4 Facets Of Exercise For All-Round Fitness

Exercise and physical activity can be classified into four basic categories, that is, Endurance, Strength, Balance, and Flexibility. Most people tend to focus on just one activity or type of exercise and think they're doing enough, at the expense of their overall fitness. Each exercise type is different, and doing them all will help you reap more benefits. By mixing it up, you can also reduce monotony and lower the risk of injury.

Keep in mind that although each type of exercise is discussed separately, some physical activities fall into more than one category, for example, many Endurance activities also build strength, and Strength exercises also help improve balance.

ENDURANCE

Endurance exercises, also known as aerobic activities, increase your breathing and heart rate (read about target heart rate). They keep your cardiovascular system (heart, lungs, and circulatory) – which is one of the most important system of body organs – healthy and functioning flawlessly, and improve your overall fitness. Building your endurance makes it easier to carry out many of your everyday activities, from the simplest to the hardest ones.

Some examples of exercises that help build your endurance include:

• Walking or Jogging
• Dancing
• Swimming
• Step Aerobics

STRENGTH

Strength exercises build your muscular strength and make you stronger in general. Even the smallest increases in strength can make a very big difference in your ability to stay independent and carry out everyday activities, such as lifting heavy boxes and moving furniture around. These exercises collectively form training commonly referred to as "Strength Training" or "Resistance Training."

Some examples of exercises that help build your strength include:

• Weight Lifting
• Calisthenics (Bodyweight Exercises)
• Suspension Exercises

BALANCE

Balance exercises improve your mobility and help prevent falls, which is a common problem in older adults. A controlled wobble activates deep core muscles to help tighten, and eventually strengthen, the midsection. Many lower-body exercises will also improve your balance.

Some examples of exercises that help improve balance include:

• Single-leg Stand
• Single-leg Squats
• Leg Swings
• Trunk Turns

FLEXIBILITY

Flexibility exercises stretch your muscles and can help your body stay limber. Being flexible gives you more freedom and range of movement for other exercises as well as for your everyday activities.

Some examples of exercises that help improve flexibility include:

• Yoga
• Pilates

Hopefully you now have better insight on the different types of exercises, and you can start mixing it up the next time you exercise in order to achieve balanced, all-round fitness.