TeamFLEX Newsletter

Weight Loss Spotlight

Fitness

To achieve total fitness means to obtain the optimal quality of life. The highest quality of life includes intellectual, social, spiritual and physical components. There are also other aspects of total fitness that are interrelated to the first ones such as physical capacity to accomplish personal goals, mental alertness and meaningful relations with other humans.

The term health related fitness includes several factors: cardio respiratory endurance, muscular endurance muscular strength, body composition and joint flexibility.

Another term used for total fitness is wellness or positive health. Although there are some differences between health and fitness goals, there are also many common behaviors including regular exercise and sleep, nutritious diet, no drugs or smoking, limited alcohol, preventive checkups and safe habits.

The physical fitness goals are different for everybody but the overall fitness goals all include to lower the risk of developing health problems and to maintain a positive physical health base.

All individuals can achieve fitness goals up to their own genetic potential. Environmental factors such as climate, altitude and pollution also effect our physical development. Other factors such as the air we breathe, the water we drink and nutrition affect us directly however.

The fitness goals of separate individuals can also be divided into general and sport specific goals. The general person's fitness goals are usually lower then a professional athlete's goal.

Some of the more common fitness goals are, lose weight, to improve muscular strength and endurance, build muscle, increase flexibility, practice coordination and to improve balance and speed.

We set fitness standards for people based on what is needed for good health. It is important to set healthy goals such as where you will be in 6 months, 2 years and 20 years from now based upon your lifestyle, your level of fitness and your quality of life. Keeping focused on the goal you set for yourself will help you stay on a diet, stay on a fitness program and most of all stay healthy.

Fitness goals won't have to be directly related to looks such as looking great, losing weight or gaining muscles. Your fitness goals could be, to exercise in order to improve your blood pressure or your cholesterol levels. The mental aspect of working out is yet another fitness goal one can set for oneself. Exercising regularly has proven to be an excellent stress relief for people with busy lifestyles and high pressure jobs.

There are numerous fitness tests to determine your exact fitness level. Fitness tests are used to help individuals meet specific fitness goals. Many fitness programs use a graded exercise test to evaluate your cardio respiratory fitness level, also called aerobic fitness or cardiovascular fitness level with the help of a bench, a stationary bike or a treadmill. Cardiovascular fitness tests are used to evaluate a person's heart rate during performance and become very useful for determining the target heart rate for fitness workouts.

Fitness tests are also used to keep track of the participant's progress from beginning to end during the length of the fitness program for overall health and fitness analysis.