Fitness has nothing to do with body size, and there's no easily recognized "picture of fitness." It's possible to be overweight and fit or thin and unfit. Body weight does have an effect on fitness, but fitness involves emotional, mental, spiritual, and physical health.
The average person would likely be shocked to learn that body weight is the LEAST important tool for measuring fitness progress. The human body is made up of 60-70% water. With minor dietary changes, water loss can lead to a fluctuation in weight of two to seven pounds. This amount of water weight can also be lost in a single day with the right conditions, such as working in the yard all day during the summer without properly rehydrating.
An obsession with weight is a TERRIBLE distraction to more important concerns. No one can gain or lose any real, noticeable weight in a day, so there is no reason to check the scales every day. Periodic checks are good, but anything more puts the emphasis in the wrong place. Because muscle weighs more than fat, any fitness program may result in added weight, even though DRAMATIC changes in body size come with it. More attention should be given to body changes than body weight. Adding body weight in the form of muscle is ALWAYS good because muscle increases the number of calories burned. In other words, adding muscle increases metabolism.
Fitness can't be viewed as a check-listed accomplishment like earning a degree. Once a degree is earned, it's forever owned, but fitness isn't forever owned unless it's forever maintained. Fitness isn't gained or lost in any short period of time. When a lifestyle of fitness is developed, fitness becomes stronger and more difficult to halt.
Many people sabotage their own fitness by believing that their diet and physical activity practices are much better than they really are. Research shows that most people underestimate the amount of calories they consume and overestimate the amount of calories they burn through physical activity. This denial or misperception is a major factor in the growing obesity rate in America.
FITNESS CAN'T BE ATTAINED QUICKLY. Most commercial fitness products use UNREALISTIC expectations as marketing schemes to sell their products. To the fitness-educated, it's obvious that most of the people who "transformed" their bodies in a few short weeks of using a certain product as shown in before and after photos were already fit before their "transformation." Fitness product makers are aware of the power of a little lost body fat, a tan, and a sucked-in stomach (as opposed to an intentionally bloated stomach). These marketers are more concerned with making money than with helping people get fit. The promise of a completely transformed body in a few short weeks or months isn't just IMPOSSIBLE for MOST people, but also, it should never be presented as the goal. Short-term fitness goals are rarely achieved, and they lead to frustration, quitting, unused gym memberships, and dusty home gyms. The full benefits of exercise can only be experienced when fitness is viewed as a LIFETIME goal. What difference does it really make if a desired weight is reached or if an article of clothing fits just for o ne moment in time, like a wedding or a reunion? These kinds of temporary goals bring the overwhelming feelings of guilt, defeat, and embarrassment.
Although some body types are more prone to excess weight, genetics don't limit a person's ability to be fit. Dr. Claude Bouchard of the Human Genomics Laboratory in Baton Rough, LA gives the following contributing factors as causes of obesity: physical environment, social environment, behavior, and genetics. He states that the current obesity problem has developed only over the past fifty years, and therefore, it can't be blamed on genetics. Genes that are prone to more body weight only express themselves "when a genetic predisposition meets an 'obesogenic envorinmoent' - where calorie-dense processed foods are readily available, activity is reduced by labor-saving devices, and a sedentary lifestyle is encouraged." The claim that genetics is the CAUSE of a person's physical state is false. Genetics is just one part of the obesity problem, but people generally feel better when their problems can be blamed on something OUTSIDE THEIR CONTROL. Regardless of genetics or current body composition, ANYONE CAN GET FIT.
Coming topics are: Fitness Benefits, Health Risks From A Lack of Fitness, Fitness and Body Types, and Fitness and Age.
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