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Earlier this month, I shared my thoughts on what it means to be fit.
“I have no clearer definition in my mind of what it means to be ‘fit’ than I do of what it means to be ‘rich’,” I wrote. “In some ways, I believe fitness is more about the journey than any destination.”
Reader response
Get Fit Slowly readers offered some great comments in response. Greenman2001 wrote:
Being healthy means being disease-free and living a lifestyle that doesn’t contribute to the creation of disease in your own body. You don’t live to be a hundred by running a marathon: you live to be a hundred by being disease-free. So, as a practical matter, I think “being fit” incorporates both good physical health and a lifestyle that promotes and perpetuates good health.
He noted that Walter Willett, chair of the nutrition department at Harvard, recommends the following:
- Don’t smoke
- Maintain a BMI below 25
- 30 minutes of exercise a day
- Diet characterized by low intake of trans fat
- Diet with a high ratio of polyunsaturated to saturated fats
- High whole-grain intake
- Two servings of fish a week
- RDA of folic acid
- At least 5 grams of alcohol a day
Greenman observed that Mac and I tend to focus more on exercise than diet, and reminded me that both are important to obtaining fitness. He’s right. Exercise isn’t my weak spot — food is.
Lucas pointed out that there’s a difference between fitness and health. “You could successfully train to run a marathon on a diet consisting entirely of donuts,” he wrote. “This would make you fitter (you can run a marathon!), but less healthy (you’re only eating donuts!).”
Finally, Sheamus also wrote that it’s important not to confuse fitness and health. “I would suggest that, simply, fitness is being able to engage in rigorous exercise for 60-minutes, daily,” said Sheamus, “and being strong and healthy enough to do it again 24 hours later.”
CrossFit
James Barton, another commenter, suggested I read the October 2002 issue of The CrossFit Journal. I’ve heard a lot about CrossFit, though I’m still not completely clear on the concept. Here’s the program’s philosophy on how to achieve “world class fitness in 100 words”:
Eat meat and vegetables, nuts and seeds, some fruit, little starch and no sugar. Keep intake to levels that will support exercise but not body fat. Practice and train major lifts: Deadlift, clean, squat, presses, clean and jerk, and snatch. Similarly, master the basics of gymnastics: pull-ups, dips, rope climb, push-ups, sit-ups, presses to handstand, pirouettes, flips, splits, and holds. Bike, run, swim, row, etc, hard and fast. Five or six days per week mix these elements in as many combinations and patterns as creativity will allow. Routine is the enemy. Keep workouts short and intense. Regularly learn and play new sports.
Sounds great, huh? And the web site offers plenty of documentation. Unfortunately, I feel like even the introductory material isn’t very accessible to the uninitiated. It’s all marketing speak. I’d like to know more about what CrossFit really is and how it’s different from other fitness regimens.
According to the article recommended by James Barton:
We have observed that nearly every measurable value of health can be placed on a continuum that ranges from sickness to wellness to fitness. Though tougher to measure, we would even add mental health to this observation. Depression is clearly mitigated by proper diet and exercise, i.e., genuine fitness.
For example, a blood pressure of 160/95 is pathological, 120/70 is normal or healthy, and 105/55 is consistent with an athlete’s blood pressure; a body fat of 40% is pathological, 20% is normal or healthy, and 10% is fit. We observe a similar ordering for bone density, triglycerides, muscle mass, flexibility, HDL or “good cholesterol”, resting heart rate, and dozens of other common measures of health. Many authorities (e.g. Mel Siff, the NSCA) make a clear distinction between health and fitness. Frequently they cite studies that suggest that the fit may not be health protected. A close look at the supporting evidence invariably reveals the studied group is endurance athletes and, we suspect, endurance athletes on a dangerous fad diet (high carb, low fat, low protein).
Done right, fitness provides a great margin of protection against the ravages of time and disease. Where you find otherwise examine the fitness protocol, especially diet. Fitness is and should be “super-wellness.” Sickness, wellness, and fitness are measures of the same entity. A fitness regimen that doesn’t support health is not CrossFit.
None of this really changes my mind. I still think fitness is more about the journey than the destination. However, I do like the notion that there are actual measurable elements of fitness: blood pressure, BMI, fat intake, amount of exercise, etc. I also like the idea that there are many sub-elements of fitness. I think that my recent problems with flexibility are evidence of this.
Despite the fact that I’ve been derailed for the past few days (and I really have been — eating poorly and no exercise), I intend to continue my quest for fitness. It’s been a pleasure so far, both learning about fitness in general and learning about my own body. I look forward to continued progress in the future.
Mac
13 responses so far ↓
1 bRobert // Jul 22, 2008 at 10:26 am
Concerning CrossFit, my impression is that they provide a tremendous amount of information and documentation for free. I don’t follow the WODs, but use their videos to learn and refine my lifts and technique with various exercises.
