Having determined (by test or by obvious need) what fitness components you want to develop. The most popular sports as well as some of the daily activities you now consider chores could become an important part of your exercise program.
The benefits of any activity, of course, depend a great deal on how much you put into it. Swimming is top ranked for both cardiorespiratory efficiency and weight loss; but that means swimming, not sunbathing or paddling. Tennis as played by a beginner is mostly calisthenics: practice serving, lunging, bending to pick up balls. Skillful tennis players who keep the ball in play for several sets are developing all the components of dynamic fitness. Golf is about equal to a moderate walk, plus some upper torso muscular exertion.
Prevention Program
Physical fitness has been defined as the ability to meet ordinary and even unusual demands of your daily life safely, effectively, and without undue fatigue - to walk briskly for 10 minutes or climb 3 flights of stairs without discomfort, to lift and carry moderately heavy loads without dizziness, to participate in some physical activity at least an hour a day or intensive exercise for 10 to 15 minutes a day.
Even a moderately active life may meet the daily requirements for adequate exercise: climbing those 3 flights of stairs to get your heart rate up; walking 3 to 4 miles or doing an hour of moderate housework to maintain your ideal weight; lifting a heavy bag of groceries to load your muscles to one-half of their maximum; spending at least 10 minutes per hour on your feet and moving. In short, you must make physical activity a part of your daily routine.
_______________________________________________________________________________________
JANUARY 8
