Total fitness is an ideal we all aspire to reach. But how do we define it? How do we know if we are going in the right direction? To be fit means being able to do what you need to do and to do it well. A swimmer may not be fit to run a marathon; a squash player could struggle to at the 100m hurdles. They are fit for their own sport because that is what they train for.

If you want to be fit, ask yourself fit for what?

Fitness is relative. Relative to the demands you place on your body. The ultimate goal, in my view, is the ability to meet the challenges that life throws at you. Not just your sport, but your career, your family and your leisure pursuits. If you can successfully handle life and not let your health suffer then this is approaching the ideal.

We hear about the 3s', that is, strength, stamina and suppleness as attributes that determine your level of fitness, I would like to add two more, the first is synchronisation (coordination as we know it but it does begin with S). You may have strength but if the appropriate muscles are not firing at the right time, their strength will work against you. This may be resistance to a movement adding to the effort required, or worse still injury.

The other is judgement (okay I know this one doesn't begin with S!). Your 4s' are not worth much if you cannot make the right decision at the appropriate time. This may be during the course of play or about when you train or what sort of training you do.

Injuries can occur when wrong decisions are made. What if you decide to train too soon after a big event? You may have chosen a fitness program that is unsuitable for your sport. You may judge a shot to be possible but injury yourself if you have misjudged the distance. From a performance view, you may miss your chance to take the lead if you choose the wrong moment to up your pace. Can your read the game and make appropriate decisions? Are these qualities people consider when training for total fitness?

So your fitness to perform in your sport and away from it relies heavily on your ability to assess a situation and to act upon what you see. Your actions will be based upon your previous experiences, but are these reliable?

One obstacle you will have to face is habit. Habit is the hidden element in your pursuit of total fitness. It determines the way you move, what you feel and how you react. Are you aware of how much habit influences your performance?

You may be surprised at how habits may be limiting your performance. Your reliance on habit will also affect your judgement because you will react without allowing yourself to think - some call it a knee jerk reaction. So in addition to training your 4s'(your sport will dictate the requirements), you also need to practice your ability to stop and think. Athletes refer to this as being in the moment or the here and now. You will not usually find techniques to train this ability in most fitness programs.

The Alexander Technique is not a method that many sports people consider when looking to enhance performance, yet this radical movement system can add a whole new dimension to your thinking and training. Learning the technique will help to develop focus and awareness skills that are crucial to peak performance. If you keep doing the same things you will get the same results, so why not try something different, learn to use The Alexander Technique and challenge yourself in an entirely new way on your road to total fitness.

Roy Palmer is a teacher of The Alexander Technique and has studied performance enhancement in sport for the last 10 years. In 2001 he published a book called 'The Performance Paradox: Challenging the conventional methods of sports training and exercise' and is currently working on a new project about The Zone. More information about his unique approach to training can be found at http://www.fitness-programs-for-life.com