The 3 Ignored Elements of Fitness

 When most people think of physical fitness, they think about endurance, stamina and strength.  But I feel that balance, flexibility and agility are key measures of true fitness that are often ignored by the majority of exercisers.  Even very athletic people can be unfit when it comes to these fitness elements. 

Flexibility is the ability to move your joints and muscles through their full range of motion.  With the exception of yoga fanatics, the majority of us devote little time to stretching, and even when we do stretch, we sometimes don’t take it very seriously.  I have clients tell me, ‘oh I’m not flexible.’  Well if you don’t practice, you never will be…it is just like anything else. Stretching increases the range of motion of your joints, improves posture and circulation. While stretching done before exercise improves performance, stretching performed after exercise is more effective at decreasing injury risks and improving flexibility. Maintaining flexibility should be a top priority for seniors.  As we age, muscles lose their elasticity and joints stiffen unless you do something about it.   Regular stretching can relieve stress and is good for your mental health too.  Hold each stretch position for 20 seconds and do not bounce. 

Balance is the ability to maintain body stability.  So most of us are pretty good on a flat surface with two feet on the ground, but how stable are you on one foot?  Balance is the second most functional element of fitness, behind strength.  The vast majority of people work muscle groups involved in creating movement, but are completely out of shape in terms of muscle groups involved in resisting movement –the stabilizing muscle groups.  Balance training should be done progressively in a controlled environment because it does increase the risk of falling.  However, it is essential for everyone to practice stability training to decrease your risk of falling in daily life.  For those more concerned with strength training, balance is essential for taking strength to the next level.  Think about throwing a punch while standing in a raft.  The more solid you are on your feet, the more power you have to lift. Start small, stand on one foot holding the back of a chair.  Then add more functional moves-like standing on one foot while brushing your teeth.  Don’t train on a stability device until you are confident and solid with one foot on the ground.

Agility is the ability to change the body’s position efficiently, and requires the integration of isolated movement skills using a combination of balance, coordination, speed, reflexes, strength, endurance and stamina.  You must first establish strong balance, strength and endurance before you can begin agility training.  Having agility means you are a real fitness bad ass but it also gives you a functional edge.  Catching a glass in mid air that has been knocked off a nearby counter is an example of how being agile can be helpful in real life.  Agility training keeps your mind sharp as well.  Your brain has to coordinate movements while triggering fast twitch muscles to create speed.  Agility training burns more calories than vigorous cardio workouts.  An example of an agility exercise would be to place a line on the ground and jump over the line both forward and backward as you jump rope for one minute. Then place your feet parallel to the line and jump over it going from side-to-side for a minute. Focus on how many jumps you can make in one minute rather than how high you can jump.