As a health and fitness professional, it’s my job to understand the terms and definitions that are common in this industry, as well as stay on top of evolving trends. Through my experience, I have found that several terms deserve a little more clarification than they are given.
In addition to clarifying the definition of Fitness related to health, this article aims to shed some light on some of the associated terms and show their respective distinctions.
Is it just all in one name?
The fitness world seems to use the concept of fitness related to health as a generic fitness principle, interchangeable with others such as “Physical Fitness”, “Health and Fitness” or simply “Fitness”.
Although all these terms they can included under the broad term Health and Fitness, they refer individually to different aspects, both generic and specific. Unfortunately, references to these and other fitness-related terms are often vague, while consistency in their intended use is sparse at best; there is a sort of “generally accepted” usage for them, but individuals often rely on their own interpretation, and this can lead to confusion.
That said, does health-related fitness simply infer fitness through good health? Not quite. That is why we need to understand a bit more behind these words before digesting the definition.
How made How did the term Health-Related Fitness come about?
That is a good question. one could probably ask What is this concept about? Can’t we just use the terms “Fitness” or “Physical Fitness” instead?” Why Health “Related”?
The main reason stems from the fact that most health and fitness terms are used inconsistently and often refer to different concepts or notions. Following the 1996 report by the US Surgeon General. (Physical Activity and Health; report of the Surgeon General), there was a movement to try to address the alarming rise in obesity levels among the general American public. The studies and initiatives required standardization among physicians, health professionals, and physical trainers to deal with the task at hand. Enter “Health Related Physical Condition”, a working term to address the general state of health among the public.
The definition of health-related fitness
According to the American College of Sports Medicine (ACSM), the leading authority in the field, ineffective definitions with unclear and subjective wording, as well as definitions containing terms that themselves require definition, have contributed to the confusion of the term “Physical Fitness”.
There is no reliable guide for health and fitness professionals to measure “fitness”, because the term has been so loosely and inconsistently defined. This Thus that the concept of fitness related to health should be considered. Therefore, the definition focuses on the 5 components of physical fitness that relate to “good health”. These components are:
- cardiorespiratory fitness
- body composition
- flexibility
- Muscular strength
- muscle hardening
On the other hand, Skill Related Aptitude Components are:
- Balance
- Reaction time
- Coordination
- agility
- Speed
- Energy
According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), the definition of physical fitness emphasizes the difference between health-related fitness and athletic fitness. His starting point is the “health” of the American nation, which is often called the “public health perspective.” In that sense, the 5 health-related fitness components are more important than the athletic ability (or skill-related) components.
Although the concept of Health-Related Physical Fitness has an integral association with “good health”, all 5 Components are addressed. individually by health professionals to allow its measurement.
Now that we have a deeper understanding of the term, what is it for?
Continuing from where the definition left off, the goal of measuring the 5 components is to advise clients on their own health-related fitness and use the data obtained from the tests to design appropriate exercise programs that can then be evaluated.
The 5 Components contribute in a uniform way to form a holistic Health-Related Fitness, which is of direct interest for the health of the common citizen, as the concept is normative. In other words, it is a standard that allows consist request.
Therefore, it is important for those who work in the health and fitness industry No confuse “general physical fitness” with “health-related physical fitness”.
To conclude, let’s consider this distinction between physical fitness and health-related fitness.
Keep in mind that regular physical exercise can improve general fitness as well as health-related fitness. However, general fitness is a generic term and depends on subjective interpretation, while health-related fitness can be assessed.
Therefore, the distinction between these two terms exists in that health-related physical fitness can be measured according to a set of established comparative norms.
This is where the rubber hits the road.” Guidelines established by the ACSM allow healthcare professionals to work with clients to assess and measure their response to exercise and prescribe appropriate exercise programs. A client’s progress can then be be monitored and adjusted as necessary to achieve desired fitness goals.
