Define Fitness

Define Fitness:

What is Fitness?  Is it a lifestyle, a sport, or a hobby?  Fitness is defined as the condition of being physically fit and healthy, the quality of being suitable to fulfill a particular role or task, or an organism's ability to survive and reproduce in a particular environment.  These definitions allude to the fact that fitness can in fact be all three.  When referring to fitness you could lump the average individual trying to remain healthy and live out as many years as possible, the athlete training to a specific task or goal, or those individuals looking for a release or getaway from reality for an hour or so a day all in the same category.  Although all three types of people are engaging in a fitness program for completely different reasons.

If I were ask to define fitness in one sentence I would define it as one’s capacity to maintain the body’s ability to conduct the daily activities of living throughout the span of a lifetime.  On the other hand Reebok has teamed with Crossfit and coined the slogan “The Sport of Fitness has arrived”.  Are they wrong?  No, I would not say that they are, but I would also take into consideration they are still in the business community and need advertisement that will sell their product.  Many people throughout the world are striving to achieve varying levels of physical fitness.  It is my belief though that being physically fit means I have taken the time to train and maintain my body, not injuring it.  Coming from an athletic and martial arts background I can attest most individuals who partake in these activities are without a doubt in great shape.  On the flip side I can also attest to the fact even though a majority of the population would consider these athletes physically fit, they undergo such rigorous training regimens that are not necessarily good for their body, but good for the sport or particular art they are training for.   I personally would not classify this as fitness, but rather training. 

Does fitness have to be viewed as how much weight I can lift or how far I can run?  Can fitness also encompass my overall wellbeing such as mental and physical fitness? I don’t honestly think there is a right or wrong answer to all these questions all I am left with are my opinions on the subject.  I am writing this article to solicit feedback from those who share these same thoughts.  Overall I feel any active lifestyle is healthier than a sedentary one!