Weekly musings, 5/20/18: Fitness for a living versus fitness as a part of life

Weekly musings, 5/20/18: Fitness for a living versus fitness as a part of life
Last night, I finished watching “The Redeemed and Dominant,” the documentary covering the 2017 Crossfit games. Regardless of what you think of Crossfit, the athletes competing at the highest levels are incredibly versed in a huge variety of events, making them the ultimate generalists. They were required to swim, run, cyclocross, lift heavy weights, jump over bales of hay, carry, do handstand push-ups, pull-up, use hammers, and jump rope, among other things.

As they were highlighting various athletes, my husband looked at me and said, “they really aren’t very interesting as people. All they do is train.”

People whose livelihoods depend upon on fitness spend their days fitness-ing. They train, they eat, they recover, and they train. This isn’t just limited to professional Crossfit athletes. It extends to people who have built brands around fitness. In order to be taken seriously, you have to look the part. Looking the part involves training. A lot.

Training all day is unrealistic for most people and it takes away from the rest of life, which, again, for most people involves more than fitness, especially if it’s not your career. Instead of setting unreasonably high expectations based on a fitness professional’s abilities, take a realistic assessment of where you are today and ask yourself how you can move things around to make fitness a part of your life without it taking over your life. Most people can devote 20-60 minutes daily to some sort of practice and still have time for work, family, and other hobbies. 

The amazing thing is 20-60 minutes daily is enough to improve strength, mobility, and skills. You can become more fit by training in a smart, progressive way that will enhance the overall quality of your life without impeding upon it. Your fitness is one small piece of you.