Defining Fitness

I heard a wonderful definition for ‘fitness’ from a mentor of mine once, and I’ve used it as my answer ever since:

Fitness = the number of things you can say “yes” to.

‘Fancy a hike this weekend?’

‘Want to join me for a jog tomorrow morning?’

‘Let’s go bouldering!’

‘…or play tennis’

‘… or try that new CrossFit gym that opened up across the road’

Maybe you love fitness for the sake of fitness. Maybe it’s the hour away from the phone, the “me” time, the feeling of being part of a community, the pursuit of a better version of yourself.

Or maybe it’s so you can go on a bike ride with your grandchildren.

Or join in when your friends say they’re heading to the country for a waterfall hike. Or so you can help your spouse carry the groceries in from the car (in one trip!).

Maybe, it’s so that when they ask, you can say “yes”.

All those reasons are fantastic. But when thinking about your own reasons, I invite you to consider how being the fittest you can be positively impacts other areas of your life.

I think you’ll be pleasantly surprised.