30 May, 2008

what does fitness mean?


We all want to be FIT. Yet do we really know what fitness really means? Is it about being how thin or how fat? Is it having right BMI? Is it looking good and toned or fitting into particular dress size? The answer is NO.
In very brief, let me tell you what FITNESS really means.
Fitness means following five things


1. Cardiovascular Endurance- How fit and strong is your heart. Do you start huffing and puffing, the moment you start walking or can your heart take some challenge of running few miles and yet you are breathing comfortable. How fast the heart rate shoots up once you start a physical activity and how fast it comes back to normal on stopping that activity. This is Cardiovascular endurance.


2. Muscle Strength- How much a particular muscle is able to lift a weight is what is muscle strength.


3. Muscle Endurance- How many times does that muscle lift a particular weight is muscle endurance. The number of repetetions.


4. Flexibility- Flexibility is very important to prevent injuries. One very important factor to determine fitness is Flexibility.


5. Body Composition- How much is the muscle mass and how much is the fat% in body is body composition. Fat% is measured by various methods such as bioelectrical impedence, Anthropometric measurements etc.


Hence if you are thin, you may not be necessarily fit but if you meat the above five requirements, then you certainly are FIT.

2 comments:

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  2. Cardiovascular endurance- how much activity can heart endure and still not huff and puff.
    Muscle strength- lifting weights
    Muscle endurance- How many times can it lift weight( repetition)
    flexibility of the body.
    body composition- percentage of fat and muscle

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