Health & Fitness
Physical Education: AQA GCSE, topic 3.1.1
Health and Fitness
Health and fitness both have roles to play in exercise.
Health
- Health is a state of complete physical, mental and social well being.
- Health is not just not being weak or ill (an absence of illness).
Fitness
- Fitness is the ability to meet or cope with the demands of the environment.
The Relationship Between Health and Fitness
If you are in a good state of fitness, you are more likely to be both physically and mentally healthy.
Advantages of good fitness
- Having good fitness levels allows you to cope with the daily demands of your environment.
- It also reduces the chances of being affected by illness.
- An increase in fitness can have a positive effect on health. This is because a fit person is less likely to become physically ill, more likely to feel happy and have a better chance of improving their social life.
Negative factors
- You can still become unwell (suffer from poor health), even if you are very fit.
- Ill health can negatively affect fitness. For example, a performer may be too unwell to train, which means they lose their fitness.
- An increase in fitness will not always stop you from becoming ill, so your health can still suffer.
Test yourself on Health & Fitness
Which of the following factors play key roles in exercise?
Which of the following describes health?
What is the technical term used to describe the ability to meet or cope with the demands of the environment?
Which of the following is not caused by improved fitness?
Which of the following factors can negatively affect fitness?