What does fitness actually mean?

The magic word for health, well-being and a long life

Fitness can't be bought, just like health. Both must be earned and nurtured. But what exactly is fitness? Those who want to manage their daily lives well need strength. Those who want to keep their lives active need endurance. Those who want to remain flexible need to be agile. Those who want to juggle everything need to be able to coordinate.

Strength, endurance, flexibility and coordination are the four pillars of fitness!

Endurance is the ability to withstand physical and mental stress that tires the body and mind. It also ensures that we recover quickly after exertion. For the body, endurance training through cycling, swimming, running, hiking, or walking is a real benefit. The heart volume increases, and both resting heart rate and blood pressure decrease. The heart can work much more efficiently.

Mobility or flexibility is the ability to perform movements with a large range of motion using one's own strength. Mobility comprises the extensibility of muscles, tendons, ligaments, and joint capsules, as well as joint mobility, which depends on the structure of the joint. Mobility is a fundamental prerequisite for the execution of movement skills and can help reduce the risk of injury.

Strength is the ability of the muscular system to move mass or overcome resistance. However, rapid strength and muscle growth does not lead to general fitness. It is much more important to train the three types of strength: explosive strength in sprinting or jumping, strength endurance in wrestling, judo, canoeing, or alpine skiing, and maximum strength in weightlifting, shot put, or throwing.

Coordination is the synchronization of targeted movement sequences, in which the central nervous system, i.e., the brain and spinal cord, takes over the control function. Coordination abilities include agility, dexterity, balance, rhythm, and reaction time. The better the coordination, the easier, more precise, and more efficient our movements become.

Reference: KatarzynaBialasiewicz