People are always talking about getting in shape or being in shape. By "shape" they mean fitness. But what is fitness and how do you know when you have achieved it? Without resorting to a dictionary or an encyclopedia, I am attempting to define the concept from my own experiences and past readings.
Simply put, fitness is having the mental and physical capacity to do what needs to be done. What needs to be done can be as broad as painting the exterior of a house to mowing the lawn, to running a marathon, to . . , to . . , to . . . . I trust that you get the point.
Probably the most common thought that a lot of us have when we talk about getting in shape falls under the overly broad category of "cardio." I say overly broad because one can be in shape for running but not for swimming, or in shape for biking but not for running. Training is specific so if one runs and achieves what that person thinks is running fitness, it does not follow that the same person can then hop on a bicycle and pedal like someone who trains on a bike. Trust me, I know this.
It is true that if one has a cardio base in one endeavor, it is much easier to build a cardio base in another discipline. The runner will achieve biking fitness much faster than a couch potato could because the physiological changes that accompany cardio in general (heart strength, increased blood volume, increased capillary beds, mitochondrial changes in the muscles, etc) have already taken place.
For some, strength is the chief component of being in shape. If one is a strength athlete, that goes without saying, but beyond that being able to generate muscular force beyond one's untrained ability is almost always important for sports success.
I suppose cardio and strength are, to a large part, the bookends of fitness. There is, however, a whole lot of ground in between those two. First, there are various combinations of the cardio and strength. Then there is flexibility, balance, and body control, all of which are important for total fitness and long term health even. There is also the ability to sit and be inactive for long periods of time. I find this kind of fitness to be very difficult, and I suppose my employers know this. So in order to get the teaching staff in shape for the new school year, we always have to report to work at least a week early and spend about forty hours doing nothing. It's one of the toughest things I have ever done in my life.
I am in one of these pre-semester training sessions now, and I'm about to die. Today alone, I have drunk two quarts of coffee, taken a nap on the floor, walked outside and sat in the heat, and considered going on a screaming spree. I just can't take it anymore. Bear in mind that this calendar year alone, I have run a marathon, done a 22.38 mile swim, completed a 35 mile triathlon, and cycled 62 miles in one day. But none of that gives me the fitness to get through this. I am ready to tap out. God help me. I. am. exhausted.
I keep telling myself that other people do this, that lots of people have done this that other people are doing this right now. That kind of thinking often gets me through a dental appointment, but it's efficacy is failing me now. My guess is one day this cruel hazing party or fitness cycle or whatever you want to call it will be deemed immoral, unuseful, and out of date. But in the meantime, I am struggling on. Please pray for me.
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