Health, Fitness and Wellbeing
HOW FIT ARE YOU? An Article By Carol Anne Strange
The attainment of maximum fitness goes hand-in-hand with martial arts training and the fitter you are, the better you feel. But just how fit are you and how do you know when you’ve become the best you can be? Carol Anne Strange advises.
Fitness is the crucial element, which many martial arts practitioners crave and work hard for. To be fit is to be the best we can be but how do we quantify fitness and maintain a satisfactory level?
In general, fitness is essentially regarded from a physical and physiological perspective. Someone who undertakes varied exercise on a regular basis may achieve enhanced stamina, strength and suppleness. Body mass may become leaner. Internal functioning will become more efficient. Reflexes may be sharper. There are a whole host of benefits. Fitness, however, is also about state of mind. This is an important factor that many people fail to recognise. Being and feeling fit has a profound effect on the spirit. It promotes the feel-good factor, improves the flow of positive energy, stimulates healing on all levels and encourages a state of blissful well-being.
The level of fitness one can achieve depends upon the individual. It is not so much the number of exercise sessions you undertake but the quality of the training that counts. It’s about training with the right mental attitude and intent. You can exercise and go through a regimented routine and, in time, you will gain a reasonable level of fitness. If you choose to embark on the same routine but with more positive conviction, there’s a good chance you will gain more promising results. Why? The answer is simple! If you focus on what you want to achieve, you will do it with the minimal of effort. Mind power is the driving force.
In the martial arts, fitness is often segmented into specific targets. Students admit that they have clearly defined goals with regards to their fitness and performance levels such as increasing muscle mass, reducing body fat percentage, getting supple enough to kick high or fast enough to gain points in a tournament. They are missing the whole picture. Ideally, fitness should be regarded in its totality to maintain equilibrium. If we train one area too much (for example, weight training to gain bicep bulk), other areas become neglected and weak. This imbalance affects fitness as a whole.
So, how fit are you? Well, if you regularly attend a gym, you will be familiar with all the fitness-testing machines to assess various aspects of your fitness from body mass to cardiovascular functioning. All useful gadgets in their own right to give you a fairly accurate indication of your physical health. The best and most effective barometer, to how fit you are, is your own internal monitor. It’s natural instinct. Tune in to how you feel in general. When you are in reasonably good shape, you will feel positive and vital. Your energy levels will be fairly consistent. Your health will be good. Fitness evokes a sense of well-being.
It is important to remember though that fitness levels are never constantly in peak mode. Like in nature, we are continually evolving in a state of homeodynamis. We can train to reach a peak but rarely do we stay there. It’s like climbing a mountain, getting to the pinnacle to admire the view before descending again. The aim is to keep a balance between the two extremes to maintain a satisfactory standard of fitness.
You will soon know if your exercise routine is too little or too much. Your internal fitness barometer will alert you with a variety of symptoms to include weakness, fatigue, low mood, illness, injury and generally feeling out of sorts. For most people, a reasonable amount of fitness can be obtained purely through walking or other low impact activity on a daily basis. For the martial arts practitioner, a greater level of fitness will generally build naturally through training but additional exercise can be undertaken in order to cope with the demands of the art.
Being the best you can be and at all times is a difficult task to accomplish. It can be counter-productive by exerting too much pressure on mind, body and spirit. It is far more conducive to go with the flow and accept daily fluctuations. Providing you work your fitness with balance and positive attitude in mind, you will achieve greater levels of fitness.
Copyright © 2007 Richard Strange unless otherwise stated. All rights reserved.
