If you get a puff while climbing stairs, some people have probably thought that there is still room for improvement in their own fitness. It is clear that this cannot be built up from one day to the next, but requires regular training. Most of the time, however, it is the weaker self that stands in our way.
In an interview with Blick, Dr. Walter O. Frey (63), head of his clinic for sports medicine and rehabilitation, explains the advantages of being in good physical shape and how important regular exercise is.
Blick: The word condition is quickly thrown into the room when it comes to fitness. What exactly does that mean?
Dr. Frey: Condition is the generic term for physical performance. It is made up of the five components endurance, strength, flexibility, coordination and speed.
How important is regular exercise for the condition?
Exercise is the cheapest and most efficient drug for our musculoskeletal system. Even regular exercise in the sense of brisk walking has a positive effect on health. 2000 calories should be burned per week through exercise and / or exercise. To put it a bit more understandably, 30 minutes of brisk walking per day are. You are not particularly fit then, but at least you are healthy. The more and more intensive the daily exercise, the fitter and healthier the person is.
A good condition is therefore directly linked to health.
With a good physical condition, people not only benefit from higher physical performance. Often this is also associated with an increased psychological willingness to perform. With a good physical condition you are not only faster up the mountain or do better on exams, you are also fundamentally much healthier than the “unfit”.
What other advantages does being in good physical condition bring with it?
Those who are in a particularly good condition and regularly do sports several times a week are less likely to get sick because their immune system is more resistant. He has fewer cardiovascular diseases. Even cancer is much rarer, depending on the type of cancer. Taken together, this means a higher age with a better quality of life.
What tips do you have for people who would like to improve their condition?
If you want to be one of the long-term healthy people, you have to consider the following:
There should be joy in doing sports. Only those who have positive inner contact with the chosen sport will stay with it in the long term. So think carefully about what you are going to choose.
Do not undertake too much at the beginning, but build up in small portions. So if you have set yourself the goal of jogging ten kilometers, you start hiking, gradually sprinkle a few minutes of jogging trails in until you can run the entire ten kilometers after two to three months.
Train in a variety of ways and promote all five basic fitness factors equally – endurance, strength, flexibility, coordination and speed. In this way, you can prevent the side effects that manifest themselves in unilateral painful misuse and overload. For example, after swimming, where endurance and strength were primarily required, try balancing on tree trunks on the way home in the forest, then do some good stretching and finally some kangaroo jumps.