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Definitions of fitness

Just want to get people's ides of what it means to be "fit" and if that differs from being "healthy"

jcgadfly
jcgadfly g Jeff Craft
192 Post(s)
192 Post(s) Gender: Male Goal: Gain Muscle Date Joined: May 5, 2015
Posted

Hi Nation,

 

In all the information gathering that I've done on this site and in other places, I've come across many definitions of "fitness" and "health" - almost as may as there are writers.

 

My employer, for example, consideres "health" and "fitness" equal to being at a normal BMI. I think being "healthy" is having mostly normal blood work and being "fit" means being able to pull off life's activities. Others might define "fitness" as being jacked to the moon and having striated striations.

 

So... just for gits and shiggles, how would you lot define "fitness" and would you equate it with "health"?

 

Thanks,

Old enough to know better, young enough not to care. I'm an eternal rookie - As soon as I stop learning I start dying.
crood
crood a Chris P.
467 Post(s)
467 Post(s) Gender: Female Goal: Train for a sport Date Joined: August 8, 2014
Posted

okay so for shitz'n'gigglez


Aftre having gone through quite some health-issues up to almost loosing my life my thoughts on those "terms" are, the following (i have a few more):

 

health = being able to accomplish your every day tasks without too much restrictions or no issues at all. (this includes also the health of the mind! which people often tend to forget)

 

fitness = being able to accomplish a bit more advanced tasks such as an occasional jogg, some more advanced endurance tasks, and some exercising.

 

now we leave the realm of 'regular' average people...and come to the following terms:

 

strong = being able to perform with more strength than the average human, in terms of workload, bodycontrol, weight-load, load for the central nervous system, and also ,more challenging endurance tasks. And - which seems mostly to come along naturally - a strong mind as well.

 

powerfull = being explosive and capable of bringing up a lot force in a short explosive burst. This can be from sprinting to power sports as well as power lifting.

 

BMI = imho doesn't stand for quality of life nor health, you can have a healthy range BMI but be disabled or ill, have injuires, or be badly out of shape as well. (of course a higher BMI might be a sign for obesity which is lowering quality of life as well, but again it's not really an all over "measurement" of health nor fitness)

 

good Bloodwork = at least so i learned in my life, unfortunately, is also often not a sign for actually being healthy or fit. We can still be injured, disabled, have a lowered life quality. And there also are things that keep being overseen or do not show up in the blood at all.

 

To sum this all up... i think the highest value in life is a ) being alive and b) being healthy. Everything else is a plus on top of that =)

Admin + MS Athlete You will get nowhere, if you don't move :) - crood -
jcgadfly
jcgadfly g Jeff Craft
192 Post(s)
192 Post(s) Gender: Male Goal: Gain Muscle Date Joined: May 5, 2015
Posted
Posted By: crood

okay so for shitz'n'gigglez


Aftre having gone through quite some health-issues up to almost loosing my life my thoughts on those "terms" are, the following (i have a few more):

 

health = being able to accomplish your every day tasks without too much restrictions or no issues at all. (this includes also the health of the mind! which people often tend to forget)

 

fitness = being able to accomplish a bit more advanced tasks such as an occasional jogg, some more advanced endurance tasks, and some exercising.

 

now we leave the realm of 'regular' average people...and come to the following terms:

 

strong = being able to perform with more strength than the average human, in terms of workload, bodycontrol, weight-load, load for the central nervous system, and also ,more challenging endurance tasks. And - which seems mostly to come along naturally - a strong mind as well.

 

powerfull = being explosive and capable of bringing up a lot force in a short explosive burst. This can be from sprinting to power sports as well as power lifting.

 

BMI = imho doesn't stand for quality of life nor health, you can have a healthy range BMI but be disabled or ill, have injuires, or be badly out of shape as well. (of course a higher BMI might be a sign for obesity which is lowering quality of life as well, but again it's not really an all over "measurement" of health nor fitness)

 

good Bloodwork = at least so i learned in my life, unfortunately, is also often not a sign for actually being healthy or fit. We can still be injured, disabled, have a lowered life quality. And there also are things that keep being overseen or do not show up in the blood at all.

