Perspective on fitness.

What does fitness mean?

Challenge your perspective on fitness.

First and foremost, the frame for fitness that can work wonders over time is relative rather than comparative. The reality is,  each of us has a unique body shaped by our own genetics and life experience. Comparing fitness to some nebulous “average” or to another person’s performance did not serve to improve my fitness, so I quit using that as a basis. My marker for fitness is: Can I do what I want to do when I want to for the amount of time I would like to without injury? If not, my fitness needs attention. It’s really that simple. The bonus for adopting this idea was twofold:

• Self esteem got a consistent boost because I quit comparing myself to others
• The ability to discover and learn about personal fitness expanded because creativity flourished when the pointless distraction of comparison to others vanished.
What I have also discovered is that fitness is dependent on an activity to express itself. I can be incredibly fit for one thing and not for another. So the balancing partner for fitness is the activity and how my body and life experience relate to that alone. It is NOT how someone else’s body with different genetics and life experiences performs or enjoys that activity. Fitness for me is both personal and relative.

I will never do something long enough to get fitness out of it if I don’t enjoy doing it, and I will not do something that does not feel good to do because I work out to feel good. That’s personal priorities. I invite you to examine what motivates you to seek fitness. If it stems from your  personal desires absent the need to please or impress anyone but yourself, you will get great results and have fun setting the goals that get you there.