Fitness is a condition of health and well being and, more importantly, the capacity to do regular parts of daily activities, jobs and sports. Most people consider their state of fitness to be their level of fitness, and it varies from person to person because we all have different lifestyles, habits and heights of body mass index. Physical fitness is usually achieved through regular physical activity, proper nutrition and adequate rest. Some of the more prominent factors that affect fitness are:
In order to achieve a certain level of physical fitness, you need to have a well balanced diet, including healthy fats and proteins, which provide fuel and energy for your muscles. You also need to consume enough water to keep your body hydrated and cool; lack of water can actually cause dehydration, another factor that affects muscle strength. A good supplement to take with your food is creatine, which helps increase muscle strength and is found in meat, nuts, cheese and other dairy products. However, you should talk to your doctor before taking any supplements, especially if you have any underlying medical conditions or medications.
Muscle mass, or body composition, plays an important role in determining how fit you are. If your body composition is high (or very high) then you may not be exercising regularly or doing enough of the recommended exercises. Your diet and your lifestyle, both involving your physical activity levels, should be more in line with meeting your fitness goals. If you are overweight or obese you will also need to eat a healthy diet and work to remove or reduce unhealthy foods, which are known as fat mass. Once you have made some improvements in your body composition, you can begin to work on increasing your muscle mass, which will help you to burn calories more efficiently.
Another part of fitness is flexibility, which refers to the body’s ability to move freely. One’s flexibility means how well coordinated the muscles are. If you have a good range of motion it implies that you are able to stretch your muscles, which allows them to become stronger. In addition to exercise, another way of improving your flexibility is by using a variety of stretches. The good thing about stretching is that it does not hurt and you can easily learn a variety of different stretches. You can also learn about your own personal flexibility, by doing a personal fitness routine that tests your flexibility in particular areas.
An important part of physical fitness is strength training. Strength training improves the overall functioning of the muscles and increases the overall strength of your body. For example, if you wanted to develop biceps strength you would train your arms with exercises such as bench presses, squats, and deadlifts. Cardiovascular exercise can also help raise your heart rate, as well as improving your flexibility and coordination.
There are also many other forms of fitness that involve muscle strength, such as flexibility training. It is important to realize that your general fitness level, as well as your individual fitness level, will determine the type of cardiovascular workout you should do. If you are looking for a workout that increases your heart rate and is very low impact, then aerobics is considered an excellent form of cardiovascular exercise.