Fitness is defined as certain attributes that people develop or strive to develop in order to perform physical activity. We all have different views of what fitness means. For some it may mean having a perfect 10 figure, whereas to others it may mean the ability to do regular household chores with ease. To most it means a gym workout.
The benefits of regular workouts are a well toned body that gives a good impression about the individual, eases out the stresses of daily living and prepares the body to handle any unforeseen emergencies. It prevents obesity and thereby helps in the prevention of diseases like type 2 diabetes, heart attacks and few cancers. Fitness routines helps in relaxing the muscles and joints, thereby avoids injuries. Regular training helps in mood elevation and betters the intellectual capabilities. Fitness is a priceless possession which cannot be inherited. It cannot be purchased. It cannot be a permanent attribute without constant effort. Fitness has many components – cardiovascular training, muscle strengthening, muscle endurance training, flexibility etc. People work on all these four components, but they modify the routines to adapt to their needs. For example the fitness routine for an elite athlete will be different from that of a cricketer. Fitness routines for a normal person will be different from that of a diabetic.
Cardio as the name goes is very popular as a fat burner. It includes walking, jogging, swimming, workout on exercise bike or treadmill. It strengthens the heart and makes it a better pump. It also increases the blood supply to the muscles through the formation of new blood vessels and thus nourishes them. Regular cardio reduces the blood pressure. The WHO recommends that every individual between 18-65 years of age indulge in minimum of 30 minutes of cardio 3-5 times a week. Cardiovascular endurance is the capacity of the cardiovascular system to sustain the aerobic activity for extended periods of time. Marathon runners work on this component of fitness.
The skeletal muscles of the body are composed of two types of muscle fibres- the fast twitch muscle fibres and the slow twitch muscle fibres. The slow twitch fibres are bright red in colour due to the rich supply of oxygenated blood. Though their contractions are slow, they are fatigue resistant. They useful in endurance activities like running a marathon or long distance cycling.Most of the skeletal muscles of the body belong to the other group, the fast twitch fibres. They are large and use anaerobic glycolysis for supply of energy and they fatigue easily. They are used by those who run short sprints. Each of these activities focus on different aspects of training
Strengthening the skeletal muscles means that we make the muscle contract against a load. Strengthening is “targeted” in elite athletes. For example an elite bowler works to strengthen his shoulder muscles. A runner needs to strengthen his lower body muscles and glut muscles in addition to possessing a strong core for balance.
Another interesting aspect of working against a load is Body building. Building a massive physique isn’t easy. Each muscle has its own fibre type composition and biomechanics. This knowledge empowers one to select the weight, the reps, the sets and the intervals of rest in between sets. All these are unique and tailor made for each muscle. Muscles that are composed of fast twitch fibres respond to high intensity, low frequency and longer periods of rest between sets. Whereas the slow twitch predominant muscles respond to lower weight, more reps, short periods of rest and lower volume.Bulking up needs intake of good quality proteins in addition to loading a muscle. Slowly but steadily, the load has to be increased in order to see the desired effect. Fitness enthusiasts work on muscle sculpting or defining the muscle contours. This improves the physique and gives a great impression.

Loading can be done using Fitness machine weights or free weights or the body weight.By free weights we mean the dumbbells, the barbells, kettle balls etc. Using the body weight for loading has numerous benefits. The body senses the load it can carry and hence there will not be the problem of overloading and injury the joints and tendons. Secondly and most importantly for women strengthening can be done within the confines of a home and during travel also. Whatever the weight used, the body gets into adaptation and after a certain time the benefits are not visible .Increasing the load and gradually working on the sets and reps results in increased strength and power of the muscles .In a lighter vein strengthening helps with lifting objects at home without straining a muscle or a joint.
Muscular Endurance training is educating the muscle to contract for prolonged periods of time and delaying the onset of fatigue. Training with lighter weights and giving more repetitions increases the endurance of the muscles. In endurance training we do not get bulging muscles as in strength training.
The fourth component of fitness is flexibility. Flexibility is the ability to stretch a joint through it’s complete range of motion. It depends on the ligaments, tendons, bones and their nutrition, in addition to a soothing routine of stretching every day. A flexible body helps with executing normal movements smoothly and avoids injuries. There are a variety of stretching routines, the two most useful being the static and the dynamic stretches. The static stretches move the joint through the complete range of movement once and hold it there for 20-30 seconds. Dynamic stretches are movements which optimally warms up the muscles and prepares it for exercise. Aging is a process where the muscle and fascial elasticity is lost. Therefore if stretching is not routinely done, there is a restrictive force which dampens routine mobility around the joint and makes it a painful experience. In the long run flexibility prevents injuries and helps in maintaining balance.

A regular fitness regimen, whatever it may be, prevents strokes, heart attacks, certain cancers and type 2 diabetes. The routine household chores become easy and injuries are minimal. A toned physique is nearly half the battle won, whatever the arena be. It speaks volumes about the dedication and the attitude of the person. A fitness routine melts away stress and improves relationships with members at home and at work. With all these benefits who wouldn’t want to give it a try.