Episode 14 - Movement, Part 2

The Well Life Podcast

Movement, Part 2

Five Components of Fitness

• Cardiovascular endurance

• Muscular strength

• Muscular endurance

• Flexibility

• Body composition

• Flexibility

• Body composition

Flexibility refers to the range of motion around a given joint without pain.10

UC Davis Health. Flexibility.

Like muscular strength and endurance, flexibility is joint-specific. For instance, you may have very flexible shoulders but tight and inflexible hamstrings or hips.

Flexibility is essential at any age. It plays a role in unhindered movement and can affect your balance, coordination, and agility. Maintaining a full range of motion through your major joints can reduce the likelihood of injury and enhance athletic performance.11

As you get older, the importance of flexibility becomes even more apparent. While completely stopping the aging process isn't possible, protecting your joints and maintaining mobility can help keep you spry well into your later years.12

The ACSM's physical activity guidelines call for adults to engage in flexibility exercises at least two or three days each week.

How to Increase Flexibility

There are simple ways you can work flexibility exercises into your day:

• Static stretching, where you hold a stretch for 10 to 30 seconds at a time
• Workouts that take you through dynamic stretching exercises, such as barre, yoga, tai chi, or Pilates
• Active stretching, such as lifting your leg and holding it there, uses the contraction of the opposing muscle to relax the muscle being stretched.
• Passive stretching also called relaxed stretching, is where you assume a stretch position and hold it with the assistance of another part of your body, a partner, or an apparatus, like a strap.
• Isometric stretching, a type of static stretching, uses resistance to alternate between relaxing and contracting the muscle.

We've researched and reviewed the best online tai chi classes. If you're looking for an online class, explore which option may be best for you.

Body Composition

Body composition, or your body's fat mass ratio to fat-free mass, is the final component of health-related physical fitness. Because fat mass can be associated with adverse health outcomes, such as heart disease and type 2 diabetes, attaining and maintaining the right body composition for your unique situation is the goal of most exercise routines.13 A healthcare provider can advise you on what is right for you and your situation.

Measuring Body Composition

To see improvements in body composition, you need to know your starting point. Weighing yourself on a scale is not recommended, as weight alone doesn't tell you the makeup of your internal tissues.13 Some methods of measuring body composition are more accessible than others.

• Bioelectrical impedance analysis (BIA): Some gyms offer this type of testing, or you can purchase a scale that uses bioelectrical impedance analysis to estimate body fat percentage.
• Hydrostatic underwater weighing: Hydrostatic testing involves being weighed on dry land followed on an underwater scale. You can find these testing facilities in research labs and some fitness centers.
• DEXA (dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry) scans: These are typically used for measuring bone mineral density but can also accurately measure body composition. DEXA scans are usually performed at radiology centers and may or may not be covered by insurance.
• Body fat percentage calculator: These tools are not as accurate as a DEXA scan or hydrostatic testing but are readily available and easy to use. The results typically fall within three to four percentage points of your actual body fat percentage, so you can use these results to monitor changes if you want.

For more information about the hosts, please visit their websites and follow them on social media:

Dr. Glenda Shepard - Doctor of Nursing Practice/Advanced Registered Nurse Practitioner/Certified Nutrition Coach/Certified Personal Trainer/Certified Intrinsic Coach

https://www.triumphantwomancoaching.com/

FB - https://www.facebook.com/glenda.shepard1

Robin McCoy - Certified McIntyre Seal Team Six Coach and John Maxwell Team Trainer/Speaker/Coach

https://www.thewellnessfactor.coach/

IG - https://www.instagram.com/RobinRMcCoy

FB - https://www.facebook.com/robin.mccoy1

Produced by KB Podcasts

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