Introduction to Physical Fitness

For years everyone has known that regular exercise along with good nutrition is good for their health. The trick is how to build sound exercise habits and a balanced diet into your busy schedule. The stress of modern times mandates that you develop and maintain a fit, trim and fully functioning body. Being active and physically fit heightens your self-expression and self-esteem.

Research polls indicate that people today are becoming more health centered. As a result, people are becoming more interested in making fitness exercise an integral part of their life-style. This article will introduce you to the why of fitness. You will learn all about exercise and it's benefits and will also learn how to structure a personal exercise program that is safe, reasonable, effective, and, most important, rewarding and fun.

Give some thought to the following statements:

• In the past, health meant only absence of disease. Today we have a much broader perspective and consider physical fitness to be a key component of total health.
  
  
• The modern life-style fosters unfitness because technological advances have eliminated much fitness producing physical exertion from everyday activities.
  
  
• Everyday activities, even for the laborer, no longer adequately stimulate the heart, lungs, and muscles to produce physiological benefits.
  
  
• Society, especially the corporate world, is beginning to realize the importance of health promotion and the role of exercise in developing and maintaining good health habits.
  
  
• Being physically fit means living at your fullest physical potential. Physical fitness is the capability of the heart, blood vessels, lungs, and muscles to function at optimal efficiency. It provides a basis for living a full and rewarding life style.
  
  
• The basic health components of physical fitness are cardio-respiratory endurance, strength, muscular endurance, flexibility, and body composition.
  
  
• To be physically fit does take effort (yes, some sweat, too!), but exercise does not have to be punishing to help you develop and maintain physical fitness.
  
  
• Regular and vigorous exercise of the total body is a necessary ingredient of muscular and circulatory fitness - the key to good health and well being.