You might have told yourself as some point or other you would like to improve your fitness, but did you ever stop to think about what exactly that means? There is a multi-billion euro industry operating within the European region that we call the fitness sector, but what exactly is this fitness concept that’s up for sale that so many of us are so happy to hand over our hard-earned cash to buy?
We’re perfectly in our rights to ask, what is fitness, exactly? What exactly is on offer here to fitness consumers? The answer might seem straight and plain to you, but different versions of it appear equally straight and plain to pretty much anybody you ask, fitness professionals included funnily enough.
I recently had this very discussion with a group of trainee fitness instructors and the issues arising were enough to alter their entire outlook and approach to a prospective career in the fitness industry. In the past we would often look to sports for examples of prime fitness, before realising that most sports tend to favour specific components of fitness over others. Marathon runners for example would constitute examples of the endurance-based components of fitness, while weightlifters reflect pure power and strength.
The idea of establishing the “fittest athlete” is simply too subjective and problematic for serious debate. Then “Cross Fit” burst onto the scene offering an entirely conception of total fitness. Conceived and born out of the fitness as opposed to the competitive sport sector, the new discipline quickly became the “sport of fitness”, and offered a flexible, multi-disciplinary, and unpredictable approach to competition that required participants to be essentially ready for anything.
The winner of the annual Cross Fit World Championship event would indeed be crowned and labeled the fittest woman and man on the planet.
The fitness industry is primarily based on the principle of exercise as a means to improve health, so interventions based on sound ethics should ultimately serve to enhance our health, not detract from it.
Many athletes know that winning a medal or trophy can sometimes involve practices that are actually unhealthy. Excessive training, dangerous dietary habits and dehydration, as well as some forms of nutritional supplementation could all represent risks to an athletes’ health when certain results are sought at all costs.
Even simple gym training with no competitive aspirations whatsoever can become excessive, addictive, and ultimately, unhealthy. Fitness is seen today from a more holistic perspective, taking into account the many facets of well-managed health.
Reflect on how your total fitness is coming along and not just what is visible in the mirror
While physical fitness consisting of strength, endurance and flexibility to name but a few components, is indeed an important part of total fitness, so is psychological and social wellbeing, eating healthily and limiting unhealthy lifestyle habits such as smoking, drinking, consuming high-fat food or sitting down too long and too often.
The modern day fitness instructor must appreciate all facets of total fitness and possess an understanding of encouraging and facilitating positive change in all these key areas. Where significant issues exist fitness instructors should also be able and equipped to refer to other relevant and competent professionals.
Sometimes we can get so carried away developing our physical fitness that we start spending more and more time in the gym, and less time attending to other important work, leisure, or social commitments.
When it starts to interfere with our ability to lead a normal life, we can be pretty sure our physical fitness is being achieved at the cost of total fitness. When faced with the prospect of missing a session due to temporary illness or even social commitments, we can become enraged or overcome by feelings of guilt and shame, all indicators we are neglecting the psycho-social side of fitness.
On a larger social scale, some might even argue that fitness activities like attending a gym might actually be fuelling narcissistic personality traits in this modern image-conscious society of ours.
By focusing excessively on the visual and aesthetic effects of en-hanced physical fitness, and pursuing these aspects exclusively and at all costs, an exercise regimen can quickly become inherently unhealthy in cases of pre-existing narcissistic tendencies.
Looking fit does not necessarily mean actually being fit. Indeed, this imbalanced view of fitness may in part be responsible for some of the stereotypes we see surrounding the industry and its professionals.
The appearance of supreme physical fitness by that same token does not necessarily imply a person is unintelligent, vein, narcissistic, or even socially inept.
The concept of total holisticfitness is a powerful cue for the cultivation of balance where the temptation for extremes is ever present.
When planning or agreeing your health and lifestyle interventions solo or with professional guidance, consider your knowledge and ability to consume a healthy and balanced dietary intake, and cut down on junk food, sweets, smoking, alcohol, and unhealthy activities like excessive sitting, which is now being touted as “the new smoking”.
Question your stress levels, and safeguard your psychological health. As you progress with your new programme over the medium to long-term, reflect on how your total fitness is coming along, and not just what is visible in the mirror.
Be an informed fitness consumer, and ask of all fitness products on sale, how will this improve my total fitness?
matthewmuscatinglott@gmail.com