
A fit person is able to perform schoolwork, meet home responsibilities, and still have enough energy to enjoy sport and other leisure activities. Being efficient means doing daily activities with the least effort possible. Physical fitness refers to the ability of your body systems to work together efficiently to allow you to be healthy and perform activities of daily living.

Repeat each stretch two to four times, accumulating 60 seconds per stretch.This is an excerpt from Fitness for Life 6th Edition With Web Resources-Cloth by Charles B. This can be done by holding a stretch for 10-30 seconds to the point of tightness or slight discomfort. Although there are not specific national guidelines for flexibility, adults should do flexibility exercises at least two or three days each week to improve range of motion. Time spent doing flexibility activities by themselves does not count toward meeting the aerobic or muscle-strengthening Guidelines. For this reason, flexibility activities are an appropriate part of a physical activity program, even though they have no known health benefits and it is unclear whether they reduce risk of injury. Stretching exercises are effective in increasing flexibility, and thereby can allow people to more easily do activities that require greater flexibility. Some types of physical activity, such as dancing, require more flexibility than others. Flexibility is an important part of physical fitness. Increases in the amount of weight or the days a week of exercising will result in stronger muscles.įlexibility is the ability of moving a joint through the range of motion. Development of muscle strength and endurance is progressive over time. When resistance training is used to enhance muscle strength, one set of 8 to 12 repetitions of each exercise is effective, although two or three sets may be more effective. No specific amount of time is recommended for muscle strengthening, but muscle strengthening exercises should be performed to the point at which it would be difficult to do another repetition without help.

Muscle strengthening activities for all the major muscle groups should be done at least 2 days a week. Muscle-strengthening activities count if they involve a moderate to high level of intensity or effort and work the major muscle groups of the body: the legs, hips, back, chest, abdomen, shoulders, and arms. Other examples include working with resistance bands, doing calisthenics that use body weight for resistance (such as push-ups, pull-ups, and sit-ups), carrying heavy loads, and heavy gardening (such as digging or hoeing). Resistance training, including weight training, is a familiar example of muscle-strengthening activity. Muscle-strengthening activities make muscles do more work than they are accustomed to doing. Muscle-strengthening activities can also help maintain muscle mass during a program of weight loss. The benefits of muscle-strengthening activity include increased bone strength and muscular fitness. Muscle-strengthening activities provide additional benefits not found with aerobic activity. It's important to work all the major muscle groups of the body: the legs, hips, back, abdomen, chest, shoulders, and arms. The effects of muscle-strengthening activity are limited to the muscles doing the work. Low repetitions with more weight will focus more on muscular strength, while high repetitions with less weight will focus more on muscular endurance. Repetitions play a key role in determining if an activity is improving muscular strength or endurance.


Heavy gardening (continuous digging or hoeing, with heart rate increases).Bicycling slower than 10 miles per hour.Walking briskly (3 miles per hour or faster, but not race-walking).\) Examples of Different Aerobic Physical Activities and Intensities
