Sunday Story...Couch Potato?

Sunday Story…Couch Potato?

The other morning, after kickboxing class several of us were having a conversation about various exercise methods.  The fact of the matter is that there are many ways to become more fit, especially if you are starting from zero, or less than zero (yes that is possible).  I know of one example of over 100 pounds lost by riding a bicycle.  We have all heard of people who lost weight and improved their physical fitness by running, swimming, walking, dancing, p-90x, zumba, crossfit, aerobics, tae-bo, or any of a number of other things.  All of these things have one thing in common:  they require you to get up and start moving.  It is impossible to get fit lying on the couch bemoaning your health and fitness.

But what is fitness, really?  How do you define fitness?  How do I define fitness?  What makes up an athlete or a state of athleticism?  Who is an athlete?  Is there some independent measure or benchmark that we can say makes someone fit?  After all we can say when someone is unfit, or ill, or unhealthy.  There are some objective measurements for sickness or disease…blood pressure, pulse rates, blood markers, and more.  And, yes, some of those markers would also indicate a fit person as well.

We can look across a spectrum of fitness and find lots of different examples.  For example, an Olympic marathoner can run 26 miles in just over 2 hours (120 minutes).  That means they are going to average less than 5 minutes per mile.  I don’t know about you but I cannot run 1 mile in less than 5 minutes let alone 26 in a row.  This is obviously an athlete of some repute. But is he really fit?

How about a Triathlete?  One of the folks who can swim 2.4 miles (in the ocean), ride the bike for 112 miles and then run for 26 miles.  One after the other and do it in less than 8 hours. This is a feat to be reckoned with.

What about a power lifter.  I recently met a man who can squat (put weight on his back and drop his rear down below his knees and stand up with the weight) over 1000 pounds.  That is a strength I don’t have but is he fit?

How about the body builders and fitness models…the people who get their body fat so obscenely low so we can see every striation and fiber in their flexed muscles?  Must be fit right?

All of these examples are of athletes who can be considered to be in good shape, have a decent cardio vascular response to exercise, and the potential to excel in their sports.  But they are each different and they each have made a similar fitness choice…they have specialized in their “thing”.  An Olympic marathoner is never going to be a power lifter.  He just isn’t made for it.  And that power lifter is never going to outrun the marathoner once they get past about 50 yards.  His fitness is not going to allow for that.

So how are we going to define fitness?  Because the definition we use will determine the method of exercise we choose.  And the method will create the level of fitness and health we are trying to achieve.

Most commonly we are looking for the following characteristics:  strength, flexibility, balance, coordination, agility, power, accuracy, cardiovascular/respiratory endurance and stamina.  The ability to have all of these things is what makes an athlete.  Obviously if I am going to be really good at running 26 miles I am going to give up on a few of those fields in favor of my chosen sport.  The same holds true for power lifting.

Fitness by my definition requires me to be good at all of those things.  I must have power and strength.  The other day a man asked me to help him pick up his motorcycle that had fallen over at the gas station.   He couldn’t do it.  I walked over and lifted it up…this is functional fitness.  I must have endurance and stamina to run or swim or bike or row as I choose.  Even if that is a 4 or 5 hour hike or walk in the amusement park.  I have to have balance and flexibility…too many people as they age can no longer move the way they did years ago and the primary reason is that they aren’t flexible any more.  It is a practice to stay flexible and balanced.

If I am going to be an athlete I must work on all those areas without prejudice or specialization.  That means I have to do 2 or 3 things frequently…I must train, I must practice, and I must push my body when I practice and train.  Doing 45 minutes on the hamster wheel just isn’t going to get it done.  Knocking out 3 sets of 10 reps of a specific body part isn’t going to get it done.  I have to train which means I am increasing my cardiovascular/respiratory response, strength and flexibility in the activity. Training is an activity that increases performance in a measurable way.  I have to practice which means I am improving coordination, balance, accuracy and agility.  This activity results in changes in the nervous system…I am getting better at the activity.  Power and speed are improved through adaptations in both training and practice. 

The definition of fitness I use says that no matter what I am tasked with…picking up a motorcycle, mowing the lawn, hiking up the mountain, sprinting across the road, sitting down without a chair and getting up without assistance, jumping over the fence, climbing up a tree, or???...I will be able to perform.  You see I want to be a life athlete.  I want to be an athlete that can do what we wants when he wants and be able to say when it was over I am glad I train and practice hard so I was able to get that done.  It’s pretty simple really.  But it is definitely not easy.  It takes sweat, effort, thought and fortitude to push yourself hard.  And then come back tomorrow for more. 

Come on and get fit with me.  Unleash your inner athlete (and bury your couch potato)…they are just sitting there waiting for you to put them in the game…the game we call life.

Namaste

John

“Teaching Focus, Inspiring Transformation”

www.martialartsnevada.com

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