167 A Christian Guide to Body Stewardship, Diet and Exercise Fortunately, research also shows that even a modest amount of daily physical activity can have a profound impact on health-related outcomes. For example, Wen et al. (2011) reported that individuals who exercised for an average of 15 minutes a day had a 14% reduction in all-cause mortality risk and a 3-year increase in life expectancy. Furthermore, each additional bout of 15 minutes further reduced all-cause mortality risk by 4%. Similarly, Wen et al. (2014) reported that 5-10 minutes of running or 15 minutes of brisk walking per day were associated with a 30% decrease in all-cause mortality, a 45% decrease in cardiovascular disease, and a 3-year increase in life expectancy. The idea of developing a comprehensive exercise plan can be overwhelming. As a result, some individuals opt to do nothing, perform only what they know or feel comfortable with, or resort to using a commercial exercise program (e.g., Insanity, P90X, LiveFit). The goal of this chapter is to provide specific guidance on how to develop a personalized exercise program based on individual fitness goals, abilities, and sound exercise principles. Components of Physical Fitness Before we can develop a comprehensive exercise program, we must first understand the various components of physical fitness. In all, there are 12 different components of physical fitness. These components of physical fitness are categorized as either health-related or performance-related. Table 8.1 depicts the 5 health-related and 7 performance-related components of physical fitness. Table 8.1. Various Components of Fitness Health-related Performance-related Aerobic capacity Anaerobic capacity Muscular strength Power Muscular endurance Speed Flexibility Agility Body Composition Coordination - Balance - Reaction time Physical Activity Guidelines Although each component of physical fitness is important, some are likely more important than others, and thus should receive training priority. It could be argued that the three most important components of physical fitness, in terms of promoting general health, are muscular strength, cardiovascular endurance (aka aerobic capacity), and mobility. Together, these three components of physical fitness comprise the fitness trident (Figure 8.2) and should constitute the foundation of any exercise program.
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