The 3 Fitness Components

October 20, 2009 1 Comment
Fitness and health can mean different things to different people. In the next few blog posts you will see the importance of each of these three vital components whatever you motivation is and how these can be incorporated into your busy lifestyle. The three components are: Cardiovascular exercise; resistence exercise and flexibility which will be discussed in detail in this and future posts. Just remember that to maximise the benefits of your workout it is imperative that you correctly warm up and after exercise cool down

Cardiovascular exercise

This exercise involves the lungs, heart and blood circulartory system. As it takes in and uses oxygen it is also called an aerobic workout or exercise. For higher intensity workouts the body is not able to meet its energy demands with oxygen alone. This is called 'anaerobic' exercise which produces further energy by the breaking down of other chemicals within the body. An easy way to distinguish between the two is that a marathon runner requires aerobic exercise while a 100 meter sprinter will use anaerobic exercise.

Aerobic exercise is very beneficial to health and fitness and will form the main topics discussed in Cardiovascular exercise articles, however it is good to know that when working at the the anerobic threshold significant improvements in fitness can be gained.

Make sure that you choose the right training shoe for this exercise

Resistance Exercise

Resistence exercise involves strength and muscular endurance work. Mucle tone and strength are important for good posture, improvements in the asthetics or appearance of the body and the resulting enhanced self esteem. Health benefits include reduced risk of osteoporis, reduced loss of essential muscle tissue and increased bone density.

Flexibility Exercise

Flexibility is an important component in any fitness or health program and is often overlooked. As the body gets older our flexibility, mobility and agility exercises can play as large a part of the cardiovascular and resistence exercise workouts. The reduction in back and joint pain as well as the getting out of bed without wincing each morning will make these exercise well worth while.

Mixing up the "3 components of fitness" into your exercise routine will provide you with the long term benefits as well as short term body toning and weight loss results. However any good fitness program should be complimented with a balanced diet which will provide the results you are looking for.

  • Marie - November 4, 2009 8:38 PM

    Very well said. Indeed, for a well-rounded workout, these 3 components are crucial and should be followed by anyone who wants to have a healthier life. However, I'd like to add that one must have determination and the will to attain their desired weight or keep their body fit. Whatever exercise program you choose, you must follow the 6 basic elements as these will serve as your guide.

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Posting in reply to Marie
Very well said. Indeed, for a well-rounded workout, these 3 components are crucial and should be followed by anyone who wants to have a healthier life. However, I'd like to add that one must have determination and the will to attain their desired weight or keep their body fit. Whatever exercise program you choose, you must follow the 6 basic elements as these will serve as your guide.