Keeping Fit: exercise for a healthy living.

Presented by Chimdimma  on Friday June 21, 2019 during the event of Possibilities Meals on POSH WhatsApp Group; and edited by the POSH Editorial Team

What does it mean to be physically fit?

It could be defined in various ways...

• Being in good physical condition, or shape.
• The ability to perform daily tasks vigorously and alertly, with energy left over to enjoy leisure-time activities and meet emergency demands.

For instance, if an individual is unable to make it through an eight hour work day, or is too tired at the end of the day for leisure or household activities such as gardening, walking, playing tennis or cleaning, then such person probably has a low level of physical fitness

Again, worthy of note is the fact that a moderate to high level of fitness is necessary to prevent certain diseases or conditions that may result from an inactive or sedentary lifestyle known as hypokinetic diseases, some of them include hypertension ( high blood pressure), obesity, adult-onset diabetes, low back pain, osteoporosis ( brittle bones), general fatigue, depression, etc..

Physical fitness is usually a result of regular physical activity (exercise), and proper nutrition. It is not just determined by what kind of physical activity one does, how long one does it or even the level of intensity.

It also involves the performance of d heart and lungs, and d muscles of the body. And since what we do with our bodies also affects what we can do with our minds, fitness influences to some degree, qualities such as mental alertness and emotional stability.

What are the factors that could affect physical fitness?

• Personal factors: 

The desire to be physically fit must be there for it to be achieved.

• Anatomical factors. 

An individual must possess all the body parts essential to the performance of a task. Genetic mutations or imperfections in some organs could lead to weakness in structure and function, hence limiting the capacity for physical fitness.

• Psychological factors: 

These involve perception, emotional stability, motivation and intelligence are vital in determining one's fitness level.. anxiety could affect one by building up tension, elevating heart rate and the blood pressure, thereby reducing the fitness level.

• Environmental factors: 

These could also have an effect on one's physical fitness;. E.g the climatic conditions, external factors like air, water, food, housing. etc.

All these affect the fitness level in one way or the other.. The age of the individual is also an important factor because as one's age advances, the physiological function and strength for performance of activities varies too.

What are the benefits of a fitness exercise program?

There are soo many benefits of participating in fitness programs among which are;

1. It improves the quality of life.
2. It improves the muscular tone, strength, endurance and flexibility.
3. It helps to maintain an ideal body weight.
4. It improves posture and physical appearance.
5. It improves and strengthens the cardiorespiratory system( i.e the heart and the lungs).
6. It relieves tension and stress.
7. It boosts creative thinking and increases the level of energy and productivity.
8. It slows down the aging process.
9. It improves self-image, morale, confidence, and helps in fighting depression.
10. It decreases the risk of chronic heart diseases and illness.
11. It regulates and improves the overall body functions.
The list is inexhaustible... The benefits cannot be overemphasized.

What are the health benefits of fitness program?

** Reduces the risk of developing and/or dying from heart diseases.
** Reduces risk of developing high blood pressure.
** Reduces the risk of developing high cholesterol levels, cancer( breast, colon etc), diabetes, and osteoporosis.
** Builds and maintains healthy muscles, bones and joints
** Improves the psychological well-being.
**Beneficial for cognitive health thereby reducing the  risk of dementia in older adults ..
Once again, these are not just the only health benefits.. there are many others..

Let us discuss the general exercise programs for physical fitness..

Physical fitness could be developed and maintained through a variety of exercise programs which could be adopted based on the purpose, need, time and facilities that are available. They include: calisthenics, jogging, swimming, skipping, circuit training, participation in games and sports, weight training etc...

Calisthenic programs involve a variety of exercise programs (free hand exercises and exercises with apparatus) which could be adopted with the aim of affecting specific muscle groups besides other systems of the body.

They include, but are not limited to jumping jacks, body stretches, leg wing over, bending forward, backwards and sideways, leg raises, trunk twisting, push ups, sit ups etc.....

Jogging is same as we all know.. it targets the gross (big) muscle groups and also helps in building overall cardiorespiratory fitness

Swimming is one of the popular recreational activities which is good for improving overall fitness.. ( the heart, lungs and the circulation of blood round the body).

Skipping with rope provides a good means of exercising the whole body esp strengthening the leg and arm muscles.

Circuit training is the method in which exercises of various kinds are performed in a sequence following a given 'dosage or prescription'.

Now, another very important point to note is that we shouldn't just jump into doing these exercises. We should engage in warm-up and stretches before we commence with the main exercise program.
This is to prepare the body for the conditioning ahead.

Also, at the end of the exercises,  one shouldn't stop abruptly, but gently so as to let the heart beat and pulse rate come down slowly. This is known as cool-down.

In conclusion.....
As man is a tripartite being, and made up of the soul and spirit too, engaging in physical exercises to build up the physical body only would be just unfair. We ought to also exercise the mind and spirit too.
We could exercise  our minds by engaging in activities like reading, meditation/ thinking, listening to good tapes, watching good programs, good association, listening to a mentor, sleeping, etc...
We can exercise our spirit by involving ourselves in prayers, fasting, praises, thanksgiving, reading and meditating on the word of God, loving our neighbour, giving to charity and other humanitarian courses. etc.
These would boost our life health wise, mentally, and spiritually..

Always Remember that...

"Physical fitness is one's richest possession; it cannot be purchased, it has to be earned through a daily routine of physical exercises".

Thank you all for reading through..

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