Fitness Friday: 5 components of fitness

FORT MYERS, Fla. – There’s no doubt our bodies change with age. We experience a decline in strength, flexibility and endurance.

WINK News fitness expert Mike Drumm says these issues are not an inevitable part of getting older.

Posture: Posture is the position of your body while standing, sitting and performing daily tasks. You really have to think of your posture in all activities. Sit straight during meals, driving, watching T.V, and using your computer. You must stand straight while walking, working in the kitchen, getting ready for work and even standing in the grocery line. Good posture is also important while you are working out in the gym.

Strength: Strength is a muscle’s ability to produce force or do work, such as lift a weight or climb a stair, and strong muscles help you move easily and enjoy life. We lose strength as we age, a 30 percent loss between the ages of 30 and 80 years. The sooner you start the better. If we do the appropriate strength training, strength will not decline as we age… muscle strength can be increased at any age, even in our 90s! Toe Raises.

Balance: Balance is the ability of your body to maintain equilibrium when you stand, walk or perform any other daily activity. If we do not have sufficient muscle strength in our legs, maintaining balance is difficult. Balance is also affected by vision, your environment, and inner ear. The easiest way to practice balance is to stand on one leg while brushing your teeth. Improved balance is particularly important for helping to prevent falls.

Flexibility: Flexibility is the ability of the body parts to bend without breaking. Being limber provides freedom of movement and allows joints to bend repeatedly without damage or injury. We don’t spend as much time stretching as we should. The best time to stretch is after aerobic exercise because the muscles are warm and more pliable. Just remember to use slow controlled movements.

Endurance: Endurance is a combination of aerobic capacity and stamina. Endurance enables you to do what you want to do for as long as you want to do it. The age changes that occur with endurance are related to our heart, lungs, and muscles. It is important to choose an endurance activity that you like and is easy to incorporate in your lifestyle like walking, jogging, cycling, jumping rope, aerobic classes, or climbing ten flights of stairs!

Conclusion: Make exercise a priority. The five domains of fitness are very achievable. Simply work on your posture, strength, flexibility, balance and endurance. Age-Defying Fitness encourages you to take responsibility for your physical well-being, and offers an easy everyday approach to achieving better health.