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How important is fitness to you?

kev6686
kev6686 Posts: 28 Member
in Debate Club
The further you get into your journey, undoubtedly you invest more time, money, effort...

I found this particularly true when I first got into the groove of taking fitness seriously, once you get your training, diet and sleep in check. You see your goals can become reality.

It's kind of addictive motoring towards your dream physique and naturally something that takes so much commitment, can also leave you guilty of sacrificing relationships, I know I did, I'd turn down dates or meetings with friends to go and throw some weights around. This was mainly due to knowing that with friends or girls I often went way off track with my diet. Or wouldn't train due to hangovers...

My question is how highly do you prioritise fitness/gym I'm your life?

When you really think about it, is it something you genuinely love and would put before relationships if it came to the point you had to choose?
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Replies

  • queenliz99
    queenliz99 Posts: 15,317 Member
    janejellyroll wrote: »
    I can't imagine a situation where I would have to choose between my relationships and my fitness. Do you have an example of this type of choice?

    Maybe I'm lucky, but my husband is super-supportive of my fitness goals. He sometimes comes to cheer me on at races, he always asks about my goals, he is genuinely pleased when I accomplish a new PR. I try to do the same for his interests -- that's part of what marriage is to me, we don't just bond over our shared interests, we try to cheer each other on in our various individual interests, hobbies, and goals.

    If I was out there dating again and a person tried to make me choose between fitness and him/her? Yeah, I'd choose fitness real quick and keep up the search for the person who didn't try to make me give up the things that I love.

    Yes, all of this^^^ Find someone that enjoys fitness too!!
  • StacyChrz
    StacyChrz Posts: 865 Member
    My husband has been incredibly supportive of my need to be healthier and improve my fitness. He has never made me choose between getting in a workout and going out. I may make adjustments to my workout schedule but I am committed to 5 days a week. He has recently started working out again and goes to a different gym and goes at different times. We make it a priority to schedule time for one another and for our friends and family, but also for ourselves. It takes a bit more effort but it's absolutely worth it.
  • lemurcat12
    lemurcat12 Posts: 30,886 Member
    janejellyroll wrote: »
    I can't imagine a situation where I would have to choose between my relationships and my fitness. Do you have an example of this type of choice?

    This.

    But yes, fitness is quite important in my life and currently a lot of my social life (but certainly not all) involves it (I am in a tri training group, do lots of group biking, spend free time biking and running and at the gym, etc.).
  • darrensurrey
    darrensurrey Posts: 3,942 Member
    Do you mean looking fit or being fit?
  • darrensurrey
    darrensurrey Posts: 3,942 Member
    In answer to your question, cardiovascular fitness is fairly important to me as I like to play a fair bit of sport and last the distance. ;)
  • dcresider
    dcresider Posts: 1,272 Member
    Let's just say that I've made exercise a habit so that if I miss a day I feel guilty. I try to get a workout in about 5x a week. My job is flexible for me to go to the gym during lunch so I go Mon - Fri, and weekends are for myself and hubby.

    My hubby is not very exercise driven but he watches what he eats, supports me when I need it on those day I don't "feel" like exercising, and he holds me accountable.
  • chocolate_owl
    chocolate_owl Posts: 1,695 Member
    Do I make sure I stay active? Yes. Do I sacrifice hanging out with my friends so I can be 15% body fat? No. None of my friends train. Most don't work out at all. I don't have a social life set up around fitness, and I don't really want to change that because I love the people I'm friends with and I wish I had more time to spend with them as it is.

    Sometimes my workouts look like taking a long walk with my friends, which isn't part of my running or lifting routines. Sometimes I blow off my workouts because my friend wants to go to dinner or someone I haven't seen in a while is free for happy hour. I'm inconsistent, and I'm ok with that. I also cap my workouts at 75 minutes because more than that eats into time I want to spend with my husband. I don't really care if I hit a new PR on my deadlift or not. I don't really care if I ever get faster at my 5Ks. I don't really care if I drop the 5 lbs I keep saying I'm trying to lose. I'm very healthy where I am, and I stay active enough to maintain my fitness base.

    I'm not going to let my friends and family cause me to become unhealthy, but I'm not going to give up the time I have with them to be in the gym. The love and fun I share with them is what makes life worth living.
  • usmcmp
    usmcmp Posts: 21,219 Member
    Fitness became a higher priority as I started trying to get healthy. It's still not that high, even when I am doing bodybuilding competitions or powerlifting meets. Fitness is a hobby. So many things come before it on my priority list.
  • DM01234
    DM01234 Posts: 317 Member
    It's important enough to me where I do my best to set aside the time to exercise on a daily basis and try to continue on my path of holding a maintenance weight.

