The Five Components Of Fitness

By: Dr. Beth Templin

For our first blog of the new year, I thought it would be appropriate to introduce you to the 5 components of fitness. At HouseFit, we make sure to address each of these areas when planning our exercise routines. 

They are:

1. Balance: This refers to your ability to stay upright when moving around in your environment. Often balance declines in older adults contributing to falls and injuries.  
2. Strength: This refers to the body’s ability to generate force. Often strength declines as you age, making certain activities more difficult.
3. Endurance: This refers to your body’s ability to sustain activity over a prolonged period of time.  
4. Posture: This refers to the overall alignment of your body. When you begin to have poor posture, it puts you at risk for falls, compression fractures, pneumonia and other issues.
5. Flexibility: This refers to how far you’re able to move through the available range of motion at each joint. All 5 components work together and need to be strong in order to optimize your movement and activity level. When any of these components are weak, you may notice some more difficulty getting around or participating in the activities you love.  

As you age, it’s important to know how well each of these components are working. A great way to do this is to have an Annual Fitness Assessment performed by a Physical Therapist. Just like you go to your physician for a check-up every year to learn about your medical health, a Physical Therapist can give you valuable information about your physical health and fitness.

During your assessment we perform tests to measure how well each of these areas is working. If we notice a weakness in 1-2 areas, we can give you some simple exercise for you to do at home to strengthen them up before they become a bigger problem. If you have several areas that are weak, we can get you started with Physical Therapy to regain your fitness and independence.