My current focus is strength, with a goal of over 2x my bodyweight in deadlift, squat, and benchpress. On my off days, I practice Olympic lifts I have learned from the CF videos. Kettlebells I learned about from CF, but studied using RKC videos and documentation.
Anyway, I admire and appreciate CrossFit, even if I don’t adopt it fully for myself. I do agree with the principles, I just am not interested in pursuing them all in that intensity. Whatever works, I take what is useful to me and leave the rest.
2 greenman2001 // Jul 22, 2008 at 11:27 am
I’d like to hear more about how you have gotten derailed, and the particulars of this derailment. Then I think we should have a discussion right here in the blog about how to create a sustainable program for fitness: how to deal with the kinds of adversity that derail us.
3 Stephanie // Jul 22, 2008 at 11:37 am
WoW! That first excerpt was neat. Health in a nutshell.
I run about 25 miles a week, but my diet totally sucks!
4 Tom // Jul 22, 2008 at 3:07 pm
Regarding Crossfit, I do see why you would say there’s a lot of marketing on the site. They really do want gym owners to pay for their endorsement, etc.
However, for individuals, it’s a wealth of information. If you want an intense workout (and you’re already in good shape), the WOD is always “fun.” They also have links to scaled down versions. I’ve also heard simplefit.org is a good resource for gym-less crossfit.
As bRobert mentioned, their videos and explanations are fantastic. Rippetoe is one of their coaches, and there’s all kinds of stuff to be learned from him and their other coaches.
I don’t follow crossfit, but for individuals there’s all kinds of information. Since it’s free, they just have to try to sell themselves to those that may actually pay, I suppose. It’s an interesting business model.
5 DPS // Jul 22, 2008 at 3:17 pm
To me the idea that training for and running marathons could be fitness and something like crossfit is not seems silly.
The amount of running you must do on a hard surface is very hard on your body, and while the increased cardo and leg exercise is beneficial, there are many other ways to get the same benefit.
Training for almost ANY “sport” requires a specific type of training that may cause overuse or damage to joints and muscles. Training for all sports requires moderation in any specific area. I think crossfit trains for this very well, I found out about it when someone mentioned it in a comment here and I looked into it. Like you I found not much info about “it”, but now I realize why.
There is no big business here, no PR guys writing stuff. The founders and maybe a webguy put this stuff together and maybe it sounds a little wacky, but who cares what they say about it. Do the workout (or in my case the brandx scaled puppies workout) and just get in better shape. The workouts are quick, require very little equipment (prob less then good running shoes) and since they are given out on the site they stay varied and keep you guessing.
In just a bit over a month I’m stronger, and can run further, can bike harder, i just did 50 something consecutive, no break fast pushups the other day (I started the pushup challenge also from here and my first max was 21). Yeah it’s hard work, it’s a WORKout. But it’s also working the whole body, and for someone like me who’s been glued to an office chair for the last 10 years, it’s the kick in the pants I need.
6 Kelly // Jul 22, 2008 at 3:33 pm
I’ve been reading this blog since the beginning, but this is my first comment.
I did Crossfit for 4 months last year, through Crossfit Milwaukee. I ended up taking a break, for personal reasons, but plan to get back to Crossfit workouts in Chicago when I move in a few weeks.
I am not what one would call an athlete, by background. I am not terribly coordinated in team sports, and never was comfortable with running, etc.
Crossfit made me feel like an athlete. Crossfit involves combinations of strength training/weightlifting, gymnastics, and cardio that provide an intense workout in a reasonable amount of time per day. Crossfit’s main benefit, in my eyes, is that it’s -scalable-.
I could be doing a Crossfit workout next to a 65-year-old (I am 33), and we could both be getting the same workout, each of us scaling the weight or tempo to what we can handle.
I have never been made to feel that I am “less than” in a Crossfit workout because I can only deadlift 30 lbs (a bad back that I need to strengthen!) or can’t run a 400 meter segment or I can’t do pullups. I get encouragement - I run what I can and racewalk the rest, or do jumping pullups or ring rows to build up my arm strength and eventually do a pullup, or to find a modification to lowering the weights to the ground in a deadlift. Crossfit is all about finding out what you can do and working to be able to do more. It’s not a condemnation of what you can’t do.
Some days, Crossfit workouts concentrate on one element, (weightlifting, cardio, gymnastics), and other days, it’s 2 or 3 of them.
It’s one of the craziest things I’ve ever done, but I miss it greatly, and I can’t wait to get back to it.
7 DR // Jul 22, 2008 at 4:36 pm
Everyone’s definition of physical fitness (I assume that we are sticking with physical fitness and not mental or emotional or spiritual…) is going to be different based upon their particual needs.
For some, like J.D., are interested in the voyage rather than the destination. For these people, physical fitness has become something larger that aerobic capacity. In a weird way, it is almost spiritual.
A similar experience is seen amongst the proponents of Crossfit or other training methodologies. Crossfit members become almost tribal about their choice of exercise and exercise community.
But if we’re talking stictly what are the components of physical fitness, here are my..
