Fitness is having enough energy to perform daily tasks efficiently, and with enough reserve energy to enjoy leisure activities.
Fitness is not merely a measure of muscle development or strength. It also implies the ability of the heart, lungs, and arteries to efficiently distribute oxygen-rich blood to working muscles and tissues.
Aerobic exercise (which stimulates the respiratory and circulatory systems) improves the body’s ratings in these areas, aerobics is important in sports training.
- Aerobic, such as brisk walking, jogging, cycling, or swimming, are the best types.
- Make it strong enough to cause heavy breathing or panting, but not gasping.
- If you reach heavy breathing or panting, that is equivalent to 60 to 70 percent of your maximum possible effort.
- At higher percentages, you could experience real breathlessness.
- Beginners should not exercise at more than the 70 percent mark.
- On the scale “Very light”, “Light”, “Fairly hard”, “Hard”, “Very hard”, 30-year-olds and older should exercise at the level you consider to be “Fairly hard”.
- You are probably being too vigorous if you do not have enough breath to maintain a conversation as you exercise.
- People with a low fitness level may find that merely walking for 15 minutes at a time is sufficient to have a training effect.
- Try 15 to 20 minutes, at a steady pace, uninterrupted. For people who are very unfit, a few minutes at a time on several occasions each day is preferable.
- Three to five times a week should suit most people.
- A brisk walk is the best beginning for most unfit people. Later, for variety and interest, try different gaits and strides.
- Do you need motivation? Join a bushwalking or orienteering club; or exercise your dog.
- As performance improves, walk faster, or for longer periods. Gradually intersperse short periods of slow jogging.
- Cycling is a good activity for maintaining an aerobic-fitness goal. It is good where body weight needs to be supported.
- Cycling strengthens back muscles. It may relieve or prevent back trouble.
- Stationary indoor bicycles allow better control of the intensity of exercise.
- Less boring is the “bionic bike” operated by both arms and legs. It may be fitted with a heart-rate monitor to provide extra interest in assessing improvements in fitness.
- Jogging is supposed to mean leisurely running, but some people are jogging too fast and suffering accordingly.
- It should be attempted only if you can walk vigorously for 20 to 30 minutes with ease.
- It is not suitable for people who are much overweight, nor those with arthritis, joint problems, or a “bad back”.
- Wear good-quality running shoes with plenty of toe room and a wide, raised heel.
- Jog, heel-to-toe, on level grass surfaces where possible; do not jog downhill or up slopes.
- Alternate jogging with walking. As fitness improves, slowly increase the proportion of jogging.
- An ideal all-round exercise, good for general muscular and aerobic fitness, is swimming – especially for the overweight and those with arthritic conditions.
- Beginners should restrict themselves to the breaststroke, or the most comfortable stroke; freestyle is the most demanding. As a fitness and joint mobility improve, vary strokes.
- Warm-ups should be slow and careful.
- In jogging, cycling, and swimming, they may consist merely of beginning at a slow pace. With other activities, such as tennis, squash, and volleyball, where peak performance is required from the start, warm-ups should consist of jogging and calisthenics.
- Warming up helps to prevent muscle injury and prepares the heart and lungs for increased effort.
- Cooling down, slowly, after strenuous exercise is important, too, to give the body time to readjust its distribution of blood flow.
- Allow about five minutes of reduced-intensity exercise before complete rest.
- Do not exercise vigorously without adequate warm-ups and stretching.
- Do not overdo it. “Easy does it” is better than “Too hard”.
- Do not exercise within two hours after meals or after considerable alcohol drinking.
- Do not exercise during an illness or acute infection.
- Do not take salt tablets before a workout, most people do not need any.
- Do not participate in team or competitive sports if out of condition.
- Do not exercise in hot and humid weather.
- Do not take all the above as an excuse not to exercise.
- Physical education for the young should include experience in a wide range of enjoyable aerobic activities.
- It should provide an understanding of exercise benefits and motivate to maintain physical activity as a lifetime habit.