    I try to schedule my exercise around family and friends - not the other way around. Human relationships far outweigh any other relationship in my life.

    Tomorrow I'm not going to be able to get my full preferred routine in as I have an outing with a friend in the evening. Oh well.... Doesn't happen often so when the situation comes up, I don't flinch.

    As for food consumption, I sometimes go out with my wife and daughter on weekends and eat stuff that blows my budget. Again, doesn't happen often so when the situation comes up, I don't flinch.

    Today I scheduled a meetup with some friends in a month from now that I haven't seen yet in this calendar year. Am I going to go over food budget? Yep. Do I care? Nope. One time thing.

    I guess I don't put it as a high priority as many (or some). I'm more than happy with it though and at the end of the day, I'm the only one that has to be.
  • robininfl
    robininfl Posts: 1,137 Member
    Fitness has been an important part of my life since, well, forever. Or at least since I recovered from my early disordered eating, around 22 years old. But even before that I was definitely into exercise, just not focused on health.
    No I wouldn't turn down a party to go work out, because balance in life is also important.

    I'm lucky to work at a sports concern, everyone here works out, mostly more than I do, so nobody really fusses if you adjust work hours for a training schedule.

    I suppose in a way, it does affect my love life - I am not attracted to guys who don't take care of their bodies. I'm not super picky about it, whatever route they take is fine, anything from whip lean to fit and active but sorta fluffy is inside my bubble (though there are fewer guys like that at my age - the weight does tend to work against you as you get older), and I do also understand that stuff happens, you cannot necessarily count on being able to work out for your whole life, injury and sickness can hit anyone. But I'd not want a guy who just sat around smoking and playing video games, who was not into being fit. This has not been a big restriction, though, as mostly the guys who like the way I look and act are the guys who do take care of themselves?

    Where I sometimes fail is diet, I can certainly get in the trap of not eating or thinking that thinner = healthier, which doesn't really scale well once you are thin.

  • zyxst
    zyxst Posts: 9,148 Member
    Not sure if OP means fitness as in being fit or fitness as in exercise. Either way, I guess fitness is important to me because it means I'm able to eat. Without my daily walking, I'd be attempting to maintain on 1200 calories a day.

    No, I would not put fitness over my family.
  • brucealfred3
    brucealfred3 Posts: 47 Member
    My order of importance....
    God-Family-then the rest goes to fitness... Sometimes fitness is a little close to family...but they understand seeing as its my job.
  • brucealfred3
    brucealfred3 Posts: 47 Member
    Everything I do in the day, is about my fitness. What I eat, how I carry myself...even how the heck I pick up stuff on the floor... It's kinda funny, but I love it.
  • cwolfman13
    cwolfman13 Posts: 41,865 Member
    edited June 2016
    Being fit is important to me in that being fit keeps me healthy and going...regular exercise keeps my blood pressure in check and I also enjoy participating in various cycling events and races for which I would look quite foolish if I wasn't fit.

    I would never let my fitness endeavors interfere with my relationships though...my wife and kids come first in my life and my other close friends and family are a close 2nd. I've had to miss rides and gym time due to family obligations...I've had to miss rides or gym sessions because friends were getting together to share in good company and I think that's important too.

    Missing some gym time or a ride here and there to take care of my family or to share in good times with my friends doesn't really have anything to do with my fitness...it's not like all of a sudden I'm going to be unfit because I missed my Friday evening gym session to sit pool side with my closest friends and bbq...balance in life is kind of important.
  • 47Jacqueline
    47Jacqueline Posts: 6,993 Member
    I don't think it's necessary to choose if you are mindful about leading a balanced life.
  • Dannigreen31
    Dannigreen31 Posts: 557 Member
    I wouldn't sacrifice relationships for fitness. I have a good routine going. Go gym right after work for an hour and then the rest of the evening I have for friends/family and relarionships
    I would def like my next partner to be into fitness though so we could train together :) and eat the same.
    Would make things easier instead of cooking lots of different things for people
  • magicpickles
    magicpickles Posts: 286 Member
    Mix socialising with fitness, and you won't have to make the same sacrifices. Get a girlfriend with similar goals- she can workout with you. Yesterday I went on my scooter while my older niece ran beside me, and we had a chat. This morning, I walked my younger niece to school, while she rode my scooter. When I go to the gym, its with a sibling, a friend or a trainer, and we laugh, joke and talk the whole time, while meeting our goals. You shouldn't have to give up time with friends to be friends. Either, make new friends or ask current friends if they have any fitness or weightloss goals and if they would like to spend time with you doing those things.
  • Lounmoun
    Lounmoun Posts: 8,423 Member
    kev6686 wrote: »
    My question is how highly do you prioritise fitness/gym I'm your life?

