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Encyclopedia of Behavioral Medicine pp 1486–1489Cite as

Physical Fitness

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Synonyms

Functional health; Habitual performance; Physical capacity; Physical condition

Definition

Physical fitness is one’s ability to execute daily activities with optimal performance, endurance, and strength with the management of disease, fatigue, and stress and reduced sedentary behavior.

Description

Physical fitness has multiple components and is conceptualized as either performance- or health-related. The specificity of performance-related fitness regarding one’s athletic skill best relates to an individual’s athletic performance. Conversely, health-related fitness is generalized to health status and is affected positively or negatively by one’s habitual physical activity habits. Given the complexity of physical fitness and the epidemiological analysis taken presently, health-related fitness will be the focus of this discussion.

There are five major components of health-related fitness: morphological, muscular, motor, cardiorespiratory, and metabolic (see below), with muscular...

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Physical Fitness, Fig. 1

References and Readings

  • Bouchard, C., Blair, S. N., & Haskell, W. L. (2006). Physical activity and health. Champaign, IL: Human Kinetic.

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  • Bouchard, C., & Shephard, R. J. (1994). Physical activity, fitness and health: The model and key concepts. In C. Bouchard, R. J. Shephard, & T. Stephens (Eds.), Physical activity, fitness and health, International Proceedings and concensus statement (pp. 77–88). Champaign: Human Kinetics.

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  • Caspersen, C. J., Powell, K. E., & Christenson, G. M. (1985). Physical activity, exercise, and physical fitness: Definitions and distinctions for health-related research. Public Health Reports, 100(2), 126–131.

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  • Larson, L. A. (1974). Fitness, health, and work capacity: International Standards for assessment. New York: Macmillan.

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  • Warburton, D. E. R., Nicol, C. W., & Bredin, S. S. D. (2006). Health benefits of physical activity: The evidence. Canadian Medical Association Journal, 174(6), 801–809.

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Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Exercise and Health Psychology Laboratory, The University of Western Ontario, Room 408, Arthur and Sonia Labatt Health Sciences Building, N6A 5B9, London, ON, Canada

    Nerissa Campbell & Stefanie De Jesus

  2. University of Western Ontario, London, ON, Canada

    Dr. Harry Prapavessis

Authors
  1. Nerissa Campbell
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  2. Stefanie De Jesus
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  3. Dr. Harry Prapavessis
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Corresponding author

Correspondence to Nerissa Campbell .

Editor information

Editors and Affiliations

  1. Behavioral Medicine Research Center, Department of Psychology, University of Miami, Miami, FL, USA

    Marc D. Gellman

  2. Cardiovascular Safety, Quintiles, Durham, NC, USA

    J. Rick Turner

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Campbell, N., De Jesus, S., Prapavessis, H. (2013). Physical Fitness. In: Gellman, M.D., Turner, J.R. (eds) Encyclopedia of Behavioral Medicine. Springer, New York, NY. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4419-1005-9_1167

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4419-1005-9_1167

  • Publisher Name: Springer, New York, NY

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