fitness for life Dan Ritchie PH.D.
Functional fitness is the term we use to describe fitness as it relates to our body’s ability to function, performing the tasks we ask of it. And it’s so much more than what we traditionally think of when it comes to fitness. Our functional fitness level impacts our ability to continue to enjoy the most important things in life as we get older. Most people think about exercise in its most basic form — as a function of cardio, muscle strength, and weight management. But, what we now know about the body is that to be “fit” means so much more than being able to climb stairs and wear the same dress size you did 10 years ago. When assessing functional fitness, we measure your power, aerobic energy, balance, response time, joint function, coordination, agility, and more. The goal is to make you better than fit — you need to be functionally fit to ensure that you can do all the things you want to — for as long as you can! Have you ever really considered how functionally fit you are at the moment? We have a short little quiz for you to take and then one exercise you can begin using right away either at home or the gym.
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G R O W I N G B O L D E R / M AY D I G I TA L D I G E S T 2 1
