When can I consider myself to be fit?

MrBiggiesworth
MrBiggiesworth Posts: 846 Member
in Motivation and Support
Is there any ideal standard to reach to be considered 'physically fit'?

I have reached goal weight and gone below it and back up to it again, a few times. I linger around 17-20% BF I think. I feel generally fit but I also feel like I don't have the muscle definition, and mass in certain areas, that I would consider to be a fit-looking physique. Then again, I never take my shirt off in public and nobody really cares what my physique looks like anyway. I mean I like to look at my muscles in the mirror at home but is that really worth all the effort just to see myself in the mirror at home?

Replies

  • cwolfman13
    cwolfman13 Posts: 41,865 Member
    Fitness doesn't really have anything to do with how much you weigh...I have friends who are well within a healthy BF% and weight, but don't do much in the way of exercise...they are not fit...they would have issues even walking a couple of miles. Conversely, one of my cycling buddies is overweight but incredibly fit...he can knock out a 1/2 century just because it's Tuesday without even blinking...but he eats (and drinks beer) like a horse and thus remains overweight.

    As fitness goes, it's all relative. You're obviously going to be better at whatever it is you are training for, but if you're all around fit you're going to be able to be relatively strong and be able to perform any number of physical activities without feeling like you're going to fall over and die.
  • Lyenny
    Lyenny Posts: 10 Member
    I consider my self to be very fit, and at about 22% body fat, I'm in the "fit" range....but I still don't have much muscle definition. I was told by the person doing my body fat analysis that for a woman, you need to get down to about 18% bodyfat to start seeing muscle definition. So in doing some research online, I found a helpful photo.....it shows women and men at different body fat levels so you can get an idea of what a body looks like at a certain level. Thought you might find it helpful too. It looks like in order to get more definition, you'll need to come down in body fat....You actually may need to gain weight by gaining more muscle. You may want to consult a personal trainer who has some experience in nutrition for building muscle too. Best of luck, and awesome job on your journey so far!

    http://www.builtlean.com/2012/09/24/body-fat-percentage-men-women/

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