    When you really think about it, is it something you genuinely love and would put before relationships if it came to the point you had to choose?

    I don't love exercise. I don't want to be an athlete or model. I exercise because it is good for me like brushing my teeth. Exercise is 30 minutes to an hour out of my day not hours at a gym every day. I spend almost no money on it.

    I have been married 16 years. I have a child. My fitness is not more important than my relationships. I would always choose family. There is time for both though in my life. I choose to do things like walk or play dancing games as a family. Dh has started doing workout videos with me every morning this summer.
    I'd let go of friends though who my interests and lifestyle differed from a lot.

    You need to find friends/partners who share your interests or compromise on how much time you spend on it.
  • Need2Exerc1se
    Need2Exerc1se Posts: 13,575 Member
    I've never had a gym membership so gym gets a priority of zero for me. But fitness is very important to me because health is very important to me.

    I've never considered whether I would put relationship before fitness or vice versa. That seems an odd question and concept to me. Both my health/fitness and relationships are simply a part of my life. I can't imagine sacrificing either. I will gladly sacrifice things like cleaning the house for either.
  • Panda_Poptarts
    Panda_Poptarts Posts: 971 Member
    I don't feel that I should have to sacrifice to get healthy. That line of thinking led me to a lifetime of unhealthy habits and fatness. I never made ME a priority! It was just a month or so ago, a full year into my fitness journey, that I woke up and realized that I'm making myself a priority now.

    I guess the biggest relationship that is impacted by my fitness is my relationship with my children. By spending time in the gym, I lose hours with them. However, I feel that my "selfishness" in religiously going to the gym and eating properly for my body and lifestyle goals is an excellent example for them, and the time spent is very worth it.

    I think I'm getting to the point where my fitness is second only to (and not put aside for) my career.
  • esjones12
    esjones12 Posts: 1,363 Member
    My health and wellness, including fitness, are top priority to me. It is the lifestyle I want to live and excel at. Those who have hindered or not supported me have fallen to the wayside by natural differences. People eventually stop calling when you turn down drinking invites. Which was fine by me. I have a completely different group of (overly amazing) friends these days. Over time changes have been made and my entire outlook on many topics has changed. I don't see this as a problem at all. I am better and happier than where I was.
  • rosepedals02
    rosepedals02 Posts: 16 Member
    Fitness is extremely important if you want to live a long and productive life ... The body is made for moving and what you don't move you lose .. So get active people ....
  • ROBOTFOOD
    ROBOTFOOD Posts: 5,527 Member
    I just like running. You could call me a endurance addict. :smiley:
  • robot_potato
    robot_potato Posts: 1,535 Member
    My fitness is a priority, I am a priority. I also have a job, a husband and 3 kids. If i have 'me' time, i choose to spend it under a barbell. But my family is also active. We go on bike rides, hike, swim, canoe. Worse comes to worse I run atound the playground while the big kids play and the little naps in the stroller. We all make time for it.
  • rainbow198
    rainbow198 Posts: 2,245 Member
    Health & fitness are both very, very important to me and I make it a very high priority in my life.

    I love the way being active makes me feel, it's my therapy/me-time, I enjoy consistently growing by beating personal records and making new ones and most importantly love the results it has given my body on the inside and outside.

    Most people in my life are not into health and fitness. However, I have found some ways to incorporate fitness with some people. My guy and I go out for 3 - 4 mile power walks almost every evening of the week which is great not only for exercise, but for bonding too. A buddy I met in a fitness class a few years ago will occasionally meet up to workout together etc.

    Other then that I wake up early to get my strength-training in so that it's done for the day. I even find myself doing small things like walking lunges when walking from the front to the back of my house once in a while or squats when putting away clean dishes.

    If something important comes up, I will try to move my schedule around or do a shorter, but intense workout to save time, jog in place or do a shorter 2 in 1 strength and cardio workout.

    ...But I will find a way to get some activity or exercise in unless my body tells me to rest.
  • rainbow198
    rainbow198 Posts: 2,245 Member
    esjones12 wrote: »
    Those who have hindered or not supported me have fallen to the wayside by natural differences. People eventually stop calling when you turn down drinking invites. Which was fine by me. I have a completely different group of (overly amazing) friends these days. Over time changes have been made and my entire outlook on many topics has changed. I don't see this as a problem at all. I am better and happier than where I was.

    I can relate to this. Great points!
  • katie2400
    katie2400 Posts: 78 Member
    I am new to fitness, and am falling in love with it. I feel better every day, I sleep better, I'm more positive. I think exercise makes me a better person, which makes me a better friend, daughter, sister etc. I have a few friends who I workout with and I love that time together! I'm hoping my next bf will have a love for fitness too. if he doesn't, he better be ok with myself having one!

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