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What does it mean to be fit? When I think about athletes, the word fit automatically comes to mind. Athletes are very dedicated to their sport. They understand what their bodies need in order to function at their best and at the core of all their training are just a few fitness basics that anyone can incorporate into their lifestyle. These fitness basics are strength, endurance, flexibility and nutrition. To get you better acquainted with these necessary elements of your training and healthier lifestyle, I will give you a bit of knowledge on each.
Strength
Strength can be defined as the application of muscular force in any endeavor. Strength training is benefical for building muscle mass as well as strengthening your bones. Most women tend to shy away from resistance training and only do cardiovascular exercise because they are afraid of getting 'bulky' looking. This is a huge myth and, in actuality, strength training gives you nice defined muscles that will burn more calories throughout the day than doing constant aerobic exercise. As for strengthening your bones, resistance exercise is especially important to older women who are at risk for osteoporosis. You can learn more about increasing your strength in our weights section.
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Endurance
Endurance can be defined as the capacity to perform physically on a continuous basis over a period of time. There are two types of endurance: muscular endurance (or anaerobic endurance) and cardiovascular endurance (or aerobic endurance). Each one requires you to challenge the body in a different way. Muscular endurance training will help your muscles be able to work for an extended amount of time while cardiovascular endurance training works your cardiovascular system (primarily your heart) to perform efficiently on a continuous basis. Both are important in maintaing high energy levels! You can learn more about muscular endurance training in our weights section. You can learn more about cardiovascular endurance training in our cardiovascular section.
Flexibility
Flexibility can be defined as your ability to flex, extend, or encircle your body's joints through their intended full-range of motion. Some people are naturally very flexible. They can plop right into a split. I am not one of those people! I must make sure to train consistently to improve my flexibililty and this means incorporating a variety of stretching exercises. You can learn more about increasing your flexibility in our stretching section.
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Nutrition
And last, but by no means the least, is nutrition. Nutrition is crucial in being fit and healthy. Nutrition can be basically defined as your body's use of nutrients. Athletes will agree that what you put into your body has a major affect on how you look and feel. Understanding how your body uses food is important. By eating healthy food, your body can take necessary nutrients to build and maintain itself as well as to produce energy. As an active individual, you may also want to take a multi-mineral/vitamin daily and drink plenty of water. You can learn more about nutrition in our diet/nutrition section.
Just remember...
Making the change to a fit and healthy lifestyle will require hard work at first. It's not easy to switch our daily habits, but by using these fitness basics as a guide and being dedicated and consistent you can work your way to achieving your fitness goals!
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