Fitness is a condition of well-being and physical fitness in particular, which, more specifically, entails the ability to do certain tasks, jobs, sports and other activities. It is one of the defining factors that differentiates the healthy from the unhealthy. Regular physical fitness helps us live longer and keeps us working longer. It allows us to get more work done, cope with stress and anxiety, reduces our risk of injury or illness, and makes us feel better about ourselves. The pursuit of fitness has many facets, but the most important one is the discipline and commitment that it requires of us to adhere to a regular fitness regime.
Humans are a very complex organism. In order for fitness to be attained, both an individual and his or her organism have to be in good health. For an individual, good health means having a body mass index (or BMI) that is not more than thirty or forty pounds over the desired body weight for his height and age. For an organism, it means having a body size that compliments its environment and that has the capacity to reproduce. A person who is fit is able to engage in a wide range of activities without thinking much about the effort involved, because he is physically fit.
Fitness helps people to function well in their environments and to contribute to their productivity. As a result, people who lead active lives are happier than others and have higher well-being. It also has positive effects on health, work performance, mood, sleep, muscle strength and flexibility, and cardiovascular and respiratory health. People who are physically active have greater self-esteem and greater life-expectancy than those who are sedentary.
The definition of ‘fit’ varies greatly from person to person. Some people consider muscular definition to be synonymous with fitness, while others disagree. The current definition of fitness as used by the American College of Sports Medicine is defined as: “a reasonable degree of physical conditioning which can be demonstrated with measures such as oxygen intake, heart rate, power in specific muscle groups, and frequency of exercise.” Another group defining quality of life (SOL) as related to physical fitness includes those with low levels of SOL who are functioning properly but do not participate in strenuous physical activity. The definition of quality of life associated with physical fitness may be related to factors such as social interaction, occupational function, daily job demands, and daily personal time spent exercising.
Fitness has been shown to be highly heritable, with parents and relatives having the greatest influence on fitness in humans. Fitness traits are those that most natural selection favored during the evolution of organisms. Some of the traits that are potentially favorable to survival and reproductive success are speed, strength, stamina, and immune system functionality. These qualities are favored among competing organisms in the environment, and so they will be passed on to future generations.
Fitness is an important part of a healthy lifestyle, whether you are seeking an individualized routine or a general one for the whole family, a fitness-based definition of well-being is valuable for health professionals to help individuals develop healthy behaviors that promote their physical fitness as well as their mental health. A good definition of fitness will take into account the needs of children, women, and men and need to take into account potential disability and barriers to successful participation in physical fitness programs. This definition will also need to take into consideration the different abilities of individuals and how these abilities can be developed through training, diet, and supplementation. For example, a definition of fitness that takes into consideration the special needs of children and women will involve the use of supplements to support optimal growth and development of these children and women’s bodies.