Fitness and Exercise: Health Benefits, How to Get Started, and How to Get Better

Fitness and Exercise: Health Benefits, How to Get Started, and How to Get Better

What Does It Mean to Be Fit?

According to the Physical Activity Guidelines for Americans set forth by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), there are five components of physical fitness:

• Cardiorespiratory Fitness 

Your VO2 max is a commonly used measure of this. Your body can uptake and utilize oxygen (which feeds all of your tissues), something that is directly related to your health and quality of life, says Abbie Smith-Ryan, PhD, professor and director of the Applied Physiology Laboratory at the University of North Carolina in Chapel Hill.

• Musculoskeletal Fitness 

This includes muscle strength, endurance, and power.

• Flexibility 

This is the range of motion of your joints.

• Balance

 This is your ability to stay on your feet and steady to avoid falls.

• Speed 

This is how quickly you can move.

Questions and answers:

• What is the best way to start exercising?

Start with mini bursts of movement, such as standing up from your desk and walking around your home/office, walking up your stairs, or taking your dog around the block.

• Do I need a personal trainer?

If you are new to exercise or you don’t know how to safely perform exercises or structure a workout plan, a personal trainer can help. Hitting a fitness plateau, not knowing how to train harder, and not knowing how to train safely with a health problem or condition are also all good reasons to seek out a personal trainer. 

• Is working out 30 minutes a day long enough?

Guidelines from the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services recommend that adults get at least 150 minutes of moderate-intensity physical activity and two days of full-body muscle-strengthening activities per week. That can be accomplished in 30 minutes a day, though more activity may yield more health benefits.

• How do I know if I’m working out hard enough or if I need to increase the intensity of my workout?

Experts like to use the “talk test” to determine whether you are maintaining enough effort for it to count as moderate-intensity exercise. You should be moving hard enough that you can talk — but not sing. With vigorous-intensity exercise, you might find yourself breathless and have difficulty talking.

Should I work out if I’m sick?

It’s okay to work out if you have a cold and the symptoms are above the neck, but skip it if you have a fever, fatigue, or muscle aches. If you are going to exercise while sick, don’t go to a gym or another fitness facility; stay home so you don’t infect others.