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Five Fitness Keys
There are five keys to fitness:

- Resistance Training
- Cardiorespiratory Training
- Flexibility
- Nutrition
- Rest

Resistance Training
Resistance Training is a specialized method of conditioning designed to increase muscle strength, muscle
endurance and muscle power, according to the American Sports Medicine Institute (ASMI). Resistance
training is also called strength training or weight training.

Resistance training provides a way to challenge all of your major muscle groups – in your chest, arms, back,
abdomen and legs. It can be done using specialized fitness equipment, dumbbells and barbells, rubber
tubing, or your own body weight. Whether you use free-weights, resistance bands or your own body, moving
the muscles against resistance will make them and your bones stronger.

Click to learn more about the benefits of resistance training.

Cardiorespiratory Training
Sometimes called cardio, endurance, or cardiovascular training, this type of exercise performed consistently
is great for a healthy heart and body. Cardiorespiratory training will improve your cardiovascular fitness.
Cardiovascular fitness can be defined simply as your body's ability to get oxygen and blood to the muscles.
When you do physical activity and your pulse quickens and your breathing gets deeper, you are using your
cardiovascular system. It is important to improve your cardiovascular system’s efficiency through regular
training.

Click to learn about the benefits of cardiorespiratory training.

Flexibility
Regularly taking the muscles through a normal range of motion will help to reduce the stiffening sensation
often associated with aging. Being flexible permits more freedom of movement, adds to your ease of
movement, may increase your performance in certain activities, and will help to make you less susceptible to
some types of injury.

Flexibility is not the same thing as stretching. There is no ideal standard for flexibility. Lack of use, injury, or
disease can decrease joint mobility. Flexibility is influenced by several factors, including age, sex, and race.
It is not necessary to sacrifice flexibility in order to develop strength.

Click to learn more about the benefits of flexibility.

Nutrition
Give yourself the best chance for success by ensuring that your body has all of the essential nutrients. The
food and physical activity choices you make every day affect your health and how you feel. It is important to
choose food from every food group. It is also necessary to find the balance between the food you eat and
your level of physical activity. Getting the most nutrition out of your calories is also a factor.

Eating right isn’t just a diet or a program, but one of the keys to a healthy life. It is easy to eat, but not easy
to eat the right foods that give our bodies the nutrients needed to be healthy. It is also important to balance
what we eat with our level and intensity of physical activity.

With healthful habits, you may reduce your risk of many chronic diseases such as heart disease, diabetes,
osteoporosis, and certain cancers, and increase your chances for a longer life.

Rest
Rest between exercise is important for the recovery of the muscles. Massage Therapy can enhance the
body’s recovery through increased blood flow to the muscles. Massage therapy can also help relieve stress,
aid relaxation, and relieve muscle tension and stiffness. Massage therapy can be used to assist your entire
body, or may be used to focus on specific strained muscles or sprained ligaments to help reduce pain and
swelling. Be sure to include rest as one of your five keys to fitness.