Knowing Physical Fitness Components

People have different opinions about physical fitness. In its general sense, it is a state of health where the body is able to perform daily activities and still have energy for spur-of-the-moment activities. A person needs to be mindful of five aspects of his/her health to achieve this state of health. These are the following: the cardiorespiratory endurance, muscular strength, muscular endurance, flexibility and body composition.

Like water, oxygen sustains life. A person needs adequate supply of it to keep healthy and alive. The body's ability to produce sufficient supply of oxygen for the body is known as cardiorespiratory endurance. In order to achieve this state of health, a person must have efficient transport system, which consists of the lungs, heart and blood vessels.

Muscular strength means the utmost amount of force a muscle can exert for a given task. In contrast, muscular endurance refers to the ability of a muscle to conduct repeated contraction. In times of intense physical activities, a person needs more than cardiorespiratory endurance. He needs muscular strength and endurance to withstand the challenges of the training.  

The component of physical fitness that enables people to move their limbs effectively and gracefully is attributed to body's flexibility. Flexibility contributes in making a physical training safe, effective and fun. But in spite of its importance, people don't pay much attention to enhance their body's flexibility. But they should primarily those who are engaging in physical training programs, lest they may experience discomfort, pain and worst accident.

Body composition means the relationship between the fatty and non-fatty substances of the body. To become physically fit, balance between these two body components is necessary.

Obtaining a weight that is proportionate to one’s height and age is sometimes not enough to make a person naturally healthy.

An example of this is a person whose weight is considered normal according to a height chart but could be obese because of excessive fatty tissue and insufficient lean body mass. On the other hand, a person who exceeds the normal weight based on what the height chart indicates can be considered healthy. This is true for people with muscular built and good deal of lean body mass.