Components of Health

Components of Health Related Fitness

What is body composition (BC)?

Body composition is simply the percentage of how much fat and muscle makes up a person's body. Sometimes it is helpful for a person to find his or her BC in order to figure out the amount of weight he or she would like to lose, or just to know how much muscle to build.

Cardiovascular fitness is the ability of the lungs, heart and blood vessels to deliver adequate amounts of oxygen and nutrients to the cells to meet the demands of prolonged physical activity. When a person breathes, part of the oxygen contained in the air is taken up in the lungs and transported in the blood to the heart. Even though adequate amounts of muscular strength and flexibility are required, a person can go through life without large amounts of these components, but a person cannot do without a good cardiovascular system.

Collage of varius Gray's muscle pictures by Mikael...

Aponeurosis of the Obliquus externus abdominis

Stretching

flexibility

**Stretching correctly is essential when trying to increase flexibility. There are many types of stretching that all have different effects on the body.

Passive Stretching

A technique where you are relaxed and do not contribute to the range of motion. Instead, an external force is created manually or by a machine.

Static Stretching - safe, slow

This stretch includes holding a position. The person stretches to the farthest point and holds it.

Ballistic Stretching - bouncing, bad

The momentum of a moving body or limb is used to try and force beyond the normal range of motion. This uses stretched muscles as a spring whills puls the person out of the stretch position. This type of stretching is the easiest way for injury, and is not useful.

Dynamic Stretching

This involves moving parts of the body and gradually increases reach, speed of movement, and...