As a Health and Fitness Professional, it is my responsibility to be familiar with industry-specific words and meanings, as well as developing trends. My experience has taught me that a lot of terms merit a bit more explication than they currently receive.
In addition to elucidating the meaning of Health Related Fitness, the purpose of this article is to shed light on other linked words and illustrate their unique distinctions.
Is everything in a name?
The fitness industry appears to treat Health Related Fitness as a generic fitness principle, interchangeable with “Physical Fitness,” “Health and Fitness,” and “Fitness” alone.
While all of these phrases can be included under the umbrella term Health and Physical Fitness, they each refer to distinct generic and specialized elements. Unfortunately, references to these and other fitness-related phrases are sometimes ambiguous, and their intended use is inconsistent at best; there is a sense in which they are “generally recognized,” but individuals frequently rely on their own interpretation, which can lead to misunderstanding.
Therefore, does Health Related Fitness just indicate fitness through excellent health? Not exactly. Before digesting the definition, it is necessary to gain a deeper understanding of these words’ context.
What is the origin of the term Health Related Physical Fitness?
That is an excellent question. One could wonder what this idea entails; why not just use the terms “Fitness” or “Physical Fitness” instead? Why is Health Related?
The primary cause is that the majority of health and fitness terminology are used inconsistently and frequently refer to distinct concepts or ideas. Following the 1996 report from the US Surgeon General (Physical Activity and Health; a report from the US Surgeon General), there was an effort to combat the worrisome rise in obesity levels among the American populace. To address the issue at hand, studies and initiatives required standardization across clinicians, health practitioners, and fitness trainers. Enter “Health Related Physical Fitness,” a working phrase for addressing the public’s overall health.
Definition of Health-Related Physical Fitness
According to the American College of Sports Medicine (ACSM), the leading authority in this profession, inadequate definitions with vague and subjective language, as well as definitions containing concepts that require clarifying, have led to the confusion surrounding the phrase “Physical Fitness.”
Because the phrase “Physical Fitness” has been so loosely and inconsistently defined, there is no credible framework for Health and Fitness Professionals to measure it. One should consequently investigate the concept of Health Related Fitness. Therefore, the definition focuses on the 5 Components of Physical Fitness that pertain to “excellent health.” These Elements include:
Cardiorespiratory Fitness
Physical Composition
Flexibility
Muscular Strength Muscular Endurance
In contrast, Skill Related Fitness Components consist of:
Balance Time to Reaction Coordination
Agility\sSpeed\sPower
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) emphasizes the distinction between Health Related Physical Fitness and Athletic Ability Physical Fitness in their definition of Physical Fitness. Its starting point is the “health” of the United States, sometimes known as the “public health perspective.” In this regard, the 5 Health Related Fitness Components are more significant than the 5 Athletic Ability Fitness Components (or Skill Related Components). Although the idea of Health Related Fitness is intrinsically linked to “excellent health,” health professionals discuss the 5 Components separately to allow for their measurement.
Having gained a deeper knowledge of the phrase, what is its function?
Continuing from where the definition left off, the purpose of assessing the 5 Components is to provide customers with information about their personal Health Related Fitness and to use test results to build appropriate exercise plans that can then be reviewed.
The 5 Components contribute equally to a holistic Health Related Fitness, which is of direct relevance to the health of the average person due to the normative nature of the idea. In other words, it is a standard that permits uniform application.
Therefore, it is essential for individuals in the health and fitness business to distinguish between “general physical fitness” and “health-related physical fitness.”
Consider this distinction between Physical Fitness and Health Related Fitness to finish.
One must remember that frequent physical activity can increase both Physical Fitness and Health Related Fitness. However, general fitness is a vague phrase open to subjective interpretation, whereas Health-Related Fitness may be measured.
The distinction between these two concepts lies in the fact that Health Related Physical Fitness may be quantified using a set of comparison standards.
This is the point where “the rubber meets the road.” The ACSM recommendations allow health practitioners to collaborate with clients to assess and measure their reaction to exercise and to prescribe appropriate exercise programs. Then, the client’s progress can be reviewed and altered as necessary to achieve the specified fitness goals.
