Benefits of Increasing your Fitness Level

DEFINING FITNESS :

Physical fitness is to the human body what fine tuning is to an engine. It enables us to perform up to our potential. Fitness can be described as a condition that helps us look, feel and do our best. More specifically, it is: "The ability to perform daily tasks vigorously and alertly, with energy left over for enjoying leisure-time activities and meeting emergency demands. It is the ability to endure, to bear up, to withstand stress, to carry on in circumstances where an unfit person could not continue, and is a major basis for good health and well-being."
Physical fitness involves the performance of the heart and lungs, and the muscles of the body. And, since what we do with our bodies also affects what we can do with our minds, fitness influences to some degree qualities such as mental alertness and emotional stability.

MAKING A COMMITMENT :

The decision to carry out a physical fitness program cannot be taken lightly. It requires a lifelong commitment of time and effort. Exercise must become one of those things that you do without question, like bathing and brushing your teeth. Unless you are convinced of the benefits of fitness and the risks of not being fit, you will not succeed.
Patience is essential. Don't try to do too much too soon and don't quit before you have a chance to experience the rewards of improved fitness. You can succeed if you persevere, and the prize is worth the price.
Physical fitness is most easily understood by examining its components, or "parts." There is widespread agreement that these four components are basic. The four components are cardiovascular endurance, muscular endurance, muscular strength and flexibility.

A MATTER OF PRINCIPLE :

The keys to selecting the right kinds of exercises for developing and maintaining each of the basic components of fitness are found in these principles:
Specificity - pick the right kind of activities to affect each component. Strength training results in specific strength changes. Also, train for the specific activity you're interested in. For example, optimal swimming performance is best achieved when the muscles involved in swimming are trained for the movements required. It does not necessarily follow that a good runner is a good swimmer.
Overload - work hard enough, at levels that are vigorous and long enough to overload your body above its resting level, to bring about improvement.
Regularity - At least three balanced workouts a week are necessary to maintain a desirable level of fitness.
Progression - increase the intensity, frequency and/or duration of activity over periods of time in order to improve.
Some activities can be used to fulfill more than one of your basic exercise requirements. For example, in addition to increasing cardio respiratory endurance, running builds muscular endurance in the legs, and swimming develops the muscular endurance in the arms, shoulders, and chest muscles. If you select the proper activities, it is possible to fit parts of your muscular endurance workout into your cardio respiratory workout and save time.

Exercise is not just for Olympic hopefuls or supermodels. In fact,
you're never too unfit, too young or too old to get started. Regardless
of your age, gender or role in life, you can benefit from regular
physical activity. If you're committed, exercise in combination with a
sensible diet can help provide an overall sense of well-being and can
even help prevent chronic illness, disability and premature death.

Some of the benefits of increased activity are:

Improved Health
* increased efficiency of heart and lungs
* reduced cholesterol levels
* increased muscle strength
* reduced blood pressure
* reduced risk of major illnesses such as diabetes and heart disease
* weight loss
Improved Sense of Well-Being
* more energy
* less stress
* improved quality of sleep
* improved ability to cope with stress
* increased mental acuity
Improved Appearance
* weight loss
* toned muscles
* improved posture
Enhanced Social Life
* improved self-image
* increased opportunities to make new friends
* increased opportunities to share an activity with friends or family
members
Increased Stamina
* increased productivity
* increased physical capabilities
* less frequent injuries
* improved immunity to minor illnesses