Physical Fitness

Physical fitness is a set of measurable attributes related to a person's ability to perform physical activity. It is not a single ability or measurement. Instead, it is a multidimensional concept that describes attributes of the body that can be assessed with specific tests .^1,2

Physical fitness is commonly divided into health-related and skill-related components. Health-related fitness includes attributes such as cardiorespiratory endurance, muscular strength and endurance, flexibility, and body composition. These components describe different aspects of physical fitness, so a person can have a high level of one component while having a lower level of another .^1,2

Skill-related or performance-related fitness includes attributes that contribute to performing particular physical tasks effectively, such as agility, balance, coordination, power, speed, and reaction time. The distinction between health-related and skill-related fitness is useful conceptually, although some attributes can contribute to both health and physical performance .¹

Physical fitness should not be confused with physical activity or exercise. Physical activity is bodily movement produced by skeletal muscles that increases energy expenditure, while exercise is a planned, structured, and repetitive form of physical activity performed to improve or maintain physical fitness. Physical fitness describes the attributes a person has or develops rather than the activity performed to develop them .¹