The Pillars of Health and Fitness

When someone says 'are you fit?' this can be a very ambiguous term. Of course the answer might depend on the context - they might be asking if you are fit to do something in particular. In such cases the answer will be easy, and most of us know whether we are fit to run a race or partake in sports. However for the most part the question is far more open and means instead are you 'generally' fit. Answering this can be more difficult.

All of us would like to be fit and healthy, but this can be hard to achieve if we can't even define it. What then does it actually mean to be fit and healthy? Here we will examine some of the things that make someone fit or not so fit.

CV Fitness

CV fitness means that you are capable of exerting yourself for long periods of time without getting tired and without having some kind of asthma attack or heart complaint. If you have good cardio fitness you will be able to go running for long periods of time, and to climb flights of stairs deftly without bending over panting when you reach the top. This is probably what the vast majority of people mean when they say 'fit'.

To be fit in this regard, you need to be a good weight for your size, and you need to work to improve your VO2 max and heart by going for jogs, rowing, cycle etc, or engaging in sports.

Strength

Strength also comes into health and fitness. Someone fit generally is not going to be wiry and is not going to look as though they'd fall apart if you flicked them. In order to be fit you will likely to some form of resistance training which might mean calisthenics or using weights. For women this means achieving a basically toned body, while for men it often means more impressive biceps and pecs.

Health

This is an equally ambiguous word, but in general being healthy means being free of disease and injury. If you are currently limping because of a bad ankle, then in most people's books you are not going to be considered fit and healthy. To maintain your general health you need to ensure that you are getting enough sleep and that you are eating lots of vitamins and minerals which will help you to develop a strong immune system. You also need to prioritize rest and recovery time in the face of injury to get yourself back to full health as quickly as possible.

Flexibility

Being flexible might not be as crucial as having a strong cardiovascular system, but it is nevertheless one of the 'pillars' of fitness and falls into that category. If you work on flexibility then you can help yourself to avoid injury, and can at the same time improve your range of movement. Simply stretching and warming up before training will help you to develop and sustain flexibility.

Jan Hargrove is a blogger and fitness expert. He writes about family wellness, health and other group fitness related topics.