Has the Definition of Physical Fitness Changed?There is no absolute definition of physical fitness; definitions of physical fitness are always changing and being readjusted. Once upon a time if you could carry out normal daily activities free from undue stress on your body then you were considered to be in good shape. Our modern-day definitions of physical fitness have become more exacting but our lifestyles have become more sedentary. It's kind of ironic that our ideas about physical fitness have become more sophisticated but the amount of effort needed to do our normal daily activities has seriously declined. Most likely a good percentage of people today would be unable to keep up with the normal daily activities of 30 years ago. So then what should we use for a definition physical fitness today?
Well, that depends on who you ask. Can-Fit-Pro defines it as "an improved physiological state that leads to improved health and longevity." In other words, any change in the body that leads to a better quality of life (good health) , and a longer life (longevity). Common ways to define physical fitness usually include the 5 Components of Physical Fitness as well as the Minor Components of Physical Fitness , but I'm going to include a few medical criteria in my list to make what I consider to be a well-rounded, over-all definition of physical fitness: • Your body's efficiency at dealing with stress • Being disease free • Your body's ability to fight disease and infection • How quickly your body heals from various inflictions Again, being physically fit isn't just about having six pack abs, it's about quality of life, and your diet and level of activity play a major role in how you define fitness and where you place yourself within your own definition. Have another look at both the 5 Components of Physical Fitness and the Minor Components and make a list of things that you would like to improve. Writing down your goals goes a long way to making them a reality. Once you know what areas you would like to improve you can start building circuits, incorporating stretching routines into your workouts, and re-defining your eating habits/stress habits/lifestyle habits. But how do we know this? How did we end up formulating such precise theories and definitions for physical fitness? How did we end making physical fitness such a science? Was it always this way? The
history of physical fitness
is interesting and enlightening, and it goes a long way to explaining our innate obsession with our bodies and pushing the limits of what they can do. It also highlights our innate aptitude for laziness and the consequences that can occur because of this.
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