During the past decade, the promotion of physical fitness as a major benefit to health promotion and health maintenance has gained increasing momentum. Level of physical fitness has been shown to be inversely associated with heart disease, stroke, type 2 diabetes, high blood pressure, and colon cancer. Several studies also have noted that good-to-high levels of physical fitness (muscular strength and endurance and cardiorespiratory fitness) can offset the decline in function that occurs during the natural ageing process, and can assist people in maintaining their physical independence in later adulthood.