Definition of Physical Fitness
The definition of physical fitness has changed over time. In the old days (pre-industrial revolution period) fitness was defined in terms of a person's ability to perform a day's worth of activities without unnecessary fatigue.
Today, as constant modernization keeps bringing about many changes in our lifestyles the old definition has become almost obsolete. Now the definition has transformed and is defined as the body's ability to perform efficiently in work and leisure activities, to be healthy and to resist diseases.
Those that are into fitness and bodybuilding take the aforementioned definition a step further and define physical fitness as a state in which we have an athletic physique and good strength both complimented by low body fat percentage and good cardio endurance.
Medical journals and various other study groups will complicate the subject and define physical fitness as having many components that are considered when making a definition.
- physiological (sub-categorized as: morphological, metabolic and bone integrity)
- health related (sub-categorized as: body fat composition, cardio fitness, flexibility, muscular endurance and muscular strength). This is the category that most of us focus on and consider as most relevant when defining physical fitness.
- skill related (sub-categorized as: agility, balance, coordination, power, speed and reflex/reaction time).
- sports related (sub-categorized as: individual performance, team performance and lifetime)
You get the point - too complicated! Even the fittest person would not be able to score high in every single category and thus according to the complex "study-group definition" would be considered unfit!
Thus, stick to the definition that is used in fitness circles which we mentioned above.
From "Definition of Physical Fitness" to main page about Importance of Fitness