Fitness Goals

What is fitness?

There are many definitions of this concept, ranging from the ability to perform at a competitive level, to the ability to perform everyday activities without fatigue, through to maintaining a healthy lifestyle and well-being in the absence of physical or mental illness. Whatever your concept of fitness, you will find goals listed on the left menu that are relevant to your needs. Identifying your fitness goal is crucial in order to select the appropriate fitness regime, most suitable to achieving what you want from your exercise programme. This will ensure that you remain focused on what you want to accompish. If you are new to exercise, read on below about some of the benefits of regular exercise and a brief summary of the sorts of exercises involved.

Why is fitness important?

In order to help with your motivation, the following is a list of established health benefits of a regular programme of physical activity:

• Improved cardiovascular health
  - About 38% of heart attacks can be attributed to sedentary lifestyles. Regular exercise reduces this risk
  - About 13% of heart attacks are caused by high blood pressure. Regular exercise reduces blood pressure
  - Strokes are the third commonest cause of death and are often caused by raised blood pressure. Regular exercise reduces this risk
• Reduced risk of developing diabetes by up to 50%
• Reduced risk of becoming overweight by up to 50%
• Reduced risk of developing colon cancer by up to 50%
• Reduced risk of developing osteoporosis by up to 50%
• Positive mental health
  - Mixed anxiety and depression affects at least 9% of adults in the UK
  - Regular exercise has a positive effect on mood
• Reduced risk of developing dementia
  - Dementia is an increasing problem in western cultures where people are living longer
  - Regular exercise both prolongs longevity and decreases the risk of dementia

Are there any problems I need to be aware of before starting a fitness programme?

Before you decide to embark on a programme of physical activity, it is important to ensure that you are well enough to do so. We suggest that you quickly complete the American College of Sports Medicine’s screening questionnaire to see if there are any important issues that you need to discuss with your doctor before you begin.

How can I decide what aspect of fitness is most important to me?

There are many different aspects to fitness, so it is important to decide for yourself which aspect you wish to focus on. Clearly, if you are a professional athlete your goals will be very different from someone who realises they have spent too long sitting in front of a computer screen and wants to get in shape. Here are some commonly identified fitness goals, together with some suggestions as to who might find these goals most appropriate: