Curtis Harwell and Kelli Richardson Answer Fitness Questions

What does fitness actually mean? What specific attributes make people fit?

According to the The United States Department of Health and Human Services (USDHHS)1, physical fitness is defined as "a set of attributes that people have or achieve that relates to the ability to perform physical activity".

This description goes beyond being able to run long distance or lift a lot at the gym. Fitness is more than simply a questions of listing which activities you do or how long you do them for.

Despite being important, these attributes only address single areas of fitness.

This Medical News Today information article provides details on the five main components of physical fitness, which include:

1. cardiorespiratory endurance (cardiorespiratory fitness)
2. muscular strength
3. muscular endurance
4. body composition
5. flexibility

What is cardiorespiratory endurance (cardiorespiratory fitness)?

Jogging can help improve your cardiorespiratory
endurance.

Cardiorespiratory endurance is how our body is able to supply fuel during physical activity via the body's circulatory and respiratory systems.

According to Folsom Lake College2, there are two parts of cardiorespiratory endurance: