Aerobic fitness is directly related to health. In the United States, over 800,000 people die each year from coronary artery disease (CAD) which is the number one killer in the United States. The risk factors for CAD include:
- Inactivity
- High cholesterol levels
- Smoking
- Obesity
- High blood pressure
- Diabetes
Numerous studies have shown that inactivity is the most important factor responsible for CAD. It is twice as important as high cholesterol levels, and four times more important than high blood pressure. Consequently, exercise reduces the risk of dying from a heart attack and it is an effective method of rehabilitation in people who have suffered from a heart attack.
Since aerobic fitness is a measure of the ability to sustain prolonged efforts, it determines the degree of fatigue that almost everybody experiences in daily life. The higher your aerobic fitness, the less fatigue you experience. Aerobic fitness indicates such capabilities as walking, running and climbing. Therefore, it is an important requirement in many sports, recreational activities and even in some occupations.
Aerobic fitness may be the most important asset in emergency situations such as floods, earthquakes, being lost in the wilderness or other crises. The ability to reach safety or to survive under such circumstances may depend upon one's fitness in walking, running, swimming, climbing and other similar activities.
Aerobic fitness is an important factor in growth and development during childhood and adolescence. Fitness is also an important factor in the aging process. A high level of aerobic fitness during the growing years indicates good development of the muscles, bones and cardio-respiratory system. It is more important in this respect than body weight.
In advanced age, aerobic fitness provides a measure of how fit one is physiologically. A 65 year old individual with a high aerobic fitness may actually mean that he or she is only 40 years old with respect to the condition of that person's cardio-respiratory, muscular and other bodily systems.
Good aerobic fitness is related to the ability to tolerate two common environmental stresses: heat and high altitude. Aerobically trained individuals can exercise longer under these conditions as compared with untrained persons.
Fitness is not only measured in terms of aerobic exercise, but also in terms of diet and weight training. Having a nutritious diet is important in sustaining excellent physiological functions. That means you need to eat your proper servings of fruits, vegetables, grains and so forth each day to maintain your fitness. To obtain a complete guide of what you should be eating, consult the food pyramid for daily dosages of each food category.
Weight training fitness increases bone density and builds strong joints and supporting tissue. As you age your joints and bones can become weak and brittle. This trend begins normally when you reach age 45. You probably know the effects of osteoporosis and how you must prevent it sooner than later. Hence, your diet should be supplemented with calcium and magnesium particularly if you have eliminated dairy products from your diet. For added protection, using weights will help increase your bone density and fortify the joints and tissues that support them and help increase your overall fitness.
By John Ivie