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Are you aware of your own fitness? If yes, you

consider honing your resilience as well as mental and
emotional health. Yes, physical fitness supports those
three components. But if fitness does not sound good to
you because of some reasons, let’s say obesity, now is the
time to gain better insight regarding such a word.
Fitness is a part of lifestyle. It influences the
general health of an individual. Further, a complex array
of nutrition should be essential in attaining and
maintaining fitness.
It is in our will whether to gain a healthy lifestyle
through physical fitness or be stagnant to change and
hoard health risks. As a health care worker, one of my
roles would be to disseminate ways to attain and maintain
healthy lifestyle.
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Physiologists say that
the average person can
derive health benefits
from as little as three
20-minute running
workouts a week.
(Microsoft ® Encarta ® 2009.
© 1993-2008 Microsoft
Corporation. All rights
reserved).

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By exercising regularly, people can keep their bodies in
shape, improve their health, and reduce stress. Here, an
elementary school class in India learns the basic stretches
of Yoga, an exercise based on ancient Hindu philosophy.
(Microsoft ® Encarta ® 2009. © 1993-2008 Microsoft Corporation. All
rights reserved).
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Fitness defined
As stated in the book “Understanding Nutrition”
by Whitney and Rolfes (2002), fitness refers to the
characteristics that enable the body to perform physical
activity. These characteristics include:
Ø flexibility of joints
Ø strength and endurance of muscles, including the heart’s;
and
Ø a healthy body composition.

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 Two other definitions can also be found in their
book: the ability to meet routine physical demands with
enough reserve energy to rise to a sudden challenge and
the body’s ability to withstand stress. The second
definition pertains to both physical and psychological
stresses.
Further according to Whitney and Rolfes (2002),
the opposite of a physically active life is a sedentary life
which literally means “sitting down a lot.” And it is a fact
that sedentary lifestyle fosters the development of several
chronic diseases.

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Components of fitness: Flexibility, muscle
strength and endurance, cardiorespiratory
endurance
According to Whitney and Rolfes (2002),
flexibility allows the joints to move with less chance of
injury. Muscle strength and muscle endurance enable
muscles to work harder and longer without fatigue.
Cardiorespiratory endurance supports the ongoing
action of the heart and lungs.

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Overload principle
 FREQUENCY
Ø Performing the activity/exercise more often
 INTENSITY
Ø Performing the activity more strenuously
 DURATION
Ø Doing the activity for longer times

These 3 strategies, according to Whitney and

Rolfes, work well individually or in combination. The rate
of progression, however, depends on individual
characteristics like fitness level, age, health status, and
preference.
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 Whitney and Rolfes emphasize that if you enjoy
the workout, do it more often. If you do not have much
time, increase the intensity. If you hate hard work, take it
easy and go longer. If you prefer continuous
improvements, remember to overload progressively as you
reach higher levels of fitness.
Here are several tips when applying the overload
principle:
Ø Be active all week, not just on weekends
Ø Use proper equipment and attire
Ø Include warm-up and cool-down activities in each session
Ø Train hard enough to challenge your strength or endurance
a few times each week, do moderate workouts between
challenges and include at least 1 day of rest each week

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Ø Pay attention to body signals like abnormal heartbeats,
dizziness, lightheadedness, cold sweat, confusion, or pain
or pressure in the middle of chest, teeth, jaw, neck, or arm

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Various benefits of fitness
As summarized by Whitney and Rolfes, the
following are physical improvements that physically fit
people enjoy:
 Restful sleep
Ø Rest and sleep occur naturally after periods of physical
activity. During rest, the body repairs injuries, disposes of
wastes generated during activity, and builds new physical
structures.
 Nutritional health
Ø Physical activity spends energy and thus allows people to
eat more food. If they choose wisely, active people will
consume more nutrients and be less likely to develop
nutrient deficiencies.
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 Optimal body composition
Ø A balanced program of physical activity limits body fat
and maintains lean tissue. Physically active people have
relatively less body fat than sedentary people at the same
body weight.
 Optimal bone density

Ø Weight-bearing physical activity builds bone strength and

protects against osteoporosis.
 Resistance to colds and other infectious diseases

Ø Fitness enhances immunity.

 Low risks of some types of cancers

Ø Lifelong physical activity may help to protect against

colon cancer, breast cancer, and others.

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 Strong circulation and lung function
Ø Physical activity that challenges the heart and lungs slows
the aging of the circulatory system.
 Low risk of cardiovascular disease

Ø Physical activity lowers blood pressure, slows resting

pulse rate, and lowers blood cholesterol, thus reducing the
risks of heart attacks and strokes. Some research suggests
that physical activity may reduce the risk of
cardiovascular disease in another way as well – by
reducing intra-abdominal fat stores.
 Low risk of type 2 diabetes

Ø Physical activity normalizes glucose tolerance especially

via the secretion of insulin.

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 Reduced risk of gallbladder disease in women
Ø Regular physical activity reduces women’s risk of
gallbladder disease – perhaps by facilitating weight
control and lowering blood lipid levels.
 Low incidence and severity of anxiety and depression

Ø Compared with sedentary people, physically active people

deal better with psychological stress.
 Strong self-image

Ø The sense of achievement that comes from meeting

physical challenges promotes self-confidence.
 Long life and high quality of life in the later years

Ø Active people have a lower mortality rate than sedentary

people.
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Physical activity pyramid by the American
college of sports medicine

DO SPARINGLY –
Limit sedentary activities.

2-3 DAYS A WEEK –

Engage in strength and flexibility activities and
enjoy leisure activities often.

3-5 DAYS A WEEK –

Engage in vigorous activities regularly.

EVERYDAY –
Be as active as possible. 28
 DO SPARINGLY
Ø Watch TV, videos, or movies
Ø Play computer games

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 2-3 DAYS A WEEK
Ø Sit-ups, push-ups
Ø Strength training such as weight lifting
Ø Stretching exercise like yoga
Ø Leisure activities such as:
- canoeing
- dancing
- golfing
- horseback riding
- bowling

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 3-5 DAYS A WEEK
Ø Aerobic exercises like:
- running
- biking
- swimming
- roller-blading
- rowing
- cross-country skiing
- kickboxing
- power walking
- dancing
- jumping rope

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Ø Sports activities such as:
- basketball
- soccer
- volleyball
- tennis
- football
- racquetball
- softball

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 EVERYDAY
Ø Use the stairs
Ø Walk or bike to class, work, or shops
Ø Scrub floors, wash windows
Ø Walk your dog
Ø Mow grass, rake leaves, turn compost, shovel snow
Ø Wash and wax your car
Ø Play with children

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Diet supporting fitness (by Whitney and Rolfes)
 Water
Ø During activity, thirst signals come too late, so don’t wait
to feel thirsty before drinking. Water is depleted more
rapidly than any other nutrient.

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 Nutrient density
Ø A healthful diet is based on nutrient-dense foods – foods
that supply adequate vitamins and minerals for the energy
they provide. Active people need to eat both for nutrient
adequacy and for energy. A diet that is high in
carbohydrate, low in fat, and adequate in protein ensures
full glycogen and other nutrient stores.

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 Carbohydrate
Ø During intensive training, energy needs may be so high as
to outstrip the person’s capacity to eat enough food to
meet them. At that point, added sugar and fat may be
needed. The person can add concentrated carbohydrate
foods such as dried fruits, sweet potatoes, nectars, and
even high-fat foods like avocados, nuts, cookies, and ice
cream. Still, a nutrient-rich diet remains central for
adequacy’s sake.

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 Protein
Ø Meats and milk products are rich sources of protein, but to
recommend that active people emphasize these foods
would be narrow advice for many reasons. For one thing,
all people must protect themselves from heart disease, and
even lean meats and reduced- or low-fat milk products
contain fat, much of it saturated fat. For another, as
emphasized repeatedly, active people need diets rich in
carbohydrate, and of course, meats have none to offer.
Legumes, whole grains, and vegetables provide protein
with abundant carbohydrate and little fat.

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 According to Joel S. Cabanilla, PhD, a lifestyle
that encompasses sound health and outstanding physical
and mental fitness costs little to maintain, it cannot be
stolen from you or taxed. It is enjoyable almost from the
first moment you accept and start practicing it, and it is
well within your grasp.
Moreover, according to Cabanilla, achieving good
health and fitness should be an enjoyable process. You can
do as much or as little as you like toward making changes
in your life, as long as you enjoy the process.

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 Time and experience prove that sedentary people
may attain and maintain quality living by means of
practicing fitness accompanied by all other strategies for
wellness. Accepting a distortion in lifestyle should be first
achieved by a sedentary person in order to meet the
process of change toward practicing fitness.
It does feel good when your body looks fit,
enabling you to do the things you like vibrantly. Enjoy life
and aim for fitness!

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References
 Ulrich, Celeste. "Physical Fitness." Microsoft® Encarta® 2009
[DVD]. Redmond, WA: Microsoft Corporation, 2008.
 E. N. Whitney and S. R. Rolfes. “Fitness.” Understanding Nutrition.
Singapore: Thompson Learning Asia, 2002.
 E. N. Whitney and S. R. Rolfes. “Diets for Physically Active People.”
Understanding Nutrition. Singapore: Thompson Learning Asia, 2002.

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