This is the ability of the cardiorespiratory system (Heart and lungs) to function as an effective transport system of oxygen and nutrients to the body's muscles during physical activity.
To improve your overall fitness you need to work on both your Endurance and strength capability.
That doesn't mean that you need to start running marathons and pumping iron!
It simply means that you work on the two different areas to achive different results.
Endurance
There are 3 main types of endurance
(1) Aerobic endurance: This is required for general aerobic activity to ensure that the body has a sufficient supply of oxygen to provide energy for working muscles.
(2) Muscular endurance: Is the ability of a muscle to continue repeated contractions before the onset of fatigue. Local muscle fatigue results in an inability to generate force.
(3) Anaerobic endurance is a short term addition to aerobic endurance and is used initially when the aerobic system can not be utilized
Strength
Is the maximum force a muscle or muscle group can exert against resistance.
When exercising you can improve your muscle strength by contracting your muscles against a force, for instance your own body weight. This happens naturally when you walk down the street, do the cleaning, gardening or whatever activity you do. To improve your muscle strength you need to increase either the resistance or frequency/duration of activity.
If you don’t normally take the stairs, try to walk up some. You’ll be lifting your own bodyweight, hence increasing the resistance felt by your legs, you’ll find walking along a street is much easier as the resistance against your muscles is less.
Frequency & duration
If you do walk, you can easily increase the length of the walk slightly, or if that seems a little difficult why not take another walk later in the day.
The result is that whatever muscle (or muscle group) you’re using, you’re creating a contraction in one of two ways, Isometric or Isotonic.
There are two main types of muscle contraction.
Isometric
The muscle contracts creating a tension and a force but there is no visible movement.
E.g. pressing your hands together when outstretched. No visible movement occurs in the body segments or object the force is exerted against.
Isotonic
When a muscle contracts it produces movement by either shortening (concentric) or lengthening (eccentric). The resistance used remains constant but the speed of exercise may vary.
Everyone is an individual and they can be well developed in one area (Endurance or Strength) and underdeveloped in another area of fitness. Just work on what suits you and your lifestyle, don't over do it!
Before embarking on any fitness programme it can be very useful to understand some basics about how the body functions, there is further information uder 'How the body works'.
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