What does it mean to be truly physically fit?
For some it means to be able to bench press 200 lbs, others it is to make it through a spin class, or competing in a 10K run. For me, true physical fitness is the ability to handle all the above things and more, at any given moment. It’s the ability to instantaneously run and jump, push and pull, climb, catch, and react.
You are truly physically fit when you feel confident in your body’s ability to accept the challenge of any physically demanding situation that comes your way.
When I ask most people today what it means to be physically fit the standard answer is represented by today’s male bodybuilders or female movie stars. Too many people today are caught up in the idea of fashion over function.
The men need to understand that the bodybuilders are big, muscular, lean, tan, and just look strong, and they have done tons of hard work to construct their bodies in this way. However, bodybuilders have bodies that don’t allow them to do much of anything efficiently except lift weights and further sculpt their bodies. Bodybuilders have put themselves in an environment where functionality is not as important as plain old looks.
The women need to see beyond the visual fashion of the TV and movie star bodies and recognize the need for physical function in their lives. Just about all of my female clients (including all my staff’s clients) are women that have children. The physical demands of today’s mother are tremendous.
Every single day mothers need to have the strength and energy to get up early and get their kids up, bathed, dressed, fed and ready for school. Most women then either go to work themselves or manage their homes with daily chores and errands. After school it’s helping with the kid’s homework, taking the kids to hockey, soccer, or other sport. Then, its time for dinner and getting the kids off to bed; only to start the ritual all over again the next morning.
True physical fitness will allow you to do anything you want or need to do. The type of exercise to get you prepared to handle any physical challenge needs to be functional-based. You need exercise that involves large or numerous muscles at once instead of individual pumping of a single muscle. You need to run and jump, push and pull, climb, catch, and react. And, you know what? This type of training will shed fat, strengthen muscle and get you looking very physically fit along with a body that can perform when you need it to – at any time!
Today as adults we forgot what made us healthy as kids in the first place. No more playground games, now it’s just a computer and a desk. We no longer run, we jog or fast-walk. We don’t climb anything but the occasional staircase. And the only thing we push and pull are deadlines in the office. It’s sad, really sad. We have forgotten how to use our bodies.
It’s time to get into the gym and begin to train your body for function first and let the fashion follow.
*See the articles below about our 300 Workout Challenge that will guarantee you a fit and functional body in 12-weeks time. Our 300 Programs are even available online!
By Jon Hinds
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