5 Functions of Fitness Wealth

It’s easy to forget that wealth and riches doesn’t always have to be about money. They can relate to other areas of life. In this case, when I talk about wealthy, I’m talking about being healthy.

In this blog post I’m going to briefly talk about what it means to be rich in your physical fitness.

It’s so easy to take for granted what we have and are able to do.  Think about the things you do have on this list and appreciate that you have them.  Of course, there’s always room for improvement – but feel good about what you can do first before trying to improve.

Generally speaking, you’ll do better in anything you do if you feel good about yourself.

1.) Energy

When you eat whole foods with the least amount of processing, you eliminate the ups and downs caused by processed foods as well as other sugary treats.  A combination of lean proteins, healthy fats and fibrous carbohydrates make it so that you’re energy level is stable. Getting your body moving, spending time with loved ones help create energy.  It’s really amazing what a smile can do for you and another person.

2.) Pain Free

Sometimes when we pursue our ambitions, we get lay to waste what we need to do to maintain ourselves. When it comes to lifting heavy weights and other forms of intense exercise, you have to take the appropriate time to take care of your muscle in joints.  This means to take care of muscle tissue with foam rolling and working on flexibility short comings that help you move better.

Almost everyone I talk to says they need to stretch or wish they had better mobility. Mobility is a skill, it’s something that’s practiced.  If you want to get better, practice.

3.) Reasonable body fat

You don’t have to have a six pack, you don’t even have to have a flat stomach. What most people need to get their body weight close to a standard BMI.  Even if you’re a little overweight, if you can do all the basics, you’re probably fine.  The challenge I have when it comes to discussing “reasonable body fat” is the poor self-esteem it creates for not being close to “the ideal.”  Everyone has a slightly different definition for what that means, but what’s important is that you’re aware of it and you understand what’s healthy for you.  There’s so much more to talk about here, but I’ll save that for a future blog post.

4.) Can do the basics

Can you run a mile without dying?

Can you do a good push up?

Can you do a pull up?

Can you squat to parallel and do a sit up?

And most important, can you do these pain free or with minimal risk of tearing something?  Sure, you might have an injury that’s preventing you, but that shouldn’t stop you from being able to get close to doing the basics.  The only exception here is the pull up.  If you’re a female and can do a pull up, you’re an elite.

5.) Mental Health

I really think this isn’t talked about often enough.  Being kind and happy with yourself allows for a good life.  Body image and trying to look like a movie star really puts real mental stress on people to a point of eating disorders.  This is one of the reasons why I resisted dieting.  I’m either all or nothing.  This is what happens when you’re young.  There is black and there is white.  No such thing as gray.

But life is full of gray.

What if everything was either sweet or salty?

What if everything was either hot or cold?

There’s a healthy balance – and I wish I could give you some concrete advice here, but the truth is I can’t.  I’m still trying to figure it out myself.

To spend your life out of shape and unhealthy is no life.

To spend your life constantly obsessed with keeping your abs and staying super strong is no life either.

There’s a creative solution somewhere.  Just understand there’s an idea out there for you that fit with what philosophy you choose to create for yourself.