Man's Fitness

Fitness can be performance-related or health-related. Performance-related fitness is a measure of an athlete's agility, balance, power, and speed. This topic focuses on health-related fitness, which you can achieve through regular physical activity. The benefits of both types of fitness are a healthy heart and lungs (cardiorespiratory fitness), increased flexibility, and muscular strength and endurance.

Health-related fitness helps you feel your best and reduces the risk of heart attack, colon cancer, diabetes, and high blood pressure. Being fit helps you to have more energy throughout the day for work or school and energy left over to enjoy your leisure time.

How much physical activity is required to become fit?

Experts recommend: 1

Activity at moderate intensity (equal to a brisk walk) for 30 minutes a day, 5 days a week or more.

Vigorous exercise for 20 minutes a day, 3 times a week or more.

Vigorous exercise is done at a pace that increases your heart rate to 70% or more of your maximum heart rate. Your maximum heart rate is the fastest your heart can beat at a maximum activity level.

To find your target heart for exercising, use the target heart rate calculator.

Children and teens should be active at least 1 hour a day.

What types of physical activity improve fitness?

Most experts agree that there are three kinds of fitness:

Flexibility is the ability to move joints and use muscles through their full range of motion. Stretching is a flexibility exercise.

Aerobic (cardiorespiratory) fitness is the body's ability to use oxygen efficiently and depends upon the condition of your heart, lungs, and muscles. This type of fitness increases the amount of oxygen that is delivered to your muscles, which allows them to work longer. Walking is a type of aerobic exercise.

Muscular fitness includes building stronger muscles and increasing how long you can use them (endurance). Resistance training through weight lifting and body movements such as push-ups can improve muscular fitness.

Keep in mind that you may be fairly fit in one area (perhaps aerobic fitness) but just getting started with another (such as flexibility or muscle strengthening).

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