Cardiovascular endurance, muscular strength, muscular endurance, flexibility, and body composition are the five fundamentals of fitness. You may not be an expert or even good at all five of these, but they are essential for all health and well-being. You can start slow, but you should incorporate all five fundamentals into your lifestyle. You will get better at each one the more you do them. This article is going to break each one down for you.
Cardiovascular Endurance is the ability of the heart and lungs to deliver oxygen to all working muscles during any physical activity. Examples of cardio endurance include walking, running, swimming, cycling, jogging, playing an active sport, taking an exercise class, etc. Basically, it is any movement that gets your heart rate going.
Muscular Strength is when a muscle or muscle groups use maximum force against resistance. Examples are lifting heavy weights, using resistance bands, or performing bodyweight exercises like squats and push-ups using your own body resistance.
Muscular Endurance differs from Muscular Strength because with endurance the muscle or muscle groups repeatedly exert force against resistance.
Examples include holding a plank, sitting in a squat for an extended period of time. Leaning against a ball and sitting in a wall squat. Using light weights and doing multiple repetitions.
Flexibility. You often hear people say “I am not flexible”. I was one of those people. However, the more you stretch, the more flexible you become. Taking a yoga class or a Pilates class also helps with flexibility. When stretching try to hold the stretch for a minimum of 30 seconds at a time.
The portion of fat, muscle, bone, and water in the body is what makes up your Body Composition. Maintaining a healthy body composition is important for overall health and can be achieved through a combination of exercise and a healthy, balanced diet.
A good fitness program will incorporate strength training, cardiovascular training, and flexibility training. My classes always start and end with a stretch, which is the flexibility portion. I also do a combination of cardio followed by strength and/or resistance training. This is your cardiovascular endurance, muscular strength, muscular endurance.
These five fundamentals of exercise are the key to not only staying fit, but more importantly staying healthy. You do not have to go to a gym to achieve these fundamentals. You can get your cardo again, by walking, running, jogging, playing a sport, swimming, etc. You can get your muscle strength and muscle endurance by lifting and carrying water bottle cases, carrying shopping bags, carrying your baby, doing pushups, holding a plank, etc. You can get your flexibility by doing some stretches when you wake in the morning and before you go to bed at night. Your body composition is really based on your diet. Eating a healthy, clean diet 90 % of the time should help you maintain a healthy body composition. As just mentioned, becoming and staying physically fit is an important part of achieving optimal health. Regular exercise not only promotes weight loss, it also strengthens muscles, bones, and keeps the heart and lungs strong. It also aids in protection against chronic disease. Some forms of exercise incorporate multiple fundamentals. For example, riding a bicycle for thirty minutes or more not only offers cardio fundamentals, but it also improves muscle strength and muscle endurance. When you are riding up a hill you are using and building your quadricep which is the muscle endurance and muscle strength fundamentals. Yoga and Pilates are considered fundamental flexibility. However, yoga can also build muscle strength and endurance. When you are in a pose and you hold that pose using your own body weight and resistance, you are incorporating muscle strength and muscle endurance. However, meeting fitness standards in all five categories generally requires incorporating a range of activities into your regular routine. As you exercise regularly, your body will begin to change, and you will notice that you are able to continue your activity longer and with greater ease. You will be able to use heavier weights, hold static poses longer, run a little further, etc. This is why I always challenge my classes and clients to add a little more weight, do a few extra reps, hold your plank a little longer. You never want to be at a plateau. Change is good for the body and it is how we see and feel results. Never stop moving. You don’t have to be that fastest runner, best tennis player, or lift the heaviest weights. You just need to keep moving and keep challenging yourself!
“Dead last finish is greater than did not finish, which trumps did not start.” —
“Push harder than yesterday if you want a different tomorrow”
