Physical Fitness - Is only one part and is best described as the capability of the heart, lungs, blood vessels and muscles and joints to function to maximum efficiency. Vigorous exercise to the whole body is required to maintain physical fitness.

Components Of Physical Fitness

• Suppleness (flexibility) - Ability to use muscles and joints throughout the full ' Range of Movement'. Often referred to as 'stretching' it actually involves the relaxation and lengthening of muscles in order to extend the current range of movement (Mobility takes the movement only upto but not beyond the current range of movement and is used in warm-ups to prepare the body for the exercise to follow).

• Speed - Includes such factors as agility, balance, reaction-time, co-ordination, power, and motor fitness. Improvement of these factors will increase skill level with less effort.

• Strength - The ability to exert maximum force to overcome a resistance (high weight - low reps). By progressively increasing the resistance the muscle will be trained to work more efficiently and thus become stronger. Muscular strength is required to counteract skeletal/muscular stress/pulls as demands get greater.

• Stamina - This is the efficiency of the heart and circulatory system. For a muscle to work, it needs oxygen, which is carried by the blood and delivered to the muscles via the arteries. If muscle workload is increased, they will adapt by becoming more efficient in extracting oxygen from the same amount of blood. As this occurs the heart also adapts by beating slower but more powerfully. These changes cause the body's oxygen transport system to become more efficient and economic, enabling the muscles to work harder and for a longer period of time. In practical terms the same exercise becomes easier as the body adapts to the demands made on it. This is generally known as the 'braining' effect.

• Endurance - The ability of a muscle to exert a force to overcome resistance for a prolonged period of time (high reps - low weight).

Factors Affecting Fitness

• Smoking - Impairs the ability of the body to use the available oxygen efficiently and increases the heart rate. Smokers should not compare their performance to that of non-smokers who may be less fit, rather, they should compare their own potential fitness levels and realise that these will not be reached whilst they smoke.

• Nutrition and Diet - What and when you eat will affect performance. Energy sources need to be replenished by a well balanced diet otherwise fatigue during exercise will be advanced.

• Gender - The physiological differences between the sexes means a difference in performance ie. Women tend to be more flexible, whereas men tend to be stronger.

• Body Type - Has an effect on response to exercise, a factor which should be remembered when setting targets from an exercise programme. You can improve body shape but not alter body type.

• Hereditary - A commonly held view is that physical ability depends 75% on hereditary characteristics and 25% on training and environment. Body type is hereditary - you will to some extent, inherit your parents' body type characteristics.

• Age - Although age need not be a barrier to exercise, a younger person is more capable of reaching a higher level of fitness, older people should begin exercise with caution. Inactivity in the elderly leads to inability to be active, joints stiffen and muscles atrophy.

Other factors include:
Health or Injury - Fitness levels will be impaired.
Drugs - Performance may be enhanced or diminished.
Environment - Temperature, altitude, humidity and general surroundings.
Psychological - No greater factor than motivation.

Exercise - Without exercise the body will deteriorate and there are diseases associated with sedentary lifestyles (hypo-kinetic diseases).
Rest - Too much exercise can have a detrimental effect on the body and there must be times when the body is allowed to recover.

"QUALITY IS BETTER THAN QUANTITY" - Coach-Ed.

Further information on diet and fitness will be featured on a forthcoming Coach-Ed CD-r.