Is it possible for me to become super fit?

I'm not sure what you mean by "super fit"...it's pretty subjective. I know people who can run marathons and multiple marathons throughout the year, but can barely pick up a barbell. Conversely, I know some gym rats with incredible physiques and strength, but they do very little for their cardiovascular fitness and lack aerobic endurance.

In most cases, these people I know are "specialized" in their fitness endeavors and most of them are competitive in their respective sports on some level...so my body building friends don't really care if they can barely run a mile because that has nothing to do with their sport...and my marathon running friends couldn't care less how much they can or cannot squat or bench because it has little bearing on their sport of choice.

IMO, your average Joe/Jane should seek to be well rounded in their fitness. I think when you're talking about overall fitness, a good base of strength as well as aerobic endurance is important. Is it possible to be "super fit"? Sure, it just takes time and dedication but you also have to balance those endeavors with the rest of your goings on in life. The people that I know who are "super fit", either specialized or more balanced, spend a considerable amount of time training and/or engaging in physical activity that leads to high levels of fitness.

It's also very relative...there is a big difference between someone who engages in little to no physical activity and the person who engages in light activity a few days per week and the person who engages in moderate physical activity most days and the person who is actively training and engaging in 2-3 hours of training almost daily (athletes...and they eat to support that training too).

When I first started all of this good living stuff in the fall of 2012 I could barely walk the 1/4 mile around my block without being winded. I slowly and steadily built up my fitness over the next few years. I would say I was at my peak level of fitness in 2015 and 2016...so when we're talking "time" we're talking years, not a matter of weeks or months. Not that I couldn't do some of the things I was doing in 2015 and 2016 before...I could...it's just that by that time those things were considerably easier for me to do. I started training for endurance cycling in the winter of 2014 and had my first 1/2 century ride (50 miles) that May. I did it, but I was pretty exhausted afterwards and it took about a week for me to 100% recover.

By 2016 I was doing 50 mile rides for *kitten* and giggles on a Saturday and then coming home to mow the lawn and whatnot. That said, I spent a considerable amount of time exercising. At minimum I was spending 10 hours per week training in some capacity, and usually more. I was in the saddle a lot and also in the weight room 3x per week. This generally meant that I had a least a few days per week where I'd go out on a 20-30 mile ride in the morning and then hit the weight room in the evening. Ultimately this became unsustainable after a couple of years...not only was I starting to burn out, but my family was as well. My kids were getting older and starting school...homework...soccer practices and soccer games and archery practices and meets. It simply became to much to juggle that much exercise, work, and family life. I'm still what I consider to be a very healthy fit, particularly as compared to gen pop...but I'm nowhere near where I was in 2016 but have a far more balanced lifestyle.

I still ride most days for 45-60 minutes and occasionally throw in a longer ride when I have time. I'm not hitting the weight room these days because my gym is closed, but I do have a trainer who comes over every Friday and we train in my garage and driveway...it's a lot of improvisation because she can't carry around all of her equipment door to door for all of her clients, but she's still giving me a hell of a workout. I also do some body weight stuff throughout the week.

Lastly, I'd say not to confuse physique or weight with fitness. I know quite a few lean, "skinny" people who are very physically unfit. I also know quite a few people who are quite fit and at healthy BF levels, but not super lean to the point of having popping abs. As far as visible abs go, a lot of that is genetics combined with very low levels of BF and enough muscle mass to show. It isn't particularly easy for a man to achieve and generally more difficult for a female given genetic predispositions. I know very few people who have popping 6 pack abs, and those that I do know do not walk around like that year around as it is a pretty elite level of leanness and usually difficult to maintain all of the time even when you're "super fit"

I'd say just start with baby steps...start building up your fitness to where you are at least meeting the minimums set forth by most health organizations which is 150 minutes of light to moderate activity per week and then go from there and do what you can do that is sustainable now and into the future.

I wasn't morbidly obese but only obese before I lost weight. But I was fit, had fab muscles and was rather flexible as well. What I suggest is that you start working out now already, to your best abilities. Now that you're heavier it will be easier to build muscles as you're moving more personal weight around. And every weight loss also results in some loss of muscle muss. Thus is the the moment to see what's possible and build up from there.

Yes. Absolutely yes.

Download a weight trend app. Use MFP to find out your cal goal with 1-2 lbs loss per week, depending on how much you have to lose. Weigh your food on a scale- not measuring cups. Expect some ups and downs but watch the trend. Give yourself a year, it’s about consistency not perfection.

mjhurry wrote: »

Hi! I've been overweight/obese since I was 3 years old. I've had many unsuccessful attempts to lose weight, however I've started again and have lost almost 5kg I am currently 85.5kg, my final goal weight is 55kg. My question is, is it possible for me to become super fit? Is it possible for me to develop visible abs, and an obviously fit, strong physique? I've blamed my weight issues on my genetics and struggled to get fit for a long time (most of my life). I want to believe it's possible for me, as this would be very motivating but I have some doubts. Do I have to be genetically predisposed/fit since a young age to become super fit? PS. I'm aware that this would take time, I'm just trying to keep my expectations realistic. I hope this makes sense!

I would personally focus on fitness goals, rather than the goal of developing visible abs.

For example, I only swim in a pond and each year have to work back up to it. I start with a 15 minute swim and by the end of the summer am back up to the hour swim.

"Happily fit" for me would be being able to do the yoga routine I did when I was a full time yoga teacher. "Super fit" would be being able to do Ashtanga yoga.

As you can see, these are very personal, but I do suggest setting and working towards a mix of strength training and cardio goals.