Complete fitness is more than the ability to run the fastest or the longest – it incorporates five important fundamentals. There is no doubt that fitness has a lot to do with cardiovascular fitness, but it also has a lot to do with muscular endurance and strength, as well as flexibility. To improve your all-round fitness remember these five fundamentals:
1. Cardiovascular fitness
Cardiovascular fitness (or aerobic fitness as it is also known) is the ability of your heart to pump oxygen-rich blood and nutrients to your working muscles during sustained exercise, without tiring. It is also the ability of the body to remove carbon dioxide from the muscles and expel it via the lungs. The fitter you are, the more work you can do, while maintaining a lower heart rate.
2. Body composition
Your body is made up of two components – fat mass (fat stores) and fat free mass (muscles, tendons, ligaments, bones, water and organs). These combined determine your body composition. Regular exercise helps to increase fat-free mass, improve metabolism and help with weight management.
3. Muscular strength
Muscular strength is the ability of the muscle to exert force. Therefore the stronger you are, the more force you can generate. Strong muscles apply tension through tendons and bones, helping to maintain healthy, strong bones.
4. Muscular endurance
Muscular endurance is characterised by the ability of the muscles to repetitively perform an exercise, without fatigue. Long distance running or repetitive weight training on your legs is an example of exercises focusing on muscular endurance.
5. Flexibility
Flexibility is the ability of the joints to move through a full range of motion. Flexibility is as important in daily life as it is in exercise and sport. Each joint has it’s own flexibility – the muscles, ligaments and tendons determine the amount of movement possible.
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