Why Fit

Why Fit?
By Bernard "Bun" Gladieux, Jr.

People who exercise do so for a lot of different, highly individual, subjective reasons. In this regard, having a firm grip on knowing just why you exercise will go a long way to helping you do what you like while you move toward your goals. The following are some thoughts on what those motivations might be.

Fitness:
As an abstraction, fitness alone probably motivates a smaller number of those who workout, train and exercise regularly than you might think.  True, you can measure fitness – number of pushups in a minute, resting pulse, blood pressure, etc.; and such objective measures can and should be used to test progress.  But for most people, who "walk the walk," fitness usually does not remain for very long the central reason one exercises. 

Most athletes will find that fitness, by itself, is too thin a gruel to hold one's attention for the long haul. Those who single mindedly quest after the fitness abstraction without bonding to the pleasures of the process for their inherent rewards, soon fall off, fizzle out or spiral down. Of course fitness is inevitably a prerequisite to an active, sustainable and compelling lifestyle and life.  In that sense fitness is a ticket to a quality of life unattainable any other way.

Accomplishment:
Once you have met your basic needs for food, shelter, clothing, companionship, etc., the achievement of self fulfillment becomes a powerful motivating force - one of the most important in all human development. It is almost always a key element in the drive behind highly achieving athletes.  The attainment of a goal like a marathon or a personal record in a 10 K race can bring with it a supreme satisfaction that feeds the soul like the attainment of any seemingly impossible dream. Such accomplishments can be grand or modest, public or private.

Competition:
It is not at all everyone's cup of tea, but for many people, competition adds an incomparable spice to athletic activity and a strong incentive and focus in training.  If you thrive on it, by all means indulge yourself, seek out competitive situations at whatever level suits your style and needs.  But if competition leaves you stressed and feeling out of control, let it be; it's no doubt worth a whole lot less to you than the effort. You choose.

Longevity:
There is some evidence that regular, moderate exercise does forestall the onset of some life-threatening conditions like colon cancer and cardiovascular disease, so statistically, it probably does extend life.  But for the individual, such questions are largely academic. More to the point is the impact that fitness has on the day-to-day quality of your current life or "living longer now."  Robust good health – the absence of and resistance to disease when combined with sound fitness – permits you to live a life at your full potential for happiness and satisfaction.

Rehabilitation:
When injury or sickness does lay you flat, a base fitness level facilitates your recovery.  Moreover base level fitness activity is often a sound first line of attack in the actual recovery process.  If a summer flu interrupts you marathon training, ease back into it after your fever subsides and as your strength returns.  Your rest during the recovery is infinitely more valuable to your future health than the junk training you get out of a tired body.

Taking Control:
The achievement of even a base fitness level is not something anyone else can do for you. You work for it and, like the highest performance, what you get for it is yours alone. Having the mastery, that control over your own body tends in turn to extend to other areas of your living experience. 

Here and now:  The acid test of any training, conditioning or exercise regimen is the love of the drudgery it evokes.  If you can't wallow exuberantly in the sheer pleasure of whatever it is that you do, keep looking.  There is something out there for everybody.  There is no dishonor in not having struck upon it yet, what ever your age, only in not continuing the search.

In Good Health,
Bernard L. Gladieux, Jr.
President,
The Pressure Positive Company