Fitness Health Dictionary

The capacity for performing physical activities without exhaustion.

Fitness depends on strength, flexibility, and endurance.

Because cardiovascular fitness is the precondition for all other forms of fitness, regular aerobic exercise (see aerobics), which makes the body’s use of oxygen more efficient, is the basis of any fitness programme.

Specific activities, such as weight training or yoga, can help develop strength and flexibility when included in a programme (see exercise).

When the body is fit, the maximum work capacity and endurance are increased.

A fit person has a better chance of avoiding coronary artery disease and preventing the effects of age and chronic disease.

An ability to perform daily activities without becoming overtired. Fitness is dependent on strength, ?exibility and endurance, and the level of an individual’s ?tness will often depend on their type of employment and the extent to which they indulge in physical exercise, whether training in the local health club or at home or regularly participating in sports. Regular ?tness improves one’s health and well-being. Fitness exercises should be matched to a person’s age and abilities and there is a health danger if someone regularly exercises beyond their capabilities.