Defining Fitness

Are you fit? 

This seems to be a question that a lot of people ask themselves, especially when the calendar year renews every 365 days. When one usually asks themselves this question, it’s followed by the creation of different goals in pursuit to better fitness. Things like “losing __ pounds of weight” or “going to the gym 5 days a week” or “getting my weight back to where it was in high school”. Don’t get me wrong, these are commendable goals to achieve. The issue I have is a step bigger than that. It seems every time the word “fit” comes about, we all seem to run towards an answer that primarily involves our physical self. Though that is partially correct, I think we are missing other pieces to this puzzle. 

When we look at ourselves and our own fitness levels, we should not exclusively be looking just at our physical self. We are composed of so much more than just physical features. We have a soul, mind, emotions, responsibilities, and more that needs just as much tending to as our physical bodies do. So you may ask then, “Noah, what is the best definition of fitness?”

My opinion is that fitness should be defined as: 

One’s ability to survive and thrive in their given environment and roles.

Going off of this definition of fitness, your application to this is going to look different for each person. Let’s look at an example. 

Let’s take someone who is a professional writer. Their specialty is going to be on how well they are able to write, tell stories, engage readers, and so on. That is one piece of what would define their fitness level. Now, let’s say this person is also married and has two kids. Another aspect that would define their fitness is their ability to be a good husband and father. This doesn’t mean that there is no focus on the physical self whatsoever, but you can see that if they only defined fitness by their physical attributes, they are missing out on so many other aspects in life they could be growing in. 

As you continue on your path of growth in this journey of life, don’t forget that fitness is the culmination of all parts of your life. Don’t neglect one area of your life while growing other parts. You wouldn’t drive a car that has a tire that’s blown out would you? Look at your whole self. Find what areas you can work on and let’s get fit.