Fitness - the final frontier

If your health habits are the foundation, and your functionality is the support system, then your fitness is everything else - the walls, the roof, the decor, and the window dressings.

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Put it this way, you certainly don't need to be fit to have a healthy and happy life, just like you don't need anything more than a stable foundation and sturdy walls. But that doesn't mean we shouldn't aspire to have better, either.

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There are a few very REAL benefits to improving your fitness. First of all, your self-esteem and confidence are things that improve as you improve your fitness. As you tackle harder and harder physical challenges, you start to believe in yourself more and more. One of the coolest things about building your fitness is that it has the power to transcend into every other area of your life. If you start to believe in yourself more and more, it's going to have a positive ripple effect in everything else - your job, your relationships, etc.

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A few more benefits are your long-term health and vitality. We look at fitness as a buffer against sickness and bad luck. What I mean by this is the following: Imagine an average person gets sick or sustains a serious injury. Their health is compromised because of the new situation they are in, leaving them vulnerable. Now, imagine a person who prioritizes their fitness in the same situation. They are better equipped to deal with the issue because their body is more capable of handling adverse scenarios. They have a hedge against sickness and injury. PS, this also means you aren't going to have to spend as much on medicines or medical interventions when these things arise.

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Being fit is just also a more ideal way to live. You are able to pursue any adventure in life without fear or worry that you won't be able to do it. You have the option of having a more adventurous, fun lifestyle if you choose it.

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And of course, the most important factor of being fit is the long-term consequences of NOT being fit. The leading cause of elderly individuals getting put in a nursing home is loss of function. The more fitness you can develop, the greater the chances that you will be independent and functional for a longer period of time.

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This all boils down to a higher quality of life for a longer period of time.

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If you ask me, it's a no brainer. We should all be working on our fitness.