What is physical fitness?

There are five different areas that are associated with physical fitness. All of these areas are important for the proper functioning of your mind and body. There are exercises that you can do that are not high impact, but that will keep you healthy in each of these areas.

1. Muscular strength is the ability that your muscles have to exert force for just a short period of time.
2. Muscular endurance is the ability of either just one muscle or a group of muscles to be able to sustain exercise for a period of time, either with repeated contractions or with consistent force against a fixed object.
3. Cardiorespiratory endurance deals with the strength of your heart. It describes how well your heart can send nutrients and oxygen to tissues throughout your body, and how well your body can remove waste.
4. Flexibility describes how well your joints and your muscles can move and be used throughout their full range of motion. If you want to test the flexibility of your lower back and your upper legs, simply do the sit-and-reach test and see how far you can reach.
5. Body composition is a description of how your body is made up in terms of the relation of fat mass with lean mass, which consists of your organs, your bones, your muscles, and your vital tissue. Performing the right kinds of exercises will help you cut down on your body fat, increase and maintain your muscle mass, and provide you with a healthy balance of fat and muscle.

Physical fitness exercises for senior citizens

There are a number of different exercises that senior citizens can participate in to keep up their physical fitness. Over 30% of Americans who are at least 55 years old or older report that they walk regularly for exercises. After walking comes swimming, fishing, bicycle riding, camping, golf, bowling, using different types of exercise equipment, hiking, hunting, aerobics, calisthenics, jogging, and tennis. Generally speaking, men seem to prefer physical fitness activities that are outdoor sports, while women prefer physical fitness related activities that are more specifically exercise-related.

Before you begin any exercise program, you should first talk to your doctor about the types of exercises that he or she recommends that you do. A doctor can help you decide which physical fitness activities you need, in terms of toning, aerobic training, etc., and can also tell you which exercises are suitable for your physical condition. For example, if previously you enjoyed jogging, but you have developed arthritis, you may find that swimming has become a better option for you because it is low impact and can help preserve your joints.

Make sure that you pick an exercise that you will enjoy doing. Find a time of day when you have the time to do the exercise. If you like to exercise with others, find an exercise buddy. Set goals for both the short term and the long term so that you can achieve a goal every week, and then a longer term goal perhaps every year.