Fitness or Fit-Less?

So, it seems that fitness, weight loss, and attachments are trending on os.me. There’s an entire amazing series by Supriya here, beautiful posts by Ria here and Ripandeep here. Leenkesh got attached but also wrote about exercising. Given my mindlessness, I am probably forgetting many others who have also written about health and exercise. But, without any further ado, let me join in and share my thoughts on this topic too. In fact, I thought of writing about this almost a year ago, but as a master procrastinator, here I am with this post many months later.

When the lockdown hit 10 years ago, I mean in 2020, the gym kicked me out (or shall I say, it closed) and I enjoyed an exercise-free life instead. I went for walks, but they were mostly casual. Then, one fine day, I tried to jog and lo and behold, at that moment, I knew how little chubby puppies feel – out of breath, jiggly, chubby and confused (Try the visual).

Anyway, I struggled to jog for more than a few seconds and it hit me that there is a huge difference between looking fit and being fit. And when gym opened again, my hypothesis was confirmed. I could no longer do most of the exercises I used to, and I felt tired very quickly. Don’t get me wrong, on the outside, it didn’t seem like I had gained any weight. I looked just the same, somewhat ‘healthy’ and ‘in shape’. When we appear to be fit and our weight is in the norm for our height, it may seem that we are in shape and we may ‘think’ that we’re eating just fine. However, it doesn’t necessarily mean that our stamina is good and that we actually have good fitness levels. If you look at Swami, He is the perfect example of full fitness. You didn’t expect me to not mention Him, right?

So, bottom line is that we may appear healthy and to be blessed with great fitness, but boy, oh boy, only God knows how healthy we really are! If you used to exercise a lot and stopped, but still look vaguely the same, it is possible that you are not as fit anymore. This definitely applies to me. And how can we find out whether we are actually fit and don’t just ‘look’ fit? Here are some ways of finding out whether we also have good fitness levels in addition to our fit appearance.

Signs of fitness

1. Jogging comfortably

We are able to jog for a few minutes at least, just like we did in the past, or even more.

2. Our breathing remains stable

We do not get out of breath easily while climbing the stairs and we can exercise more easily.

3. Ability to push ourselves (not off the cliff)

During weight training, we are able to do more reps without feeling drained fast.

4. Flexibility and feeling light

We can do hanging leg raises without dying – I mean without giving up.

5. High levels of energy

Our stamina and energy levels remain stable, mostly at a high.

There are many other ways too, I am sure and the above doesn’t necessarily have anything to do with our weight but more with our eating habits and exercise regime. We can be slightly bigger but still healthy and fit.  Even if we don’t look like models, but if we eat healthily and are able to exercise properly without feeling tired after a few minutes, we can count ourselves as being fit and healthy! Swami has expounded beautifully on physical appearance here and also on health here.

Now, my moment of truth: Neither am I fit, nor do I eat healthily. I am getting my fitness back, slowly. So, I am work in progress with regards to that, but it seems that am very quick to share my realisations.

So, let’s head out for a jog, shall we? Fitness test starts now! Come back and tell me how fit you are.

PC