Your Fitness Portfolio

Just as you diversify within your investment portfolio ( and you do, don't you?) you must diversify within your fitness/wellness portfolio.

Too many times am I confronted with clients or just people seeking a piece of free advice that think they're meeting their exercise "quota" with only one type of activity. Women will tell me " I do Pilates" or "I run" and men will often say " I lift." My response is always "And?"

 "Physical fitness" is a MULTIDIMENSIONAL concept, composed of skill-related, health-related, and physiologic components.In order to be truly "fit" and well, you must address each component of fitness.

Health-related components of fitness include: muscular strength , muscular endurance, cardiorespiratory endurance, flexibility, and body composition.

Skill-related components include agility, balance, coordination, power and reaction time.

Finally, physiologic components include metabolic fitness  and bone integrity.

Participation in only one exercise activity, while certainly better than no activity at all, typically does not address each component of fitness. Pilates, while good for increasing muscular endurance and core strength, does not addresss the cardiorespiratory, balance or muscular strength component.

Depending upon the type of resistance program being used, muscular strength, power or muscular endurance may be addresssed, but flexibilty, agility, and cardio ignored.

Many runners only run, believing that they are fit. I see lots of overweight runners with excess bodyfat, muscular weaknesses,  and balance and flexibility issues.

So, diversify your  fitness portfolio: cross train. Participate in different types of activities: dance, bike, stretch, play sports, lift weights, box...

Work harder. Do more. Keep track of your results. The payoff from your  well-diversified fitness portfolio is a longer, healthier and happier life. That's worth the investment, right?