Is it possible for me to become super fit?

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  • mjhurry
    mjhurry Posts: 29 Member
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    I spent all my teen years overweight and obese, then lost a big chunk of it in my early 20s... a bit up and down over the years, but never re-gained it. I've been able to get quite a lot of muscle definition on my back, legs, and arms. My stomach is unfortunately a nope because any abs I might have get covered by the loose skin... but I've for sure become a LOT stronger. I used to be around 90kg, I'm in the high 50s atm (been as low as 49kg but that felt WAY too skinny even if technically it was still within normal for my height)

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    Amazing!! Thanks for sharing! This is so encouraging and inspiring :)
  • HeidiMightyRawr
    HeidiMightyRawr Posts: 3,343 Member
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    Super fit, yes it's possible. It'll take a lot of effort, but it's doable and mostly will come down to your activity and the exercise.

    Visible abs will depend not only exercise, but diet and genetics as it takes into account aesthetics too. For a lot of people it's achievable but difficultly will vary based somewhat on things out of your control, like where you personally tend to store fat. To have visible abs, like any other muscle, you need to work those muscles to build them up, and also have a body fat % low enough to show them off. I've been really lean before and never had more than the tiniest bit of definition in my abs. I store most of my fat there, I can be too slim for my preference elsewhere and not as lean as I'd like in my stomach. I have more muscle now but also more fat so maybe it'd be different if I got lean again, but it would still be harder than for example someone who stores fat elsewhere. It may also not work well alongside your other goal (because optimal perfomance doesn't always work alongside extreme leanness, it might do, but not always)

    Either way, it's always possible to get fitter and work towards your goal, no matter how far away it seems or how long you have been unfit for. Change is possible.
  • cupcakesandproteinshakes
    cupcakesandproteinshakes Posts: 1,092 Member
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    Yep it is possible. With some patience and consistency even the most sedentary person ( me formerly) can get fit. I’m no pro athlete but I’m very happy with my fitness level.
  • MelanieCN77
    MelanieCN77 Posts: 4,047 Member
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    "Yes but." There's a significant space of difference between the average person who doesn't work out at all, and the kind of person who does a couple days of cardio and a couple days lifting and eats a vegetable most days. Then there's the gap between those people and the "super fit" with visible abs and whatnot, and it's an exponentially more vast space, in my view. The transition from generally in shape to what I think you're getting at is a pretty consuming, full time mental occupation as well as physically demanding. Have some thinking about your "why" you want to do things and spend the same amount of time considering how you can plan for a sustainable lifestyle that includes all other facets of yourself.
  • mjhurry
    mjhurry Posts: 29 Member
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    @HeidiMightyRawr Thanks for your reply :) It's good to know that it's possible!
  • mjhurry
    mjhurry Posts: 29 Member
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    Katmary71 wrote: »
    I started out bedridden from chronic pain and now do cardio, weights and strength training, and yoga most days. I started out walking in water once a week then graduated to my recumbent exercise bike and expanded from there. There's a HUGE difference in mobility which was my main focus, having muscles is awesome! Weight lifting I saw the fastest difference, probably took about 6 weeks to visibly see some muscles developing. Stretching/yoga I felt the fastest results as I have a lot of tightness from back fusions, I noticed within a week that I could take bigger steps as the hip flexors were starting to loosen up.
    Sounds like you had an amazing transformation! I enjoy strength training and yoga too! :)
  • mjhurry
    mjhurry Posts: 29 Member
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    "Yes but." There's a significant space of difference between the average person who doesn't work out at all, and the kind of person who does a couple days of cardio and a couple days lifting and eats a vegetable most days. Then there's the gap between those people and the "super fit" with visible abs and whatnot, and it's an exponentially more vast space, in my view. The transition from generally in shape to what I think you're getting at is a pretty consuming, full time mental occupation as well as physically demanding. Have some thinking about your "why" you want to do things and spend the same amount of time considering how you can plan for a sustainable lifestyle that includes all other facets of yourself.

    That's a very helpful distinction, thank you! I think my first aim will be to get generally fit and healthy. Once that is covered, I guess then I'll be able to strive for the fun vanity goals, or advanced fitness challenges :)
  • mjhurry
    mjhurry Posts: 29 Member
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    Thank you all for your advice and encouragement! I'm truly humbled by all your transformations and the challenges you've all had to overcome. It's incredibly inspiring for me as a beginner! I feel my motivation has been boosted knowing that I would be able to strive for advanced fitness goals once I've gotten to a general level of health and fitness. I'm looking forward to surprising myself with my progress! Thank you again :)
  • minijoanna
    minijoanna Posts: 27 Member
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    PAV8888 wrote: »
    You are here, in this world, today.

    You will, hopefully, be here, in this world, tomorrow.

    Today, did you work on the pre-conditions that can both get you closer to where you want to be, and help keep you there?

    Then it was a good day!


    Thank you for sharing this. It's very straightforward and make so much sense. I am going to use this as my personal inspiration/motivation and as a reminder to slow down and focus on the here and now. There are so many small choices I can make every day to continuously evolve and get closer to my goal. This is true for anyone.
  • cwolfman13
    cwolfman13 Posts: 41,876 Member
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    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.
  • SnifterPug
    SnifterPug Posts: 746 Member
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    I am 51. I have been overweight/obese most of my adult life. Over the last 6 years I have lost 80lb and kept it off.

    I am super fit compared to how I was. I am probably fitter than many women my age. I am enjoying finding new fitness goals to chase. I don't have visible abs and my body fat percentage is higher than I ultimately want it to be, so I'm working on that. I derive great pleasure from exercise (and if you had told me that 6 years ago I would not have believed you).

    Go for it!
  • yirara
    yirara Posts: 9,389 Member
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    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. <3
  • NovusDies
    NovusDies Posts: 8,940 Member
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    I don't care for the word "super" but that may be a personal preference.

    My answer to the question of "where might this go for me?" is "I don't know or care right now."

    I consider the situation to be like sculpting from a large stone. I am perfecting my method of sculpting and chipping away at the rough edges. I have no image in mind for a finished product yet. I assume that if I work on it most days that my potential goals will come into focus. In other words I believe I first need to improve my overall state of fitness before I worry about customizing. For now my goal is to try and start tomorrow slightly more fit than today.
  • Ddsb11
    Ddsb11 Posts: 607 Member
    edited May 2020
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    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.