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What is "fit", to you?

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  • DonnasWay0805
    DonnasWay0805 Posts: 37 Member
    Being 56... I started at 50.. I have lost and maintained a 90 lb loss. It's 30 min of fitness at least 3 to 4 times a week. And eating clean as possible with a calorie deficit. I will do this the rest of my life... It's simple and sustainable❤️
  • cwolfman13
    cwolfman13 Posts: 41,865 Member
    SuzySunshine99 wrote: »
    I'm not sure if it's a great benchmark of fitness, but this is something my husband told me after I lost weight, and it stuck with me...

    We were on a hike, and slogged up a particularly steep set of switchbacks. At the top, we were both out of breath and needed to stop.

    Once I could talk, I said, "I thought we were in better shape than this!" He said, "You can be really fit and still get out of breath...it's more about your recovery time." Within 30 seconds of stopping, we were both breathing normally and ready to move again.

    It could be BS, but for me, I pay attention to how long it takes me to go from totally out of breath, unable to talk...to recovered and ready to press on.

    I did a stress test in 2014 at a cardiologists office...that was a big part of it. My dad had just passed from a heart attack and I have a lot of the crappy genetics my dad has so my Dr. wanted to get it checked out. Uphill battle for me, but I passed that thing with flying colors.
  • fitnessguy266
    fitnessguy266 Posts: 150 Member
    Individual perspective and preference, for sure with this one. After much trial and error with learning how to progressively build muscle and improve my overall health, my BF% and day to day energy have a direct correlation to how "fit" I feel. For myself personally, I feel at my best and "fit" at 9% BF.
  • 33gail33
    33gail33 Posts: 1,155 Member
    edited February 2021
    I want to get my resting heart rate down, I guess that is what "fit" means to me. I remember years ago in my early 40s my doctor telling me it was excellent at 58 bpm. Now I am 55 and it is running about 70. If I can improve my cardio fitness I think the rest is a bonus.
  • iFartMagic
    iFartMagic Posts: 21 Member
    Honestly? After losing 80 lbs, being fit has been reduced to being able to walk the supermarket without my blood pressure bottoming out, or get out of bed without being out of breath. Never going back.
  • MikePfirrman
    MikePfirrman Posts: 3,307 Member
    Over the years, as I've gotten more in shape, I think my definition has risen to a higher bar. But I do think that certain elements of cardio, strength, and perhaps even flexibility, should be included.

    I suppose that a certain benchmark of certain lifts or cardio ability would be helpful in a true determination of fitness. But what I find also with age (I'll be 57 this year) is that some that can't run any more can bike or row or do other activities that are also hard -- just different -- than running.

    Also, with lifting, joint problems start to crop up. For instance, I can't do heavy deadlifts any longer (and I know few that are close to 60 that can), but I do other workarounds in order to lift some decent amounts of weight.

    I tend to agree with Ann -- it becomes more and more about functional fitness and ability to do the physical things you love and do them well enough or even better than a lot of younger folks.

    I recently moved my daughter across country. There were three twenty/early 30 something females -- none of them in terrible shape. But I was the one that ran boxes up and down 3 flights of stairs for two days, nearly non stop. I'm not exaggerating when I say 40 to 50 times a day, for two days solid, while carrying weight. To me, that's the reason why I do the "fitness" stuff -- to have the strength and stamina to do things like this. My daughter finished college nearly 10 years ago. Doing this kind of thing at my age is usually impossible for most.
  • SunnyBunBun79
    SunnyBunBun79 Posts: 2,228 Member
    Having just one chin 🤪
  • NorthCascades
    NorthCascades Posts: 10,968 Member
    Fitness to me means cardiovascular health and aerobic capacity - having a good VO2max. Unless we're talking about Darwin. 😉. I agree everybody should have functional strength, that isn't part of my understanding of what fit means. Maybe that will change. Aesthetics has even less (than nothing) to do with it.

    The guys in le tour de France are extremely fit. They look like they're in a concentration camp, some of them look like they might not be able to lift the bikes they ride.

    Having strength and muscle is a good thing, I just think it falls under a different word.
  • J72FIT
    J72FIT Posts: 6,009 Member
    ninerbuff wrote: »
    IMO, "fit" is applied to the physical fitness you need to do whatever sport, hobby, job, etc. If you can do it well without gassing out or passing out, then you're fit for it. I'm fit for kickboxing, but not for long distance running. Same for weight lifting, but not for working on a farm.

    A.C.E. Certified Personal and Group Fitness Trainer
    IDEA Fitness member
    Kickboxing Certified Instructor
    Been in fitness for 30 years and have studied kinesiology and nutrition
    9285851.png

    Yeah I would also add there is the idea of general fitness, being fit for every day life and sport specific fitness. And of course within that context are different levels of fitness...
  • mummysinthekitchen
    mummysinthekitchen Posts: 12 Member
    Sorry, late to the party as always.