 

To sum this all up... i think the highest value in life is a ) being alive and b) being healthy. Everything else is a plus on top of that =)

I like your definitions on the whole though I question the "regular, aveage people" thing. I have a difficult time considering myself a special, superior being.

 

I drag my hump to the gym five mornings a week. That makes me stubborn - not superior. Then again, I don't consider myself an "athlete" or a "bodybuilder" or a "powerlifter" by any stretch of the imagination. I'm just a guy who lifts weights and exercises to build musle, burn fat and raise his heart rate now and again.

Old enough to know better, young enough not to care. I'm an eternal rookie - As soon as I stop learning I start dying.
jmboiardi
jmboiardi p John M Boiardi
2.6K Post(s)
2.6K Post(s) Gender: Male Goal: Bodybuilding Date Joined: October 10, 2013
Posted
Posted By: jcgadfly

Hi Nation,

 

In all the information gathering that I've done on this site and in other places, I've come across many definitions of "fitness" and "health" - almost as may as there are writers.

 

My employer, for example, consideres "health" and "fitness" equal to being at a normal BMI. I think being "healthy" is having mostly normal blood work and being "fit" means being able to pull off life's activities. Others might define "fitness" as being jacked to the moon and having striated striations.

 

So... just for gits and shiggles, how would you lot define "fitness" and would you equate it with "health"?

 

Thanks,

Defining what is health and what is fitness is purely subjective. As they say, one man's pleasure is another man's pain so I don't think there is one "right" answer.

 

However, I find any subjective measurement from the government or insurance companies or employers to be abitrary bullshit in my honest opinion. The American medical establishment wouldn't know true health and fitness if it bit them in the ass. They still think BMI is an accurate assessment of health and push this on insurance companies and the like and BMI is the most misleading metric. They also believe people with chronic health problems being sustained by pharmaceuticals constitutes "health". I strongly disagree. True health and vitality of the human body is achieved and sustained independent of medications. That being said, I understand there are people and situations where this is not possible and medications are required. This is different from people who need medications for conditions that are totally preventable thru lifestyle changes but they are either too lazy or too complacent to make the required changes.

 

I agree with Chris (Crood). If you want to know your true health, your blood and skin don't lie. People who are truly fit and healthy exude a "glow" and their blood work is reflective of this positive trend internally thru low blood pressure, balanced blood lipids, low inflammatory markers, etc. To me someone who is truly fit and healthy will feel exactly the same mentally and physically at each and every birthday - but that is just my opinion :-)

 

John

34 years of lifting and nutritional experience and resident "old man" :-) MS Athlete and past Super Hermanite since 2013.
crood
crood a Chris P.
467 Post(s)
467 Post(s) Gender: Female Goal: Train for a sport Date Joined: August 8, 2014
Posted
Posted By: jcgadfly

I like your definitions on the whole though I question the "regular, aveage people" thing. I have a difficult time considering myself a special, superior being.

 

I drag my hump to the gym five mornings a week. That makes me stubborn - not superior. Then again, I don't consider myself an "athlete" or a "bodybuilder" or a "powerlifter" by any stretch of the imagination. I'm just a guy who lifts weights and exercises to build musle, burn fat and raise his heart rate now and again.

@jcgadfly yeah , i guess you took the "average" a bit different than how i meant it. Average in this case really just meaning the general populus, in terms of percentages.

I don't think that everybody that goes to a gym or will do the occasional endurance exercise is 'superiour' , but they already start to separate from the perecntage of the no-activity-at-all lifestyle which most of the first-world people tend to live these days.

 

Dragging your 'hump' to the gym 5 days a week - i would not call this stubborn, but rather being someone who might have discovered how important physical activity and also strength is when it comes to being and living healthy. And in my humble opinion that is not stubborn that is smart, as not everybody comes to that conclusion in their lives, hehe =)

 

@jmboiardi completely agreed. It does not only change you on the inside it really also changes your whole mindset and personality. Eventhough it might not turn a bad person into a good one, but you know what i mean ;)

Admin + MS Athlete You will get nowhere, if you don't move :) - crood -
muscular strength
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