Physical fitness
By Opaleke Oluwaseun
Physical fitness is your ability to carry out tasks without undue fatigue. In the most general terms, a fit person is able to perform tasks with more sustainable energy and for longer periods than an unfit person. Physical fitness is generally achieved through proper nutrition, moderate-vigorous physical exercise, and sufficient rest.
Benefits of physical fitness include:
1. Regular physical activity can reduce blood pressure in those with high blood pressure levels. Physical activity reduces body fat, which is associated with high blood pressure.
2. Noninsulin-Dependent Diabetes
By reducing body fat, physical activity can help to prevent and control this type of diabetes.
3. Physical activity helps to reduce body fat by building or preserving muscle mass and improving the body’s ability to use calories. When physical activity is combined with proper nutrition, it can help control weight and prevent obesity, a major risk factor for many diseases.
4. By increasing muscle strength and endurance and improving flexibility and posture, regular exercise helps to prevent back pain.
5. Osteoporosis. Regular weight-bearing exercise promotes bone formation and may prevent many forms of bone loss associated with aging.
Types of physical fitness
AEROBIC EXERCISE
Aerobic exercise is sometimes known as “cardio” exercise that requires pumping of oxygenated blood by the heart to deliver oxygen to working muscles. It stimulates the heart rate and breathing rate to increase in a way that can be sustained for the exercise session. In contrast, anaerobic (“without oxygen”) exercise is activity that causes you to be quickly out of breath, like sprinting or lifting a heavy weight. Examples of aerobic exercises include cardio machines, spinning, running, swimming, walking, hiking, aerobics classes, dancing, cross country skiing, and kickboxing. There are many other types.
Aerobic exercises can become anaerobic exercises if performed at a level of intensity that is too high. It does not only improve fitness; it also known as benefits for both physical and emotional health. It can help prevent or reduce the chance of developing some cancers, diabetes, depression, cardiovascular disease, and osteoporosis.
ANAEROBIC EXERCISE
Anaerobic exercise consists of brief intense bursts of physical activity, such as weightlifting and sprints, where oxygen demand surpasses oxygen supply.
Anaerobics builds and maintains lean muscle mass, protects your joints, it helps boost metabolism because it helps build and maintain lean muscle. Lean muscle mass is metabolically active, so the more lean muscle mass you have, the more calories you will burn. It will increase the strength and density of your bones more than any other type of exercise, therefore decreasing your risk of osteoporosis, your body relies on glycogen stored in your muscles as energy. Regular anaerobic exercise increases your body’s ability to store glycogen, giving you more energy during intense physical activity. Regular anaerobic exercise increases strength, speed and power, which will ultimately help improve your sports performance. Examples of anaerobic exercise include heavy weight training, sprinting (running or cycling) and jumping. Basically, any exercise that consists of short exertion, high-intensity movement is an anaerobic exercise.
JOINT FLEXIBILITY
Flexibility refers to the range of movement in a joint or series of joints, and length in muscles that cross the joints to induce a bending movement or motion. Flexibility varies between individuals, particularly in terms of differences in muscle length of multi-joint muscles. Flexibility training includes stretching exercises to lengthen the muscles and may include activities like yoga or Tai Chi.
MUSCULAR ENDURANCE AND STRENGTH
Muscular endurance is the ability of a muscle or group of muscles to sustain repeated contractions against a resistance for an extended period of time. It is one of the components of muscular fitness, along with muscular strength and power. In strength training, muscular endurance refers to the number of repetitions of a single exercise you can do without needing to stop and rest. Examples include how many times you can do a full squat, a sit-up, or a bicep curl with a light-to-moderate weight before breaking form.
The Top 5 Muscular Endurance Exercises include plank, body weight squats, walking lunges, pushups & situps.
