The benefits of physical fitness far outweigh the time and effort required to achieve it. And physical fitness grows more important for health and quality of life as people age. Setting goals to achieve at least a minimum level of physical fitness should be a priority for all adults who otherwise lead inactive lives. Setting goals is an effective first step in creating realistic action plans and generating the motivation and effort necessary to succeed. Research has shown that people who do set goals accomplish more than people who don’t.
Components of Physical Fitness
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) includes the following components in its definition of physical fitness:
- cardiorespiratory (aerobic) endurance
- skeletal muscle endurance
- skeletal muscle strength
- flexibility
- body composition
- balance
- skeletal muscle power
- speed of movement
- reaction time
The first five components are basic and there is wide agreement on their meaning and significance. The following definitions are taken from the President’s Council on Physical Fitness and Sports:
- Cardiorespiratory (Aerobic) Endurance – “the ability to deliver oxygen and nutrients to tissues, and to remove wastes, over sustained periods of time.”
- Muscular Strength – “the ability of a muscle to exert force for a brief period of time.”
- Muscular Endurance – “the ability of a muscle, or a group of muscles, to sustain repeated contractions or to continue applying force against a fixed object.”
- Flexibility – “the ability to move joints and use muscles through their full range of motion.”
- Body Composition – “refers to the makeup of the body in terms of lean mass (muscle, bone, vital tissue and organs) and fat mass. An optimal ratio of fat to lean mass is an indication of fitness…”
All five of these basic components of physical fitness are important and merit setting goals in each area, but cardiorespiratory or aerobic fitness is the most critically important for good health and longevity.
Benefits of Physical Fitness
The common sense benefits of physical fitness include:
- looking better
- feeling better
- having more confidence
- being stronger
- having more endurance
- controlling weight
- being able to do more things
Physical fitness is attained through physical activity and exercise. The benefits of physical activity have been well documented by several trustworthy government and non-profit entities. The Physical Activity Guidelines for Americans (chapter 2) reported that there is strong scientific evidence of the following health benefits for adults and older adults associated with regular physical activity:
- lower risk of early death
- lower risk of coronary heart disease
- lower risk of stroke
- lower risk of high blood pressure
- lower risk of adverse blood lipid profile
- lower risk of type 2 diabetes
- lower risk of metabolic syndrome
- lower risk of colon cancer
- lower risk of breast cancer
- prevention of weight gain
- weight loss, particularly when combined with reduced calorie intake
- improved cardiorespiratory and muscular fitness
- prevention of falls
- reduced depression
- better cognitive function (for older adults)
These are important reasons to set goals to achieve physical fitness through increased physical activity.
Setting Goals for Physical Fitness
The act of setting goals helps focus attention on and direct efforts toward important tasks that otherwise might be neglected. The article Setting Goals for Personal Development contains a more in-depth discussion of setting goals. Here are sample goals for the main components of physical fitness:
- Cardiorespiratory endurance: Be able to walk every day at a brisk pace (3.5 to 4.0 mph), working up to at least two and a half hours of aerobic conditioning per week, within three months.
- Muscular strength and endurance: Add five pounds of muscle and increase muscular strength and endurance by at least 20% within six months through a strength training program. (People who are older or who haven’t attempted strength training in the past should visit the CDC’s Growing Stronger section for guidance.)
- Flexibility: Enhance and then maintain flexibility by including stretching exercises in cool down periods after aerobic exercise three to five times a week.
- Body composition: Reduce body mass index (BMI) to be within desirable limits within 18 months. A desirable BMI for adults ranges from 18.5 to 24.9. If overweight (BMI of 25 to 29.9) or obese (BMI of 30+), a sensible diet as well as exercise may be required to create the daily calorie deficits needed for weight loss. A person’s BMI can be calculated from just his or her weight and height. The CDC offers a BMI calculator free for anyone to use.
Physical fitness goals and programs should be approved in advance by one’s physician. A safe rate of weight loss is one to two pounds per week.
Physical Fitness Goals Lead to Better Health
Setting goals for physical fitness outcomes and engaging in physical activity and exercise to achieve those goals will help people lead healthier and happier lives. Health is important to everyone while looking good and feeling one’s best can be highly motivating as well rewarding once attained. Fitness goals need to be SMART (specific, measurable, achievable, relevant to one’s needs and time-bound) in order to have the best chance of success. Physical fitness is very hard to achieve without realistic goals and well-designed action plans.
Sources:
cdc.gov, “Physical Activity for Everyone – Glossary of Terms” (accessed May 31, 2010)
fitness.gov, “Fitness Fundamentals” (accessed May 31, 2010)
health.gov, “Physical Activity Guidelines” (accessed May 31, 2010)
Robert McKelvie - My experience in business and pursuit of learning over the years enables me to share some of my knowledge via the web.
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