Just Fit

There are a lot of very hard core fitness programs out there.

Insanity, P90x, Cross Fit, etc.

I understand that some people are super motivated to do these things and get “ripped” muscles and six pack abs and be super-humanly fit.

I get the motivation… I spent a good solid year and a half trying to be super-fit myself.

And… I did get some changes from it.  I did a lot (LOT) of work, and for that work, I got a little bit stronger and I got a little more muscle, and I got up to being able to lift a few more pounds of weight if I needed to lift something heavy.

In exchange for what were actually fairly modest gains…

I woke up sore and tired EVERY MORNING OF MY LIFE.

I spent hours and hours exercising and slaving away (seriously – on weekdays I stuck to an hour – that’s fine – but weekends were 2.5 hours Saturday and Sunday mornings, THEN I would have to make sure I did “activities” for the rest of those days to keep “the burn” up.)

I did not get to every enjoy physical activity – it ALWAYS had to be “harder / faster / stronger”… why walk if you can jog?  Why Jog if you can run?  WHY ARE WE NOT MOVING, PEOPLE?!

Now – I ask you – is that any way to live?

Maybe so, maybe not… different people like and do different things.

But for me?  I am taking some time to re-evaluate (lord knows you have heard enough about that) and I do not really see any reason that I need to be “super fit”.

Sometimes something that makes total sense kinda just has to be spelled out for you in different language to get you to see it.  Sometimes people close to you can tell you something, but then if you are exposed to it from an outside source it suddenly “clicks”…

One of the main tenets of the “primal blueprint” – which my changed lifestyle is loosely based on – is that you ought to spend a lot of time doing low-level aerobic activity.  People aren’t meant to push hard all the time…  And low level aerobic activity, plus two strength sessions and one “sprint” workout a week will give you pretty much all the fitness you need.

And I like this, and it makes sense to me.

As long as I am fit enough to do the things I want to do – what’s the point of killing myself to get a little extra?

I just want to be able to hike and play and pick things up when I need to and run around if I want to.

I do not need to be “Cross Fit”…  I only need to be “Just Fit”.