HEALTH | FITNESS
Physical fitness is a state of health, well-being and functional ability, such as the ability to perform in aspects of daily activities, occupations, and sports.
Physical fitness is generally achieved via exercise, good choices in nutrition, and sufficient rest.
Physical fitness is defined as a measure of the body’s ability to function efficiently and effectively in work and leisure activities, to be healthy, to resist hypokinetic diseases, and to meet emergency situations.
There are a variety of tests that measure physical fitness, but no single test measures all aspects of physical fitness.
Physical Fitness is also associated with disease prevention and specifically hypokinetic disease prevention.
Physical fitness is associated with preventing certain types of heart disease, controlling blood pressure and preventing hypertension, cancer prevention, reducing inflammation, boosting the immune system, weight control, helping certain types of diabetes — especially Type 2 diabetes, relieving pain related to musculoskeletal conditions, improving mental health, and more.
Specific exercises, associated with physical therapy or physical therapy techniques, can help with many cases of specific musculoskeletal pain and injuries that don’t involve serious damage. For example, proper shoulder exercises can relieve shoulder pain related to rotator cuff injuries. Helpful exercises can be prescribed for painful low back conditions, painful knee conditions, and painful conditions involving many other joints. Many prescribed exercises can fine tune the balance of muscles that work in opposition or coordination to relieve pain, and prevent progression to a condition that causes more serious damage.
Cancer prevention
Centers for disease control and prevention provide lifestyle guidelines of maintaining a balanced diet and engaging in physical activity to reduce the risk of disease. The WCRF/ American Institute for Cancer Research (AICR) published a list of recommendations that reflect the evidence they have found through consistency in fitness and dietary factors that directly relate to cancer prevention.
The WCRF/AICR recommendations include the following:
Be as lean as possible without becoming underweight.
Each week, adults should engage in at least 150 minutes of moderate intensity physical activity or 75 minutes of vigorous intensity physical activity.
Children should engage in at least one hour of moderate or vigorous physical activity each week.
Be physically active for at least thirty minutes every day.
Avoid sugar, and limit the consumption of energy packed foods.
Balance one’s diet with a variety of vegetables, grains, fruits, legumes, etc.
Limit sodium intake, the consumption of red meats and the consumption of processed meats.
Limit alcoholic drinks to two for men and one for women a day.
