UNDERSTANDING PHYSICAL FITNESS

 PHYSICAL FITNESS
I. Defining PHYSICAL FITNESS:
Physical Fitness is the capacity of each individual to accomplish daily task with
alertness and vigor. Further, the definition states that “after the day’s work, a person still has
sufficient energy to enjoy leisure activities and ready to meet unforeseen emergencies”.

The definition implies that Physical Fitness is a personal matter and must be viewed
within the context of an individual’s daily life activities. People are different from one
another. They differ in age, sex, body, as well as their occupation and lifestyle.

As a reminder, physical fitness:

 Refers to the ability to perform one’s daily task effectively and productively with
alertness and vigor.
 States that “after the day’s work, a person still have sufficient energy to enjoy leisure
activities and ready to meet unforeseen emergencies”.
 It is also the ability to perform one’s daily life activities.
 A person who is fit is free from diseases, has sufficient strength, and skill to do his /
her minimum daily tasks.

 Physical fitness has something to do with “movement.”

We are different from one another. What is common to all is the responsibility to
improve and maintain our physical fitness level. We must do something because we
cannot maintain our present physical fitness level if we do not have physical
activities.
 The law of use and disuse is applicable to our body. If we do not use it, it will
deteriorate.
 To improve and maintain our physical fitness level we have to engage in physical
activities such as RUNNING, walking, dancing, jumping rope, playing (with
movement) scrubbing floor, etc.
 The exercise or work out to be effective must be done at the right Frequency,
Intensity, and Time (FIT).

“Man moves to survive” and in order to move productively and effectively one must possess
the COMPONENTS OF PHYSICAL FITNESS.

II. COMPONENTS OF PHYSICAL FITNESS:

Physical fitness is made up of two (2) major components:
 Health-related Fitness (HRF)
 Skill-related Fitness (SRF)

1. Health-related fitness – consists of those specific components that have a

relationship with good health, or a lower risk of illness.

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  Muscular strength
 Muscular endurance
 Flexibility
 Cardio-respiratory endurance
 Body composition
a. Muscular Strength – ability to exert maximum force; one exertion / one
muscular effort (done slowly).
Ex: Carrying heavy load

b. Muscular Endurance – when the force is exerted repeatedly; performing

repeated movements – more than 2 exertions

c. Flexibility – the ability to move parts of the body beyond normal range of
motion.

d. Cardio-Respiratory Endurance – the heart and respiratory system are in

condition to move. It is the most important part of fitness. People with
high cardio-respiratory endurance are less susceptible to disease, most
efficient and more productive.

e. Body Composition (Nutrition fitness) - refers to the nutritional status of an

individual, whether one has normal weight, overweight or obese, or
underweight or malnourished. This is being measured through the Body
Mass Index (BMI).

BODY MASS INDEX FOR MALE AND FEMALE ADOLESCENTS

Formula: Body Mass Index (BMI) = Weight (kg) / Height (m)2

What the results mean

Classification BMI
Underweight less than 18.5
Normal 18.5-24.9
Overweight 25-29.9
Obese 30-34.9
Obese 35-39.9
Extremely Obese greater than 40

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2. Skill-related fitness (motor fitness)– consists of components that have a
relationship with learning motor skills quickly and the ability to achieve a
high level performance in sports.
 Agility
 Balance
 Coordination
 Muscular Power
 Reaction time
 Speed

a. Agility – to move fast to different directions without losing control.

b. Balance – ability of the body to stay in equilibrium.

c. Coordination – the ability to integrate various movements- the linking of the

senses such as sight and hearing through the brain to different parts of the
body to produce smooth, quick and efficiently controlled movement.

d. Muscular Power – application of strength forcefully / done in fast movement.

e. Reaction Time – ability to respond quickly to given stimuli.

f. Speed – ability of the body to move in the shortest possible time from one
place to another.

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