition that helps us look, feel, and do our best. Maintaining physical fitness doesn’t mean you have to get a gym membership or do heavy workouts every day. You must exercise, but you should plan it according to the components of physical fitness. 

There are 5 components of physical fitness that you must know. These components will help you understand the reason behind every exercise. Each repetitive movement that you do affects a specific part of your body. That effect leads you to fitness. 

The 5 components of physical fitness

The components of physical fitness are divided into two attributes, health-related and skill-related. The health-related components determine our ability to perform daily activities and prevent the development of hypokinetic diseases. These diseases occur because of the inactivity of the body. 

Here, we are going to learn about the health-related components of physical fitness.

Cardiovascular endurance

Also called aerobic fitness, cardiovascular endurance is our body’s ability to take oxygen and deliver it to tissues effectively. It goes through the heart, lungs, arteries, vessels, and veins. The inactivity of our body affects these integral parts. 

According to research, every year, approximately 6,30,000 deaths in the United States happen because of heart diseases. The American College of Sports Medicine has released a daily activity guideline for 150 minutes.

You can do running, boxing, walking, cycling, swimming, dancing, or circuit training. Whatever you choose, you have to be consistent for better results.  

Muscular endurance

This component focuses on the muscles of the body. Muscular endurance is about muscle health and strength. It tests the ability of a muscle group to execute repeated contractions. The inefficiency causes muscle fatigue. 

The perfect exercises or examples of this component would be cycling or holding a plank. To peddle a bike for a long time on different roads can be tiring. If the biker has fatigue-resistant muscles in his legs, it will be easy. 

When you hold a plank, you contract your abdomen to keep your body in a steady position. This builds muscle endurance in the hip, abs, and shoulders. If you aren’t able to do heavy exercises, just cultivate a habit of using stairs whenever you can.

Muscular strength

Muscle endurance and muscle strength have a slight difference. Muscle endurance deals with making the muscles fatigue-resistant. Whereas muscle strength deals with the force produced by the same muscle group. You can achieve them both through muscle exercises.

The weight lifting exercises at the gym are designed to increase muscle strength. The deadlifts are specially aimed at developing fatigue resistance. When you increase the weight at the deadlift, it improves your muscle endurance and strength at the same time.

Flexibility

It deals with the motions of joints without feeling the pain. Flexibility is a joint-specific component. It is an essential factor in performing daily chores or even an athletic activity. Many of us experience joint pain with aging. This pain restricts our movements. Practicing flexibility can decrease that pain and give you freedom of motion.

Flexibility also plays a vital role in unhindered balance, coordination, and agility, which are the skill-based components of physical fitness. You can practice yoga, static stretching, tai chi, barre, or pilates to work on the flexibility of your joints.

Body composition

It is the measurement of body mass. It can be expressed in a relative percentage of fat and fat-free tissues using a two-compartment model. You can measure body composition in a laboratory or in the field with different techniques. Some of the techniques are as follows-

• The gyms use Bioelectrical impedance analysis (BIA) to measure the fat percentage of clients. 
• A person is weighed on the surface and underwater to calculate the fat percentage in hydrostatic underwater weighing
• The dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry scan (DEXA) measures bone mineral density.  
• A body fat percentage calculator is a tool to measure approximate percentages. 

Key takeaways

• Physical fitness refers to the ability of our bodies to perform daily tasks without getting tired and still have the energy to cultivate our hobbies.
• The components of physical fitness are divided into parts that affect our bodily functions.
• Practicing exercise, yoga, or any repetitive physical movement is necessary for good physical health.

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FAQs

Q1. What are the three main types of physical activity?

Answer – Aerobic exercise, muscle strengthening, and flexibility are the three main types of physical activity.

Q2. What is FITT?

Answer – FITT represents frequency, intensity, time, and type these are the general guidelines for a fitness plan.

Q3. What are the light physical activities?

Answer – Light physical activities are slow walking, playing pool, croquet, fishing, or light household work.