It's the Spring and the time we all think about what we should be doing to help ourselves become fitter and more beautiful, which we have not been doing that consistently during the last year. Gym memberships rise early in the year but many allow them to lapse as they find the motivation difficult to maintain. However, what does fitness mean? Many of us are not at all clear what it actually means to be fit and what all the fitness measurements mean, an ignorance which bodes ill for our likelihood of continuing with what we plan. Even health professionals such as me are guilty of not having a clear grasp of the numbers.
Heart health is a major focus of becoming fit as coronary heart disease is a one of the most prevalent conditions in society and one of its greatest causes of death. It is useful for all of us to pay attention to our coronary risk factors and strive to bring them to within normal limits. Fitness involves a series of different components, all of which need to be worked on if the overall result is to be best. Neglecting any one of the factors can prevent us from developing our greatest fitness potential.
In aerobic fitness the body can keep up a level of performance for a significant period of time without tiring, perhaps to cycle continuously for an hour. The training effect level must be achieved for 15 to 20 minutes or improvements in capacity will not be reached.
For our muscles to be fit we need to develop enough strength, power and endurance in them to perform the required movements for the required time.
Flexibility is the ability of our bodies to be extensible, for the balance of looseness and tightness in bodily structures to be optimal for functional activity.
Dynamic and functional activities demand considerable balance, maintaining the control over our postural stability as we perform complex motions under load.
To use all the strength, balance and endurance we need to work on coordination which is the practice of the skills needed to master the movements necessary.
There are many bodily measurements which can be taken to indicate the health or otherwise of our bodily systems or integrated whole. Healthy blood pressure is taken not to be higher than 140 over 90 (140/90) when resting. 140, the upper figure, indicates the fluid pressure in the aorta when the heart is in its pumping phase (systole, pronounced sist-oley), and varies with activity and anxiety. 90, the lower figure, refers to the fluid pressure in the aorta when the heart is in its resting, refilling phase and this is called diastole di-ast-oley. If the circulatory system is stiffer and less flexible than it should be then the blood pressure will be elevated.
High blood pressure has consequences which relate to heart disease, kidney function, peripheral blood supply and the likelihood of stroke. This is connected with total cholesterol levels which should be less than 5.0 mmol/l (five millimoles per litre), which indicates the risk for developing atherosclerosis and heart disease to some degree. Body mass is another indicator of our present and future health, with the Body Mass Index (BMI) a useful but not infallible indicator of our status in the health stakes. The BMI is often indicated on a big colourful poster, charting the relationship between our height and our bodyweight and dividing the results into underweight, healthy, overweight and obese.
The healthy values are given as between 20 to 24.9, so by looking at the chart we can predict what weight we should be for our height and thereby set realistic goals for our ideal size. The BMI can give results which just seem inappropriate in some people as it does not take account of the size of the body frame, the amount of muscular bulk carried and the distribution of weight. Nevertheless it remains a useful indicator of where we should be working towards. The BMI goes together with a recommended fat content for the body of between 21 and 27 percent. - 14130
Heart health is a major focus of becoming fit as coronary heart disease is a one of the most prevalent conditions in society and one of its greatest causes of death. It is useful for all of us to pay attention to our coronary risk factors and strive to bring them to within normal limits. Fitness involves a series of different components, all of which need to be worked on if the overall result is to be best. Neglecting any one of the factors can prevent us from developing our greatest fitness potential.
In aerobic fitness the body can keep up a level of performance for a significant period of time without tiring, perhaps to cycle continuously for an hour. The training effect level must be achieved for 15 to 20 minutes or improvements in capacity will not be reached.
For our muscles to be fit we need to develop enough strength, power and endurance in them to perform the required movements for the required time.
Flexibility is the ability of our bodies to be extensible, for the balance of looseness and tightness in bodily structures to be optimal for functional activity.
Dynamic and functional activities demand considerable balance, maintaining the control over our postural stability as we perform complex motions under load.
To use all the strength, balance and endurance we need to work on coordination which is the practice of the skills needed to master the movements necessary.
There are many bodily measurements which can be taken to indicate the health or otherwise of our bodily systems or integrated whole. Healthy blood pressure is taken not to be higher than 140 over 90 (140/90) when resting. 140, the upper figure, indicates the fluid pressure in the aorta when the heart is in its pumping phase (systole, pronounced sist-oley), and varies with activity and anxiety. 90, the lower figure, refers to the fluid pressure in the aorta when the heart is in its resting, refilling phase and this is called diastole di-ast-oley. If the circulatory system is stiffer and less flexible than it should be then the blood pressure will be elevated.
High blood pressure has consequences which relate to heart disease, kidney function, peripheral blood supply and the likelihood of stroke. This is connected with total cholesterol levels which should be less than 5.0 mmol/l (five millimoles per litre), which indicates the risk for developing atherosclerosis and heart disease to some degree. Body mass is another indicator of our present and future health, with the Body Mass Index (BMI) a useful but not infallible indicator of our status in the health stakes. The BMI is often indicated on a big colourful poster, charting the relationship between our height and our bodyweight and dividing the results into underweight, healthy, overweight and obese.
The healthy values are given as between 20 to 24.9, so by looking at the chart we can predict what weight we should be for our height and thereby set realistic goals for our ideal size. The BMI can give results which just seem inappropriate in some people as it does not take account of the size of the body frame, the amount of muscular bulk carried and the distribution of weight. Nevertheless it remains a useful indicator of where we should be working towards. The BMI goes together with a recommended fat content for the body of between 21 and 27 percent. - 14130
About the Author:
Jonathan Blood Smyth, editor of the Physiotherapy Site, writes articles about Physiotherapists, physiotherapy, physiotherapists in Harpenden, back pain, orthopaedic conditions, neck pain and injury management. Jonathan is a superintendant physiotherapist at an NHS hospital in the South-West of the UK.
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