What Types of Physical Fitness Are Best For You?What types of physical fitness best suit you? Activities range from a walk around the block, gardening, walking the dog, swimming, deciding to take the stairs at work rather than the elevator, all the way up to preparing for your first marathon. How many types of physical fitness are there? The truth is, it's only limited by your imagination. For example, running on a treadmill is a form of physical fitness, but will that alone stimulate you and make you want to continue exercising for months, hopefully years? If I was to tell my clients to go on the treadmill for 45 minutes and then at the end of those 45 minutes hand them a bill and say, "See you next time", it wouldn't be too long before my clients would be ex-clients. There are thousands of different ways to remain active, but which ones will best suit your lifestyle and make you stick with it? Whichever activities you choose they should include these 4 elements: • Safety - Becoming fit should enhance your life, not get you injured or make you miserable. • Fun - It's like everything else: if you don’t enjoy it, you won’t stick with it. • Effective - It has to work. Whatever your goal is, to lose weight say, your training should reflect that. • Efficient - We have busy lives and our time is valuable, so whatever you choose it has to compliment your busy schedule. The type of physical fitness you choose should also address the 5 Components of Physical Fitness and factor in your current level of fitness, age, and any underlying health factors, such as heart disease or high blood pressure. This in no way means that you can't exercise if you have any existing health problems, but your doctor might have some suggestions, like don't start sprinting up the stairs just yet! For example, if you walk your dog you could start increasing the times you take her out, then walking faster, then build up to a light jog. The great thing about this example is it's something you have to do anyway, so why not get the most out of it? If it gets you outdoors, raises your heart rate, has the four elements that we mentioned earlier, addresses the 5 Components of Physical Fitness--and don't forget to factor in your current health status--then the types of physical fitness to choose from are endless. Remember: When increasing your level of exercise always consult with your physician.
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