There
are many components to a healthy fitness program:
Nutrition, Sleep or Rest, Cardiovascular Endurance,
Muscular Endurance, Muscular Strength and Flexibility.
Cardiovascular
Endurance is the body's capability to do large
muscle work over a period of time.
Endurance
is dependent on the cardiovascular system's ability
to pump blood and deliver oxygen through your
body.
Cardiovascular
endurance should be the most vital element of your
overall fitness program. Improving cardiovascular
endurance not only increases the supply of oxygen
and energy to your body, it decreases your risk
of diseases that are life threatening, such as heart
disease, stroke and high blood pressure. When a
heart is well conditioned, it is like any other
muscle - it becomes stronger and more efficient.
A normal heart beats at a rate of approximately
70 beats per minute at rest or about 100,000 beats
a day. The well conditioned heart can actually beat
as few as 40 times a minute at rest or approximately
50,000 beats per day. A well conditioned heart can
supply oxygen-rich blood to the rest of the body
while performing less work. Strength is the ability
of any muscle or a group of muscles to exert a certain
amount of force in a one-time burst of effort.
Weightlifting (or resistance training) is a typical
type of strength training which increases muscle
strength and mass and bone strength. There are two
types of muscle fibers that are used during strength
training. 1. Fast-twitch fibers give the volatile
force needed for weightlifting. 2. Slow-twitch fibers
are for endurance that gives muscles the ability
to withstand fatigue. When you make muscles work
harder, you will actually injure these fibers. But
as they rebuild, they get stronger and bigger, resulting
in harder, tighter and larger muscles.
Muscular Endurance is the ability to resist fatigue
and continue to exercise over long periods of time.
Strength training is required to maintain muscle
strength, endurance training is necessary to attain
stamina. Muscular endurance is the ability of muscles
to continue working resilient without resting.
Flexibility is the ability of joints and muscles
to reach complete breadth of motion. Flexibility
will help prevent injuries and will keep you feeling
comfortable after exercise. You do not need to lose
flexibility as you build muscle. The aging process
will deprive you of muscular strength, endurance
and flexibility, if you do not maintain. A regular
fitness regimen becomes extremely important as you
age. |
