5 Components of Health Related Physical Fitness
Aerobic Capacity
The body’s ability to process oxygen. It is a combination of lung capacity, the size of the capillaries, the pumping action of the heart, and transfer of oxygen from red blood cells to target tissues. AC is the highest amount of oxygen consumed during maximal exercise in activities that use the large muscle groups in the legs or arms and legs combined. Aerobic capacity, aerobic power, functional capacity, functional aerobic capacity, maximal functional capacity, cardiorespiratory fitness, cardiovascular fitness, maximal oxygen intake, and maximal oxygen uptake are terms that are often used interchangeably.
Fitness Gram Tests
*PACER test
*One-mile run/walk
*Walk test (ages 13 or greater)
Body Composition
In physical fitness, body composition is used to describe the percentages of fat, bone and
muscle in human bodies. Because muscular tissue takes up less space in our body than fat tissue, our body composition, as well as our weight, determines leanness. Two people at the same height and same body weight may look completely different from each other because they have a different body composition.
Fitness Gram Tests
*Percent body fat (calculated from triceps and calf skinfolds)
*Body mass index (calculated from height and weight)
Muscular Strength, Endurance, and Flexibility
Muscular strength is the ability to exert maximum force, usually in a single repetition.
Muscular endurance is the ability to repeat an activity many times, or to hold a particular position for an extended amount of time.
Flexibility is a joint’s ability to move freely through a full and normal range of motion.
Fitness Gram Tests
*Abdominal strength and endurance (curl-up)
*Trunk extensor strength and endurance (trunk lift)
*Upper body strength and endurance (choose from push-up, modified pull-up, and flexed arm hang)
*Flexibility (choose from back-saver sit-and-reach and shoulder stretch)
Working-In
The main effect of the exercises in a work-in routine is that they cultivate more energy than they expend, leaving enough energy to stimulate and fortify your healing processes.
Work-in exercises trigger your rest and recovery system. They also use low intensity movements that help your biological pumps to move nutrients more effectively and tune the biological oscillators so they generate healthy patterns that support one another. In short, work-in exercises are specifically designed to counter all of the effects of living an inactive or overly stressful lifestyle.
I recommend a daily commitment of 20-30 minutes of working-in. As you work-in, you will notice one or more of the following changes:
*Your body feels better and better day after day.
*Your body weight improves.
*Your energy improves.
*Your blood pressure, heart rate and respiratory rate all typically move toward optimal if they are currently high.
*Your moods level out and you feel more emotionally capable.
*Sleep deepens, becoming more restful.
*Your mental functions improve. You can try work-in exercises during breaks at work or when your mind is tired.
*You start looking younger and younger!
*Improved digestion
*Improved breathing capabilities
Examples of work-in exercises:
*slow walking
*breathing exercises
*stretching
*yoga
*tai-chi
*qigong
*praying
*meditating
*zone execises(How To Eat Move and Be Healthy book)
Working-Out
1-Functional Exercise/Strength Training using the primal pattern movements. Intensity is often better than duration. The most important tip I can give anyone, particularly anyone over 40, is to lift weights. This is because, on average, your body loses a pound of muscle every year after the age of 40. Resistance training sessions of 30-45 minutes three times a week can do amazing things for your body and your mind. You can put muscle mass on, helping keep your body lean and aiding your ability to enjoy food since resistance training is the very best for stimulating your metabolism.
2. Take up a sporting activity such as soccer, tennis, dancing or anything that requires a regular commitment to moving and exercising your body.
3. Choose to do some hard physical work. Maybe you have gardening, landscaping projects, swing a sledge hammer, carry large rocks, use a wheel barrel etc.
4. Walk briskly for a good 20-40 minutes several times a week. Walking on trails, in the mountains or at the beach is best because natural settings give the body more variety of stimulation and cleaner air.
5. Walk flights of stairs two or three times a week, which should be put between the less intense sessions of your other forms of exercise. Start out with 5:00 minutes of stair climbing and add a couple minutes every other workout, or progress faster if you are able to do so without making yourself too sore.
6. Ride a bicycle, skateboard, roller blades, or a razor around the neighborhood, skate parks, or on the boardwalk at the beach. Make sure to warm up slowly and change the intensity of your riding as you go.
7. Get a Swiss Ball! The Swiss ball is a fantastic, simple way to workout. See me if you would like to buy one. There are many swiss ball video’s you can buy or you can use Google or You Tube to find swiss ball workouts. In class we will learn many swiss ball exercises for you to do at home.