As a fitness Coach, people often tell me that they want to be fit, but you have to ask yourself, what does ‘fit’ really mean?
In our society, the definition of ‘fit’ has a more superficial meaning to it, thanks to beauty standards passed on through social media and mainstream media. Being fit is often thought of as seeing the right numbers on the scales and tape measures, or looking a certain way. This skewed vision of ‘fit’ tends to come hand in hand with weight loss, but unfortunately, weight loss typically comes from a negative place, like shaming or misinformation. Not to mention, weight loss can also be a never ending cycle of highs and lows with unfulfilling results.
So I’m thinking, what if we shifted our perspective on this to the true definition of ‘fit’: to be in good physical condition and good health.
Examples of this are to be free of sickness and disease; getting through daily tasks with ease and having energy to do more; keeping up with your kids and/or grandkids; eating well and incorporating regular activity into your daily routine; not being limited to do things or live your bucket list because of health or physical condition. I could go on and on…
Everyone has something they’d like to change about themselves, but comparing yourself to others won’t get you very far. Learn to love yourself for who you are. I recommend choosing 5 things you love about yourself and spend time every day being grateful for those qualities and attributions. Besides, loving yourself is much more sustainable and joyful than weight loss could ever be!
I’m encouraging you to focus less on how society wants you to look, and instead lead a life full of self-care and health. Scratch dieting and live a healthy lifestyle; fuelling your body with healthy meals, getting into a regular exercise routine and focusing on body movement is the best preventative medicine for so many diseases and health conditions.
So the next time you think of ‘fit’, I urge you to think about striving for health instead of perceiving it as beauty. When it comes down to it, it’s not about the size of your body, but the size of the life you’re creating.
- Coach Tyler
