What Is Physical Fitness In REAL LIFE?
When it comes to physical fitness, exercise, and working out, everyone is different. And I mean just that; everyone has different goals, different capacities for exercise, different preferences, different mindsets, etc. I could go on and on. Yet with all of these differences being so present and important to any individual, we often view “fitness” or being “in shape” through a fairly narrow lens.
We may think of bodybuilders, crossfitters, athletes, or our favorite actors and see what they’ve obtained physically as the “goal”, and while it’s good to aim high, this can lead to a few issues. I’d like to take this opportunity to expand your lens a little bit as we all tackle new goals and challenges with gyms opening back up, as well as give you a few tips on how to begin shifting your frame of mind.
Being in shape is so much more than what you see on Instagram or in the movies.
Think about this, those people you see look and move the way that they do because that is their job. When you compare yourself to these figures and align your goals with what they’re doing or have accomplished, you’re already setting yourself up for failure. Do you have time to train for four hours a day, six days a week? Do you have a personal chef keeping your nutrition dialed into the letter? Do you have a five-million-dollar contract on the line motivating you to show up and perform?
Most (or all) of these factors are in place for the people we idolize and often compare ourselves to. If you had these same advantages, I’d say you have free reign to compare yourself to and compete with, your favorite stars. But the bottom line is that their life is not your life and their resources are not your resources, so you’re better off coming back down to Earth and creating a strategy that’s going to get YOU to YOUR BEST SELF. I want to give you some tips on how to do that and what that may look like.
To me, fitness in real life means you’re preparing for real life!
Nobody cares how much you squat. I’m a trainer and I don’t care how much you squat. Couldn’t care less really. What I do care about is if you move well and feel strong. Can you play in your Monday night league for a whole season injury-free? Can you look in the mirror and feel sexy in your favorite outfit? Can you enjoy your life without obsessing over your diet, your training, and whether or not a pandemic is limiting your time under a barbell?
Maybe you do have more of a performance-based goal and the time and resources to chase that, you incredible weekend warrior you. Can you run a solid 10k this weekend and just as easily go play in a sand volleyball tournament the next? Can you play with your kids all day Saturday and still hit your weightlifting goals in that precious hour you get to yourself in the evening without being totally gassed or too mentally exhausted to train?
The point is that there are countless ways to define fitness success to yourself than those externally imposed on you by society. But how do you begin to break out of that “comparison” way of thinking?
1. Be unapologetically realistic with yourself
Do a self-audit. What are your resources? What are you willing to do? What aren’t you? Answer these questions and see if they really line up with your goal. If they don’t, something needs to change. You have to be able to make that change and commit to it, or you’re just going to be in a continual loop of never quite achieving what you want.
2. Stop comparing yourself to anyone else but YOU.
This should really go without saying but I know I need to reiterate what I stated earlier: nobody is in your shoes and you’re not in anyone else’s. The only person you should compare yourself to is the person you were yesterday. Strive each day to be a little bit better. Your arms may never look like the guy in the latest murder mystery you watched, and that is OKAY. Your arms will look the best they can on you and you should chase that!
3. BE PATIENT AND HAVE AN OPEN MIND
First of all, this is just generally good life advice. But again, you probably don’t have the chef, the time, or the millions of dollars of motivation to get shredded in six weeks. Fitness mags would have you believe that’s a real thing for real people and that’s why they’re in the business of selling periodicals. Who was the last person who had the dream body you aspired to that told you “That Six-Week Superman Shred from XYZ magazine is the secret, it changed my life”? Nobody.
Nobody ever said that.
Change and progress take time and nothing happens overnight. Be patient and try to find consistency and joy in what you’re doing. Be open to new ways of thinking and moving as you chase your goals. Be open to changing your goals to fit your life and vice versa if that’s something you want to do. Getting caught in a fixed way of thinking about anything, especially exercise, is a good way to get nowhere fast.
If you can do those three things, I think you’ll begin to see that being fit is so much more than what you see on Instagram or what someone else tells you it is. Fitness should be whatever makes your life better and makes you feel healthier mentally, physically, and emotionally. Chase that. If you need some help getting started, come in and see us, we’d love to help you find YOUR fittest, healthiest, and happiest self.