Physical fitness is the ability of a person to practice physical activities safely, avoiding the risk of suffering health problems or injuries.
According to the World Health Organization (WHO), physical fitness is the ability to perform physical or muscular activity in a satisfactory manner.
The assessment made by a health professional informs if a person is able to do physical activities safely, without putting their health or physical integrity at risk.
Physical fitness is related to the vitality and energy a person has. She determines her vigor and dynamism for the practice of activities that require physical effort.
What is the fitness assessment for?
The fitness analysis assesses a person's ability to respond to the demands of a physical effort, both for moderate and for more demanding exercises.
Thus, a person with good aptitude must be able to practice such activities. without reaching exhaustion of the body.
Confirmation that an individual is physically fit can be used in a variety of situations. A very common application is the confirmation required by sports entities or gyms before the person starts to practice exercises or sports.
A certificate of physical fitness can be requested, for example, on admission to a job, when the activity to be performed requires some effort.
In some public competitions, the assessment of a candidate's aptitude is mandatory, and may be eliminatory in case of unsatisfactory results. In competitions, the assessment is usually called Physical Fitness Test (TAF).
A proper certification is also important for analyzing the performance of athletes, being essential to ensure the health and good performance of athletes from all areas of sport.
Read more about physical activity.
Physical fitness and health status
Physical fitness is directly related to a person's quality of life, well-being and assurance of health.
To determine whether an individual has physical fitness, the health care professional responsible for the assessment must analyze some aspects. The exam takes into account health and skill issues.
See now some examples of health assessment, which may vary depending on the activity that will be performed:
- cardiorespiratory capacity,
- muscle strength assessment,
- level of flexibility,
- body composition analysis.
Regarding skills, aspects such as:
- balance ability,
- response time to physical stimuli,
- agility,
- resistance,
- motor coordination.
Read more about the meaning of health and also see the meanings of fitness, stamina and sedentary lifestyle.