5 Components of Physical Fitness
Muscular Strength
Neuro-Muscular Co-ordination
Structural Balance
Energy Systems
Overall Health
I would go into more detail, but I think that I have rambled on long enough.
If anyone is interested, I blogged in more detail about these components here - http://healthhabits.wordpress.com/2008/04/10/the-components-of-physical-fitness/
8 kazari // Jul 22, 2008 at 4:53 pm
I still believe fitness has to do with being ‘fit for purpose’. A rock-climbers idea of fitness will be different to a marathon runner.
Even a triathlete has a different idea from a swimmer.
Who are you?
What do you want to do?
Those are the things that decide how you define fitness.
9 Sheamus // Jul 23, 2008 at 4:58 am
Re ‘fit for a purpose’, I think to some extent that’s confusing fitness with the different skills and muscles required for different sports.
Fit is fit - while an Ironman athlete like Chris McCormack would be blown away by Tyson Gay over probably 100-400m, Gay couldn’t keep up with McCormack for probably more than a few miles. They’re both fit people, just in different ways.
Likewise, McCormack, while an endurance specialist, would be destroyed by Ian Adamson over a four- or five-day adventure race. But he’d still be able to finish one, barring some major catastrophe.
I still think there’s a blur here between the concepts of what is fit and what is healthy. They’re two different things in my mind, although they are of course related to some extent. But healthy is being disease free, eating well, living well, etc. But that alone doesn’t make you fit.
Fitness is being able to get your heart going and maintaining it at an intensity required for the activity in which you choose to engage, i.e., a marathon, padding, basketball or a 400m sprint. And then being able to do it again. And again.
Neither concept has much to do with weight. Having a 30-inch waist as a man doesn’t mean you’re necessarily fit or healthy. There are many professional (US) football and rugby players who weigh 220+ pounds who can run and hold a six-minute mile pace. Likewise, there are loads of normal people you see every day who are waif-thin but clearly malnourished and exceedingly unfit, either through a poor diet, excessive smoking or simply a lack of regular exercise.
You certainly don’t have to do dead-lifts to achieve ‘world class fitness’. That’s nonsense. I’d dead-lifted almost twice my bodyweight. It didn’t help my fitness in any way. It certainly didn’t help my cardiovascular system, or make me run faster, or jump higher. I’d argue for most people things like the dead-lift are actually counter-productive to body health because they put so much strain on your nervous system, even if performed 100 per cent correctly.
However, there is something to be said that if you are genuinely fit you should be fairly adaptable to the requirements of different exercises and sports. While a fast runner shouldn’t be expected to be a great tennis player, they certainly shouldn’t be challenged by the physical requirements of tennis. So I would add that where the Crossfit concept scores is the idea that true fitness comes with a well-rounded body.
Finally, again to strike an axe into the fit/healthy divide, nobody really knows the long-term effects of a lot of what the pros are doing. Ironman and ultra-length endurance running is really only about thirty years old. We already know that serious endurance training can be problematic for some women. (Indeed, it’s my understanding that the highest percentage of eating disorders can be found amongst college-level female distance runners.)
And let’s not be naïve – the 100m guys who break the record every one or two years are putting all manner of crap into their bodies to achieve that. Is that healthy? I’d argue that it isn’t – let’s not forget Florence Griffith-Joyner died at the age of 39 in fairly unusual circumstances after setting standards in the 100m and 200m that no woman has come even remotely close to, even 20 years on.
To me, these examples illustrate the difference between the concepts of fit and healthy. For the average person, I’d again say that being fit simply means that on any given day you are able to undertake a fairly intensive level of physical activity for 30-60 minutes without it being a major issue, and not collapse in a crying heap at the end of it.
Living a healthy lifestyle might help you achieve that goal, but as a lot of the professional athletes have shown us, it certainly isn’t essential.
10 Jim // Jul 23, 2008 at 7:16 pm
It should be obvious scrolling through a few of the WOD at crossfit, but if not, be wary of jumping into crossfit. It can lead to injury if you follow the WOD as a program. Quickly peruse their injury forum to see if this matches up with a get fit slowly strategy — I would argue, no.
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13 Jeff // Jul 31, 2008 at 7:42 pm
Yep, the language of health and fitness is a semantic mess. I had to comment because I saw some people attempting to equate “being healthy”, which is really about lack of disease, with “living healthily”, which is about trying to live in such a way as to maximize health. Sorry to burst people’s bubbles, but exercise and diet will not guarantee good health. Yes, they increase your chances for good health, but guarantee? Not by a long shot. So don’t equate the two.
Oh, and I love how the Harvard guy is using BMI as a measure of health-and-or-fitness. From what I’ve seen, most really fit people have “unhealthy” BMIs. It may just be the stupidest measure ever — those of use who are out of shape know it, we don’t no stinking formula to tell us.
I do think that the word fit itself implies “suitable for a task”, and that’s the way I tend to see it, but I think it has come to have the connotation of “having little body fat”.
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