Health Related Components of Fitness

Analyzing Physical Fitness Flexibility

What is physical fitness? Flexibility describes the range of movement possible at
How can it be attained? It various joints. It is probably the most frequently over-
is very important that you looked component of fitness. If you wan to be as good
understand the answers to as you can, you must work on flexibility as regular as
these questions if you are you work on muscu-
going to become respon- lar strength and en-
sible for your own health durance or cardiovas-
and fitness. cular efficiency.
Physical fitness is made Because flexibility is
up of both health-related specific to each joint,
fitness components and skills-related components. no single test can
The health related-fitness components relate to how provide complete
well the systems of your body operate. Are your heart information about the
and other muscles in good shape? This type of physi- flexibility of all major
cal fitness is related to your overall state of health. joints of your body.
The skill-related fitness items are concerned with However, there are several tests that will give you an
abilities related to sports activities. Are you fast? Do indication of flexibility in joints most likely needing
you have good hand-eye coordination? The focus of attention. These tests include the sit and reach test, the
this worksheet is on the health-related components of shoulder stretch test and the v-sit test.
fitness, why they are important and how they can be
improved. Skill-related components will be covered “The lack of regular movement through a joint’s
later. full range of motion results in a decrease in flexi-
bility, and sedentary living is the greatest contribu-
Health-Related Fitness tor to the loss of flexibility with aging.”
Both kinds of fitness are important for successful par-
ticipation in sports activities. However, only the health- Cardiovascular Endurance
related components can be related to the prevention of
disease and the promotion of health. That is why they Cardiovascular fitness relates to the ability of the heart,
are called the health-related blood, blood vessels and the respiratory system to sup-
components of fitness. ply oxygen and necessary fuel to the muscles during
physical activity. The best type of physical activity for
Maintaining an acceptable improving cardiovascular fitness is aerobic activities.
level of the health-related Aerobic activities are those which force the body to use
components of fitness is a large amount of oxygen for a sustained period of time.
recognized as a key ele- Sustained means that the physical activity should be
ment in maintaining a done for a period of 15 to 30 minutes to get the aerobic
healthy lifestyle. People benefits. Examples of aerobic activities are jogging cy-
who attain such levels of cling, swimming, rope jumping, and aerobic dance. Cer-
fitness reduce their risks of tain sports like basketball and soccer also provide the
developing health problems, such as heart disease, low workout needed to achieve an aerobic training effect.
back pain, and obesity, and improve their body’s ability Aerobic activities provide a safeguard for your physical
to function. This is why health-related fitness should be and mental health.
the concern of everyone, regardless of age. Cardiovascular fitness can be measured in a number of
ways. The most accurate measurement is a stress test
There are five health-related components of fitness: performed on a stationary bicycle or treadmill. The most
flexibility, cardiovascular fitness, muscular strength, common test is the one mile run for time.
muscular endurance, and body composition. Remember
that fitness is for everyone. You do not have to be a “Cardiovascular fitness is the most important as-
great athlete to be physically fit. If you exercise regu- pect of physical fitness because of its potential to
larly and follow the basic principles, you will improve reduce risks of developing chronic diseases.”
your health-related fitness.
Health Related Components of Fitness (2)
Muscular Strength and Endurance Body Composition
Muscular strength and endurance are closely related Body composition is the ratio of fat to muscles, bone,
components that are very important to kids your age. and other tissues that compose your body. A certain
Muscular strength is the ability of a muscle group to amount of body fat is necessary for good health. Ex-
apply a maximal force against a resistance one time. tremely high or low amounts of fat can cause health
Muscular endurance is the ability to repeat muscle problems. Most young adults desire a low percentage
movement for a long period of time. of body fat. However, your health may suffer if your
In the past young percentage of body fat is too low or high. Looking
men were much good and feeling good depend a great deal on making
more interested in sure you have the correct amount if body fat.
muscular devel- Body composition can be correctly evaluated in several
opment than ways. Although underwater weighing is the most accu-
young women. rate, it is also the most expensive means to measure
That gap is clos- body fat. Body composition is most commonly as-
ing rapidly, as sessed by a device called a skinfold caliper. However,
young women are there are also several body composition measurement
realizing the im- devices on the market which can give you a general
portance of devel- measurement.
oping their mus- Another common measurement of body composition
cular fitness. To- widely used today is the body mass index (BMI). The
day, more than body mass index pro-
ever before, wom- vides an indication of
en want to have well toned muscles. An important fact the appropriateness of
to remember though is that young women cannot de- your weight relative to
velop the large muscles for the simple reason that they your height. One im-
do not have enough of the necessary hormone testos- portant note to the BMI
terone. Young men on the other hand have high levels though is that it does not
of testosterone, enabling them to greatly increase their indicate the presence of
muscle size. Regardless of your gender, improving fat.
your muscle development will improve your overall
fitness.
The partial sit-up test can be used to measure ab- “Many people do not have a clear under-
dominal strength. Push-ups, pull-ups and the flexed standing of physical fitness. Some people
arm hang are used to measure muscular strength and
endurance of the upper body.
think you have to be a good athlete to be
physically fit. This is not what a personal fit-
Key Terms to Understand ness awareness program is about! Being
physically fit is about understanding the Com-
Components of Fitness
ponents of Fitness and working towards im-
Health-related Fitness
Skill-related Fitness proving them as best as you can.”
Flexibility
Cardiovascular Fitness BMI
Muscular Strength
Muscular Endurance The BMI is the ratio of one’s weight in kilo-
Body Composition grams to one’s height in meters squared. Alt-
Body Mass Index (BMI) hough the BMI does not measure body fat,
Sedentary these calculations are associated with health
Chronic risks. Therefore knowing one’s BMI is benefi-
Kilogram cial when trying to determine one’s risk of
Meter chronic disease.