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McMurray Healthy Living
Components of Fitness Handout
Health-related Fitness
There are 5 components of health-related fitness. If these five are developed and
maintained over a lifetime, it will ensure you a healthy high quality life. These components
create a good conditioning base for sports and recreation. Following are simple definitions to
each of the health-related components.
A. Cardiovascular Endurance: cardiovascular endurance (C-V end.) deals with the ability
of the heart, blood, blood vessels and the respiratory system to supply oxygen and fuel to
the muscles during exercise. The best type of exercise for achieving C-V end. is aerobic
exercise. Aerobic exercises are those activities which force the body to handle a large
amount of oxygen for a sustained period of time (at least 15-30 minutes). Examples of
aerobic exercise include: jogging, walking, cycling, swimming, rope jumping, step aerobics
and dance aerobics.
B. Muscular Strength: muscular strength (mus. str.) is the ability of muscles to exert a
force one time. The best type of exercise to develop mus. str. is power lifting. Mus. str.
adds to the size of muscle fibers creating more dense physique.
C. Muscular Endurance: muscular endurance (mus. end.) is the ability to use skeletal
muscles for long periods of time. The best type of exercise to develop mus. end. is
endurance training with resistance. Mus. end. creates a sleek, well-defined physique.
D. Flexibility: flexibility (flex.) means the range of movement possible at various joints and
in various muscles. A reasonable amount of flex. is required to live a healthy and functional
life in both work and play. Most people don't realize they have lost their flex. until a problem
arises. Some of the benefits of good flex. include prevention of injuries such as lower back
pain, prevention of post exercise soreness and can also relieve emotional stress.
E. Body Composition: body composition (body comp.) is the ratio of muscle, fat, bone
and other tissues of which the body is composed. Many people have the mistaken belief
that their body weight is the most crucial thing. How much you weigh is not as important as
your actual body comp. Weighing yourself cannot be used to determine your body comp.
Height and weight charts can be misleading and also do not measure body comp. You body
comp. is a good indicator of how healthy you are inside.
Skill-related Fitness
There are 6 skill-related components of fitness and these are important if a person wants to
excel at sports of recreational activities. With a good health-related fitness base, you can
expect to perform successfully and avoid injuries. Following are simple definitions to each of
the skill-related components.
A. Agility: agility is the ability to change the position of your body and to control the
movement of your whole body. Agility is an important quality to have for a sport such as
soccer, which requires the ability to change directions quickly and maintain control of the
ball.
B. Balance: balance is the ability to keep an upright posture while either standing still or
moving. People with good balance are likely to be good in activities like water-skiing, surfing
and gymnastics.
C. Power: power is the ability to do strength performances at a rapid pace. Strength and
speed are both involved in power. Football players, swimmers, shot putters, discus throwers
and jumpers are examples of athletes who have a high degree of power.
D. Reaction time: reaction time is the amount of time it takes to get moving once you see
the need to move. People with good reaction time will usually be able to start quickly in
track and swimming or react quickly in other sports such as ping-pong or karate. Reaction
time is a characteristic individuals are born with and is difficult to change and/or improve.
E. Coordination: coordination is the integration of eye-hand movements or eye-foot
movements. This component is necessary for success in such sports as tennis, golf, soccer
and basketball where good eye-hand or eye-foot coordination is essential.
F. Speed: speed is the ability to cover a distance in a short time. The sprints in track or
swimming obviously require speed. Speed is characteristic individuals are born with and is
difficult to change and/or improve.