Physical activity and health
The decade of the 90s has seen tremendous progress in the area of fitness and health. Numerous research studies have been conducted and information abounds on the advantage of physical fitness. It is now generally known and accepted that physical fitness enhances the well-being of every living person.
“Physical fitness is defined as a state of physical wellness that embodies a balance between several fitness components, that is, flexibility, strength and endurance. It can also be interpreted as a state where an individual is able to perform the activities of daily living adequately, efficiently and safely.
“This Nyam News will focus on dimensions of physical fitness, benefits of physical fitness as well as activities to promote physical fitness.
“Physical fitness is indeed a multifaceted concept and has different meanings to different individuals, depending on the individual’s perspectives. For example, a marathon runner’s primary objective will be to optimise cardiovascular fitness, whilst a power lifter’s primary objective is to increase muscular strength.
“The basic components of physical fitness and their definition are as follows:
“Strength: This is the force exerted by the muscle during contraction.
“Endurance: This is the capacity of the cardiovascular and muscular system in executing a prolonged and repeated activity.
“Flexibility: This refers to the range of motion about a joint. Good flexibility is important to allow freedom of movement to prevent injury and to maintain mobility.
Dimensions of fitness
“Two broad headings for exercise-related activities have emerged from the growing fitness industry: aerobics and strength (resistive) training. Aerobics include the typical exercises such as running, swimming, cycling and sports. More recently aerobic dancing and stepping have become quite popular.
Aerobics
“The main objective of aerobic exercises is to increase the maximum amount of oxygen that the body can process in a given time. This is referred to as aerobic capacity and depends largely on an efficient cardiovascular system capable of delivering large volumes of blood and hence oxygen to the working muscles and lungs. Aerobics fitness, in short, depends on an efficient lung, a powerful heart and a good network of arteries, veins and capillaries. Because it involves such vital organs, aerobic fitness can be viewed as the best measures of overall fitness.
Strength
“Strength (resistance) training makes full use of the inherent potential of the human organism for adaptation. Progressive application of resistance to working muscle forces the tissues to adapt, resulting in increasing size and strength of the muscles and also connective tissues.
“Strength training incorporates the use of apparatus or body weight to create the overload effects necessary to induce the above-mentioned physiological adaptations. Dumbbell machines and rubberized resistance are generally used to do this type of training.
“Flexibility
“Flexibility is the ability of the joints to move through a full range of motion. Inactivity over a long period causes connective tissues to shrink, thus, limiting range of motion. Training can reduce the factors that inhibit flexibility. A programme of static stretching for all major muscle groups brings about good flexibility.”
(To be continued)
