,Physical fitness

Physical fitness

'Forget walking 10,000 steps a day'

These days it is hard to walk the streets without running into someone who is anxiously looking at their wrist to see if they are on target to reach the magic 10,000 steps.

You might be surprised to hear it was the result of a 1960s marketing campaign in Japan.

In the run-up to the 1964 Tokyo Olympics, a company came up with a device which they started marketing to the health-conscious.
Japanese life style

It was called a Manpo-Kei. In Japanese, "man" means 10,000, "po" means steps and "kei" means meter. So it was, literally, a 10,000 steps meter.

The device was an early pedometer, based on the work of Dr Yoshiro Hatano, a young academic at Kyushu University of Health and Welfare.

The Japanese were busy importing a slothful American lifestyle, as well as a love of watching baseball, and wanted to help them get more active.

He reckoned that if he could persuade his fellow Japanese to increase their daily steps from 4,000 to around 10,000 then they would burn off approximately 500 extra calories a day and remain slim.
That, apparently, was how the "10,000 steps a day" regime was born.
It was clearly a great marketing success. But is it still the most effective way to improve our fitness?
Brisk walks

When we looked at the volunteers' results, two out of the three asked to do 10,000 steps had managed to hit their target. But they had all struggled

So 10,000 steps was harder to achieve - but which activity was better for health?

So three short brisk walks were easier to fit into the day and better for health.

the fact that you can get similar, perhaps greater, benefits from a few brisk walks a day is enormously encouraging.
To start doing some Active 10s in your day.
Fitness may refer to:

Physical fitness

 a general state of good health, usually as a result of exercise and nutrition.

Fitness means
Fitness biology, an individual's ability to propagate its genes
Fitness magazine, a women's magazine, focusing on health and exercise
Fitness and figure competition, a form of physique training, related to bodybuilding
Fitness approximation, a method of function optimization evolutionary computation or artificial evolution methodologies
Fitness function, a particular type of objective function in mathematics and computer science
Fitness definition
 fitness was defined as the capacity to carry out the day’s activities without undue fatigue. However, with automation and changes in lifestyles physical fitness is now considered a measure of the body's ability to function efficiently and effectively in work and leisure activities, to be healthy, to resist hypokinetic diseases, and to meet emergency situations.
Aerobic exercise
Cardiorespiratory fitness can be measured using VO2 max, a measure of the amount of oxygen the body can uptake and utilize.Aerobic exercise, which improves cardiorespiratory fitness, involves movement that increases the heart rate to improve the body's oxygen consumption. This form of exercise is an important part of all training regiments ranging from professional athletes to the everyday person. Also, it helps increase stamina.
A female jogging at a beach  for maintaining/improving her physical fitness.

Jogging 

 Running at a steady and gentle pace. This form of exercise is great for maintaining weight.
Elliptical Training 

 This is a stationary exercise machine used to perform walking, or running without causing excessive stress on the joints. This form of exercise is perfect for people with achy hips, knees and ankles.
Walking 

 Moving at a fairly regular pace for a short, medium or long distance.Half hour or one hour daily.
Treadmill training 

 Many treadmills have programs set up that offer numerous different workout plans. One effective cardiovascular activity would be to switch between running and walking. Typically warm up first by walking and then switch off between walking for three minutes and running for three minutes.
Swimming 

 Using the arms and legs to keep oneself afloat and moving either forwards or backwards. This is a good full body exercise for those who are looking to strengthen their core while improving cardiovascular endurance.
Cycling 

Riding a bicycle typically involves longer distances than walking or jogging. This is another low stress exercise on the joints and is great for improving leg strength.
Sprinting - Running short distances as fast as possible