What is fitness?
Fitness can be performance-related or health-related. Performance-related fitness is a measure of an athlete's agility, balance, power, and speed. This topic focuses on health-related fitness, which you can achieve through regular physical activity. The benefits of both types of fitness are a healthy heart and lungs (cardiorespiratory fitness), increased flexibility, and muscular strength and endurance.

Many of the benefits of being physically active, such as more energy and improved mood occur soon after you become more active. Some of the most important health benefits, however, have to do with being active over many years. Also, if you stop being active, you lose the fitness you achieved. Being consistent makes the most sense for your health.

Ways to make physical activity a long-term commitment include:
- Setting goals and developing and following a specific program.
- Expanding your fitness activities through cross- training.
- Adding variety to your fitness program by changing the activity, and time.
- Making physical fitness a habit routine, and normal part of your life.
- Not letting reasons such as lack of time, and cost slow you down.
- Having the support of friends and family.