Five Areas of Fitness And Some Of The Benefits

The exciting news from recent scientific studies is that exercise benefits everyone – regardless of age. Exercise can help you take charge of your health and maintain the level of fitness necessary for an active, independent lifestyle. This should be reason enough to want to pursue fitness on a regular and consistent basis. ?According to The President's Council on Physical Fitness and Sports, much of the physical frailty attributed to aging is actually the result of inactivity, disease, or poor nutrition. But the good news is – many problems can be helped or even reversed by improving your overall fitness. ?Here are the fitness areas that you should be conce ed about: • Aerobic Endurance - the ability to do moderately strenuous activity over a period of time. It reflects how well your heart and lungs work together to supply oxygen to your body during exertion and exercise. • Muscular Endurance - the ability to hold a particular position for a sustained period of time or repeat a movement many times. This could be the capability to hold a two-pound weight above your head for five minutes or the effort required to lift that weight 20 consecutive times. • Muscular Strength - the ability to exert maximum force, such as lifting the heaviest weight you can budge, one time. It is possible to have muscular strength in one area, say your arms, while lacking strength in another area such as your legs. • Flexibility - the ability to move a joint through its full range of motion. This is how limber or supple you are. • Balance – the ability to maintain your body in its upright posture, especially when abnormal stress (such as tripping) might cause you to lose your balance.? ???Focusing on these fitness areas will help you to achieve many of the following benefits: ?1. Increases your aerobic capacity (fitness level). This enables a "fit" person to have more energy at the end of the day and to get more accomplished during the day with less fatigue. • 2. Maintains, tones, and strengthens your muscle. • 3. Decreases your blood pressure.? 4. Increases HDL (good) cholesterol. • 5. Decreases blood levels of triglycerides (fat).? 6. Makes the heart a more efficient pump.? 7. Increases the strength of the bones, which reduces the chances of injury to them.? 8. Causes the development of new blood vessels in the heart and other muscles, which improves circulation. • 9. Improves control of blood sugar which can have a positive effect on diabetes.? 10. Elevates your metabolism so that you burn more calories everyday, allowing you to better control your weight.? 11. Increases the efficiency of the digestive system which may reduce the incidence of colon cancer.? 12. Improves sleep patterns.? 13. Increases the thickness of cartilage in joints which can reduce the problems associated with arthritis.? 14. Increases the amount of blood that flows to the skin making it look and feel healthier.? 15. Exercise just makes you feel GREAT!