1. Body Composition (percentage of fat, bone, water, and muscle)

2. Muscular Strength

3. Cardiovascular Endurance

4. Flexibility

5. Muscular Endurance

1. Agility

2. Balance

3. Coordination

4. Speed

5. Power

6. Reaction Time 

For children aged 3-5, physical activity should be encourage throughout the day, with a minimum activity time of 3 hours.

For children and adolescents aged 6-17, 60 minutes of moderate to vigorous physical activity daily is recommended. Most of the 60 minutes should include aerobic activities such as walking or running. Muscle strengthening exercises such as resistance training or lifting should be perfomed 3 days a week.

Resistance training or lifting increases muscular strength and endurance by applying force against the body. Activities can include body weight exercises, using free weights such as kettlebells, barbells, or dumbbells, machines at the gym, and resistance bands.

Resistance training improves mind/muscle connection, which allows you to be more in-tune with your body. It helps to maintain flexibility and balance, as well as increases muscle and bone density. Muscles are an active tissue, which means that even at rest they are burning calories to help themselves rebuild, which can help those who want to lose weight or change their body composition by increasing metabolic need. It can reduce the risk of heart disease by increasing blood flow, osteoporosis by increasing bone density, and diabetes due to maintaining glucose and insulin levels.

If you are interested in resistance training, visit your local gym and ask about personal training. A free resource to create your own workouts is musclewiki.com/ in which you choose a muscle, and it will give a variety of exercises and variations to perform and how to do them safely.

Warming up prior to resistance training can consist of 5-10 minutes of low intensity cardio, and 2-3 sets of dynamically stretching the muscles you're about to train. Cooling down with static stretching and low intensity cardio will return the heart rate to normal and allow for better recovery before your next session.

Strength vs endurance weight lifting

Why our muscles get tired

What makes muscles grow?

How stretching changes your muscles

Aerobic training, commonly referred to ask "cardio," increases a person's heart rate for the duration of the exercise, which thereby lowers the resting heart rate. The heart is one of the most valuable organ in the body, equal to the brain, as it pumps nutrients and oxygen throughout the body to repair and replenish organs and tissues. Performing aerobic exercise for 30 minutes, 5 times a week can decrease your risk of heart disease, and increase your respiratory and cardiac function.

It is extremely important to ensure you are getting proper nutrients, especially if you are active often. Improper nutrition can lead to a multitude of problems, and it should be noted that you can never outwork a bad diet. Looks do not always equate health, a person who may not exercise as often and appears to be a higher fat percentage but eats healthy may be healthier than an athlete who eats McDonald's often and does not watch their diet. For athletes (or active people), a balanced diet typically consists of 45-65% carbohydrates, 15-25% protein, and 20-35% fat. An increased emphasis on protein will assist in rebuilding muscle tissue and lead to faster recovery. High training volume combined with low body mass and improper nutrition can cause a condition referred to as the 'female athlete triad.' This is a condition that can cause low energy availability (when an athlete's energy intake is less than their energy expenditure), menstrual dysfunction (irregular menstruation or missed periods- amenorrhea), and low bone mineral density (reduced bone density, which can increase the risk of fractures and osteoporosis).