    My idea of fit for myself is to be able to wear a bikini at the beach with my kids and not have my girls gain an idea of body hating or being ashamed of how they look from watching me.

    Also, to be able to keep up with my Son and his love of mountain biking and hiking for hours.

    I'm not quite there yet on any score but I will be this year!
  • Beverly2Hansen
    Beverly2Hansen Posts: 378 Member
    Not fighting for my life when I walk up a hill for starters. Catching my breath after running across a street quickly. Being able to walk 5 miles a day. 30 legitimate push ups per day, 30 weighted squats per day and 30 donkey kicks. I consider that "fit". To be fit and healthy though I must also have a decent diet and weigh 130-140lbs at 5'5".
  • LisaGetsMoving
    LisaGetsMoving Posts: 663 Member
    edited April 2021
    My idea of fit is keeping up with the grandkids.
  • SabrinaJL
    SabrinaJL Posts: 1,579 Member
    edited April 2021
    WandRsmom wrote: »
    For me personally my idea of fit, *for myself* has changed over the yrs. I grew up (born in 79) believing i was *too large * to be fit for a woman. I was not overweight just what ppl called " broad shouldered , tall "... " Built like a linebacker" (direct quotes said to me basically from birth). And at that time women were to be Kate Moss thin. They weren't meant to be so "large"

    Yep. I got those exact same comments (also, "strong for a girl"). I didn't really realize what they were talking about when they said "broad-shouldered" until I lost weight and started trying to buy nice women's clothes (instead of wearing unisex tshirts all the time). Then I was like, "Oh. That's what they mean." It's annoying when clothes shopping but when I looked at my sister-in-law and her narrow, rounded shoulders, I realized I actually LIKE my broad shoulders.

    For me, fit is not getting winded when doing doing moderately strenuous things, being able to lift a decent amount without struggling and not having any weight-related health issues. I was put on blood pressure meds when I was 24. One of my main goals was to be able to stop taking them and I achieved that goal after a year of tracking, running and weight lifting.

  • kenyonhaff
    kenyonhaff Posts: 1,377 Member
    Speakeasy76 wrote: »
    I think there are different kinds of "fit," with being physically fit just one component. One can be what many would consider "physically fit," but me a mess emotionally.

    As far as being physically fit, I think of it as 2 categories: functionally fit, and aesthetically or "train smart/hard for several years" fit. Within that, as within anything else, there are varying degrees. I'd consider myself functionally fit for the most part: I'm strong enough to complete things I need to do like lift heavy objects and walk up a couple of flights of stairs without getting winded and walk several blocks easily. However, I have some chronic aches/pains that even sometimes make ADL's a bit more difficult, despite working out/strength training regularly.

    Aesthetically fit to me is someone who "looks" strong: muscularly defined, can lift really heavy, etc.

    This got me thinking to an article I read a few years ago about the exercises you should be able to do if you think you are "really fit," and I could (and still can) only do a few. I had to look it up and see if I could find it (I did), and here they are:
    1. L-Sit
    2. Windshield Wipers
    3. Push Up
    4. Pistol Squat
    5. Candlestick Roll
    6. Handstand

    https://www.shape.com/fitness/workouts/best-bodyweight-exercises-strength?ref=quuu&utm_campaign=buffer&utm_content=buffer4d044&utm_medium=social&utm_source=twitter.com

    I STILL cannot do an L-sit or full range unsupported Pistol Squat.

    You always have to take this with a grain of salt, because there are different ways to be physically fit. There's not one universal measure.

    For example:

    In high school I was a competitive swimmer. There was a mile run that determined if you were as an athlete on an approved team, allowed to opt out of heavy cardio days. There was no other test. So yeah, all us swimmers--even the ones going to States--did terrible on this test. Was this a valid measure of cardio fitness for us? Not really.

    This can also become an issue with fitness standards based on male bodies. When tests are on discrete exercises (sit ups, push ups, etc.) women do less well. However, does the amount of push ups done mean a person is more able to handle a combat situation, or negotiate a burning building, or act as a lifeguard?
  • g2renew
    g2renew Posts: 155 Member
    To have enough strength, energy, and focus to do what needs to be done for the length of time it takes to do it and then some left over for 'fun' activities. It is at this point, a hope for the future:-).
  • Unknown
    Unknown
    edited May 2021
    This content has been removed.
  • Get_Back_To_Feeling_Good
    Get_Back_To_Feeling_Good Posts: 497 Member
    To me fit is being able to enjoy everything life can bring and not think twice about doing it because your to big!

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