Overview
Fitness can be defined as being able to perform physical activities. This includes joint flexibility; muscle strength and endurance (including the heart muscle); and a healthy body composition. Another way to define fitness is to think of it as your ability to do routine tasks with enough extra energy to meet any sudden challenges. Routine tasks could include carrying a heavy suitcase, opening a stuck window, or climbing four flights of stairs. One more definition of fitness is your body’s ability to withstand stress, including psychological stress. All three of these definitions of fitness, or good health, are important.
For some, control of health and fitness may often seem to be out of your hands. However, you actually have a lot of control over your health—if you realize the importance of catching potential problems early, or even before they start.
This is where your own knowledge of good health practices and of symptoms of possible problems is so vital. By learning all you can about prevention, early detection, and health management, you can go a long way toward being in charge of your own health. If you focus on maintaining healthy practices and on early detection and prevention of illness and injury, you can:
- Avoid time lost to sickness.
- Limit your need for more medications and their side effects.
- Remain active and involved in your community.
At the most basic level, fitness is made up of two really broad parts: what you put into your body (diet and nutrition) and what you do with your body (activity and exercise).
Exercise and Rest
Exercise and rest stand side-by-side in importance in helping you become and stay fit. If you exercise, you also need to get enough rest. Rest is necessary for your body to recover from exercise and to get ready for the time you exercise. For example, most muscle growth occurs while you sleep. So a good night’s sleep is as important as exercise in maintaining good fitness.
Physical fitness consists of the following three components. A well-designed exercise plan gives adequate attention to each component.
1. Aerobic fitness. Aerobic means “with oxygen.” The purpose of aerobic exercise is to increase the amount of oxygen that is delivered to your muscles. This allows the muscles to work longer or harder. Any activity that raises your heart rate and keeps it up for an extended period of time will improve your aerobic condition.
As you increase your aerobic fitness, you’ll notice that you can do more physical activity without becoming out of breath or feeling your heart pounding hard. You will be able to do activities such as playing with children, housework, yard work, or hiking without becoming tired as quickly.
These are just a few kinds of aerobic activities:
- Brisk walking
- Running or jogging
- Bicycling or stationary bicycling
- Swimming
Plus, many activities that you may not think of as exercise, such as playing basketball, dancing, or actively playing with children can increase your aerobic fitness.
Exercising three times a week is enough to improve fitness. Some studies show that four to six times a week for shorter periods may work even better. Sometimes it’s easier to make exercise a habit if you do it every day. You also need to exercise hard enough to increase your heart rate. Work hard enough to feel the effort, but not so hard that you become out of breath.
Drink water before, during, and after exercising.
2. Muscle strengthening. Stronger muscles can mean either muscles that can do bigger jobs (such as lifting heavier weights) or muscles that will work longer before becoming exhausted (endurance). As your muscle strength increases, you will notice that it is easier to carry heavier objects and that you can carry heavy things longer before becoming too tired to go on. Having stronger muscles also protects your joints.
A program for increasing your muscle strength can be as formal or informal as you’d like. Ordinary house and yard work, such as scrubbing the bathtub, washing walls, or working in the garden, can become muscle-strengthening activities if you do them regularly. Or you may choose to do resistance training with free weights or other weight-training equipment. Swimming and cycling are activities that improve both muscle strength and aerobic fitness.
3. Flexibility. Flexibility comes from stretching. Using your muscles, especially during exercise, shortens them. Your muscles need to be slowly and regularly stretched to balance the way they get shortened during other activities.
Stretching can increase your range of motion and reduce stiffness and pain. Being flexible also helps you have a better sense of balance. As you become more flexible, you will find it easier, for example, to reach things on high shelves or to bend over.
There are many ways to work stretching into your daily life. Try to stretch a little every day. Take a stretch break instead of a coffee break, or take dance, martial arts (aikido, tai chi, or karate), or yoga classes.
Stress Management
Stress is the way we react physically, mentally, and emotionally to various conditions, changes, and demands in our lives. Unless we regularly release the tension that comes with stress, it can increase our risk for physical and mental illness.
Some stress can be good—by challenging us to solve problems in new ways. In fact, too little stress can be bad, since stress can motivate us to do our best. However, when too much stress overwhelms us, negative stress sets in.
The emotional effects of stress usually are easy to spot. They include moodiness, anxiety, and difficulty concentrating. The physical effects of stress are not always as clear. In fact, scientists are just starting to understand some of the ways that stress can harm people’s physical health.
Stress can be caused by specific events or the general conditions in your life. Some events or situations, like the death of a loved one or a violent crime, are so serious that anyone who faces them will feel stress. Events that may cause sudden stress can be big or small and might include:
- Minor frustrations like traffic jams or arguments
- Getting divorced, separated, or married
- Major illness or injury
- Losing a job
The general conditions of your life that can cause stress include:
- Your physical health, including smoking, alcohol or drug abuse, an inactive lifestyle, or a chronic health problem.
- Your emotional state, such as unexpressed or uncontrolled anger, grief, guilt, or low self-esteem.
- Your relationships, especially if there’s no one you can talk to or share your feelings with.
- Your surroundings, like living in a dangerous or uncomfortable area.
- Your job, for example, if it makes you feel insecure or worthless.
When your living conditions are causing you stress, it can be hard to change them. The key is to change what you can and accept that some things are not under your control. If you can manage stress better in other areas of your life, you may find it easier to cope with stressful living conditions.
Common physical symptoms of stress include:
- Headache
- Stiff neck
- Backache
- Rapid breathing
- Sweaty palms
- Upset stomach
- Changes in your thinking, behavior, or mood
- Difficulty sleeping (insomnia)
Relieving Symptoms of Stress
Once you have learned to recognize the stress in your life, you can learn ways to relieve it. Many people can get relief by participating in activities or learning relaxation skills. Following are some of the many activities and techniques that may help you relieve the stress in your life:
Aerobic exercise. Regular exercise does not just tire you; it also relaxes your body. Aerobic exercise—the kind that increases your heart rate, like walking, running, bicycling, or swimming—is especially useful for relieving stress. Stretching exercises also help release muscle tension that results from chronic stress.
Breathing exercises. The way you breathe affects your whole body. Full, deep breathing is a good way to reduce tension and feel relaxed.
Progressive muscle relaxation. Tense thoughts or situations can cause your muscles to become tense also. This can cause pain or discomfort. Deep muscle relaxation reduces muscle tension as well as general mental anxiety.
Massage. Massage is a natural remedy for headaches and tightness in your shoulders, neck, and back. It relieves physical tension and can make you feel calm and relaxed.
Other techniques for relieving stress include yoga, tai chi, meditation, and some forms of counseling. Ask one of your health care providers to refer you to someone who can teach you these approaches if you are not already familiar with them.