Fitness describes a person who is physically active and
physical fitness is the state of being in good health as a result of exercise.
When most people think of being physically fit or having good fitness they think
of someone is skinny but muscular. However, determining physical fitness is not
based on looks.
In
today’s society our appearance means more to people than whether we are healthy
or happy. Because of the medias exploitation of actors, models and singers,
people’s ideal body types are grossly based on these icons. Unfortunately, when
we idealize these people, we don’t always choose fitness or health as a means
to achieve our desired body.
Take
for example a female who is 5’8” and 180 pounds versus another female who is
5’4” and 180 pounds. Physically the shorter girl may look heavier than the
taller girl however when it comes down to fitness their appearance doesn’t
matter. Now what if I told you that the shorter girl works out everyday for at
least 30 minutes and eats a good diet rich in essential nutrients. Where as the
taller girl rarely works out and is a vegetarian. Now who is more fit? Most
people would probably say the taller girl, however in actually the shorter girl
has a better overall state of health even if she looks heavier because of her
height. Exercising and eating healthy are key components of determine how fit
someone is and just due to the fact that the shorter girl works out makes her
more physically fit than the taller girl.
If
you have ever worked with a trainer/coach or had a stress test done, you have
been put through the testing for determine how physically fit you are. Physical
fitness testing uses all components of fitness such as cardiovascular
endurance, muscular strength, muscular endurance, flexibility, and body composition.
Just because someone is muscular doesn’t mean that they have the endurance to
run a marathon and just because someone can run a marathon doesn’t mean they
can lift a 100-pound weight. Someone’s total fitness is determined by how well
their body performs in all areas of the fitness testing and not just one or
two. So remember fitness is determine by how physically healthy your body is
and not just how you look on the outside.