Your Goal : Fitness or Looks ?

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Replies

  • ninerbuff
    ninerbuff Posts: 48,990 Member
    In most cases if one wants to excel in fitness (which also requires correct nutrition), then looks will usually be a good byproduct from it.
    I always tell my clients to get fit first. This usually ends up in a better look for them in the end.

    A.C.E. Certified Personal/Group FitnessTrainer
    IDEA Fitness member
    Kickboxing Certified Instructor
    Been in fitness for 30 years and have studied kinesiology and nutrition
  • glin23
    glin23 Posts: 460 Member
    Fitness first, then looks.
  • Debbe2
    Debbe2 Posts: 2,071 Member
    Fit & healthy!!! Looking better is an added perk.
  • Thorbjornn
    Thorbjornn Posts: 329 Member
    I used to train powerlifting style, run and mountain bike ride. After back and shoulder surgeries, I've had to re-think my weight training. I'm not unfit, but the looks aren't there (yet) because I out-ate my workouts. Powerlifting is no excuse to get fat. I have the fitness and muscle, now I need to get rid of the fat for the look I want.
  • UndoneTwo
    UndoneTwo Posts: 41
    "Answer honestly" then "I'm seeing far too many people with 'x' opinion"... Are you sure you want an honest answer? lol :P

    Well, you asked for it! For me, the motivating factor is definitely looks. Shallow and vain? Maybe. But honest. I like the way I look when I am thin and toned. And liking the way I look is good for my mental health! :) For better or worse, the idea of fitness is a distant second.

    <3 Please don't lynch me. <3
  • BinaryPulsar
    BinaryPulsar Posts: 8,927 Member
    I dance because I love it. So that is for art, and I guess you could say the fitness and looks are just a bonus. A very important bonus that I love.

    I lift weights for extra strength, I like it, and for looks. Looks is the reason I decided to lift weights. Being stronger makes it fun. Looks keep me interested and motivated to continue.

    Of course also health and having fun with my kids are things I enjoy as well.

    So my main motivation, goal, and reason is to have an enjoyable, and happy life. And there are many elements in that.
  • PrettyPearl88
    PrettyPearl88 Posts: 368 Member
    Definitely both :-) I certainly want to feel healthier - I like being able to play harder, jog longer, hike further, etc, and I want to live a looong, healthy, and happy life - but I readily admit that I also really enjoy looking better! I have more fun shopping for clothes (or going to the beach, of a ton of other situations) when I am more fit. And, the way our society works, like it or not, being more attractive (this includes presenting oneself with confidence) has significant benefits in both personal and professional/work interactions. Fair? No... but fact? Yes.

    Bottom line - both fitness and looks are important factors in becoming healthier and maintaining a good level of health. And, I'm okay with that - both reasons help with my motivation to be healthy, so as long as not taken to an unhealthy level, both are beneficial to my goals of being fit and healthy :-)

    ^ Basically this. I'd be lying if I didn't say both! :laugh:
  • rainbow198
    rainbow198 Posts: 2,245 Member
    My goal was to get my measurements into a certain range and I had (and still have) fitness goals...like to do regular pushups and chin ups etc., so I guess a little of both.

    I have to say I am loving the results of my hard work though...both aesthetically and the way I feel all day. :)
  • ythannah
    ythannah Posts: 4,371 Member
    Both and neither. Multifaceted goal, if you wish.

    My #1 motivator is health, however. I want to increase/maintain cardiovascular health and bone density. I also read some scary stuff about how fast women lose muscle mass in menopause and wanted to preserve that as much as possible.
  • BinaryPulsar
    BinaryPulsar Posts: 8,927 Member
    Both and neither. Multifaceted goal, if you wish.

    My #1 motivator is health, however. I want to increase/maintain cardiovascular health and bone density. I also read some scary stuff about how fast women lose muscle mass in menopause and wanted to preserve that as much as possible.

    Yeah! These are all motivating reasons for me as well. Bone density and maintaining muscle now and as I age, and being youthful (in looks and ability) and healthy.
  • Sreneesa
    Sreneesa Posts: 1,170 Member
    Looks
  • ndj1979
    ndj1979 Posts: 29,136 Member
    I think they go hand in hand…if you are fit then you are going to look good, because you have that athletic/lean/shredded look….

    for me it is both...
  • salladeve
    salladeve Posts: 1,053 Member
    I have to agree with ndj, I think they go hand in hand. If you are fit then you are going to look the very best you can.
  • lisalsd1
    lisalsd1 Posts: 1,519 Member
    Both, but since I already look great...I'm working on fitness goals. I know how that sounds...but you asked for honesty!
  • sweetpea129
    sweetpea129 Posts: 755 Member
    Looks.
  • Ejourneys
    Ejourneys Posts: 1,603 Member
    Health, both physical and mental.

    I say health rather than fitness because of the range covered by "fitness." In 1995 I trained for and did the first Boston-New York AIDS Ride, bicycling 161 miles in 3 days. I rode over a dozen centuries that year, up to 137 miles in a single day.

