In Wit’s roadmap to fitness we have already mentioned the 3 kinds of fitness. I think it is important to comment on this again. Each kind of fitness is important and reaching a balance between these will contribute to the overall fitness in a more beneficial way:

• Muscle strength: Muscle strength means having stronger and long-lasting muscles. This is acheived through weight AND endurance training. Some only do weight training without endurance which leads to poor development of muscle fibers responsible for lastingness. Such kind of muscle is not what I call “high quality”. What are they good for if they get tired and useless after few minutes of hard work?
• Aerobic fitness: conditions your heart and lungs which improves oxygen supply to your muscles and makes them last longer. Any activity that raises your heart rate for a longer period of time (25-40 min.) improves your aerobic fitness.
• Flexibility: With time, your muscles get shorter and less flexible, especially when you do strength training. It can promote injuries and related diseases. That is why stretching is so important. If you never did stretching before, give it a try. Gaining flexibility is like slipping from an uncomfotable suit into relaxing sportswear.

All these are complementary to each other and improving one automatically benefits the other in some way. For example, doing aerobic training improves your oxygen supply system which will increase your performance in strength training.

Final note: Some activities target multiple fitness types:

• Yoga increases your flexibility and muscle strength. (Moreover, some minor muscles targeted in yoga cannot be easily targeted with conventional weight lifting routine)
• Interval training: high and low intensity running targets endurance and aerobic conditioning.
• Martial arts is another great way to combine flexibility and strength.