Fitness is for Everyone

By Lauren C

---

The standard way of thinking about fitness is that being classified as “fit” means you work out regularly and most likely look a certain way. Although I should know better by now, I cannot help thinking that fitness has a certain image to it. I dread saying I’m into fitness in fear of someone scanning their eyes up and down my body and doubting my statement. However, after gradual realizations, I’ve come to the terms with the word “fitness.” 

I have always been a deep thinker and I continually question core beliefs I have about anything and everything. Why do I have this image of what fitness is? What does the word “fitness” even mean? Google says: “the condition of being physically fit and healthy.” What is considered physically fit? What factors determine if someone is healthy? There are no universal standards or qualifications to make someone “fit.” The term is an abstract idea that is relative. 

Google also says fitness is “the quality of being suitable to fulfill a particular role or task.” A marathon runner is fit; they have mastered how to run a marathon and can perform that task. An Olympic weightlifter is not fit at running marathons--does this mean they are not fit? Of course not. If you have a job, you were chosen for that position because your employer believed you were the right person to take on those tasks. You are fit in regards to your job requirements. Fitness applies to everyone. 

Hopefully I have demystified the term “fitness” and made it less intimidating. Now that I have established the concept as subjective and not a universal condition, let’s talk about physical fitness. Physical fitness is just as relative as the term fitness. There are no requirements or standards for what makes someone fit. Someone who runs 2 miles a week or someone who does yoga every day or someone who is an Olympian are all physically fit. It all depends on the person and their circumstances; fitness is unique to everyone.

Going to the gym may seem like the only way to “get fit.” This is a belief that many people hold--I used to be one of them as well. There are so many options to be physical and move your body that it is unfair to squeeze fitness into one small box. There is weightlifting, tai chi, martial arts, running, cycling, walking, stretching, HIIT, strength training, yoga, balance training, plyometrics, gymnastics, dance, etc. The limits are endless and there is something for everyone. Do not force yourself to do something you do not like, there are so many options that you are bound to find something you’ll love. The goal is movement. Any kind of movement can be medicine for the body and the mind if done correctly. You should look forward to your fitness. It should be a break from your day and allow you to focus on you, and just you. 
​
Whether you are big, small, able, disabled, light, dark, tall, short, old, young, or anything in between, fitness is for you. Fitness is for everyone.