    I couldn't sustain that level of performance. I gained all the weight that I had lost, plus.

    I lost the weight and turned to running in 2001-2002. Did 5Ks, 3.5-milers, and a 10K. I was training for a half-marathon when Life happened.

    I couldn't sustain that level of performance. I gained almost all the weight that I had lost.

    Now I've lost the weight again. I've been exercising throughout, but not at the same fitness level as before. I have recently returned to running. The difference this time around is that I am focused on sustainable practices, with respect to both diet and exercise.

    In other words, health, achieved through those sustainable practices and balanced with the rest of my life. Looks are a nice perk, but how I feel physically is much more important.
  • overcominglazy
    overcominglazy Posts: 19 Member
    I have to agree with ndj, I think they go hand in hand. If you are fit then you are going to look the very best you can.

    I disagree. I have been fit enough to run a marathon in around 3h45mins and I had about 26-8% body fat. That was not the very best I could have looked but it was a level of fitness I will probably never achieve again. Just because you are physically fit does not mean you will look athletic or cut.
  • JL2513
    JL2513 Posts: 867 Member
    Both! To be honest, I started this journey for the looks portion. But as you progress, fitness becomes increasingly important. I think a little of both is essential to keep you motivated in the long run.
  • 86myHeadache
    86myHeadache Posts: 44 Member
    I want to be fit enough to do any activity i desire as a lifestyle. I want to look healthy to be respected in the healthcare professions.
  • amcsouth
    amcsouth Posts: 283 Member
    Both... fitness is my main goal but I love what it's doing for my body. I mainly train for strength but improved aesthetics are a definite bonus. :smile:
  • Willbenchforcupcakes
    Willbenchforcupcakes Posts: 4,955 Member
    Strength and fitness are far more important to me than simple looks. Yes the looks are a pretty sweet side effect, but I work hard in the gym to be able to live the rest of my life relatively pain free. The stronger I make the muscles, the less pain I'm in on a daily basis, and well, pain has been constant friend for the last 20 years.
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  • ndj1979
    ndj1979 Posts: 29,136 Member
    I started my fitness journey to look good. However, the intrinsic value of fitness surpasses some of the benefits of looking good. But, I can't lie, if I HAD to choose, I truly just want to rock my surfer shorts with no shirt.

    you can do both..!
  • RocaWilliams
    RocaWilliams Posts: 25
    Looks. Definitely. I could care less about the fitness part of it.
    Think of it this way, if you could have a killer body, never have to work out and eat whatever you want, would that NOT be the dream?!
    If I could maintain a six pack while eating a diet of only fast food, I would never do another minute of cardio again.
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  • BinaryPulsar
    BinaryPulsar Posts: 8,927 Member
    I love reading all these answers!
  • contingencyplan
    contingencyplan Posts: 3,639 Member
    Ever since I reached a healthy weight for my height and no longer had trouble fitting into "normal" size clothes I have been focusing exclusively on functional gains. I do not care one little bit about whether or not I see defined abs or anything else along those lines.
  • neandermagnon
    neandermagnon Posts: 7,436 Member
    Looks. Definitely. I could care less about the fitness part of it.
    Think of it this way, if you could have a killer body, never have to work out and eat whatever you want, would that NOT be the dream?!
    If I could maintain a six pack while eating a diet of only fast food, I would never do another minute of cardio again.

    no, that wouldn't be my dream, because I wouldn't be able to squat and deadlift 300lb+ kind of weights, which is my dream (dream with a plan, i.e. long term goal)

    actually I had this realisation a while back. I had chosen Camille double-barrelled-surname-crossfit-champion as my "person I want my body to look like" and I realised that if I had a straight up choice between looking how I did then (not obese, but not like a fitness model either) and being able to do all of what she can do, as in that level of strength and fitness, or I could have a body that looked as good as hers but only able to do what I could do at the time (this was before I did stronglifts, so my lifts were nothing to write home about) ...... well, I'd go for what she could *DO* every time. I don't even see the point of having a body that fit looking if you can't actually lift really heavy stuff for it. Of course, having her looks AND ability would be the best choice, but that's not the point of what I'm saying.... given a choice between beast amounts of strength and being extremely fit while looking average, or having an amazing looking body but lacking strength and fitness............... I would chose strength and fitness every time.
  • QuietBloom
    QuietBloom Posts: 5,413 Member
    I have to agree with ndj, I think they go hand in hand. If you are fit then you are going to look the very best you can.

    I disagree. I have been fit enough to run a marathon in around 3h45mins and I had about 26-8% body fat. That was not the very best I could have looked but it was a level of fitness I will probably never achieve again. Just because you are physically fit does not mean you will look athletic or cut.

    Agreed. While running my best marathon, I was still passed by people carrying quite a lot of extra weight. I was thin and running 8.5's so, not exactly going slow.
  • veggiebuckeye
    veggiebuckeye Posts: 115 Member
    I'd like to say it's all fitness for me ( which is very, very important) but the vain side of me says looks as well.

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