Most of us want to be fit, right? Activity promoting fitness can prevent disease, make disease we suffer from more manageable, give us more energy, and raise our self-esteem. But what are the essentials of fitness, and how do we get there? Some may think fitness is synonymous with health. Others may think it means being thin, or good looking. And some may think it is being free of disease. Unfortunately fitness is something that has been twisted and turned into something different than it is. We go through the check-out line at the store and see these skinny, sexy movie stars and for most of us, that is our image of fitness. But being fit is a life style, not just an image. The essentials of fitness training include three components, which are muscle strength and endurance, cardiovascular endurance, and flexibility.
Muscle strength and endurance is vitally important in living a fit life, and is attained through resistance exercises like weight lifting and through many cardiovascular exercises. The idea of being muscular is usually something guys want for themselves, but that most women steer away from. Most of us think of big, strong, ripped guys when we think of muscle strength. Again, I believe this is mostly because of how the media has twisted the real definition of fitness, so just try to eliminate all preconceived notions about being strong and muscular. Muscle strength is something that is essential to your body working properly everyday. We get out of bed in the morning, walk up and down stairs, push our kids on the swing, and bend over to pick up the keys we just dropped. We can do all of these actions because of our muscles. And the stronger the muscles, the easier it is for the body to perform simple daily tasks as well as more arduous activities. The weaker the muscles the harder those activities become and the more likely you are to injure your body. Continue reading →
