Last week we looked at “What do I want my fitness to do for me?” and this week the thought that has been on my mind is, how do I know when I have enough fitness? It’s a worthwhile question to ask as we show up to workout classes, get walking steps in, eat in a way that supports our goals, and track some of our changes over time. When is it enough? When do I no longer need to worry about the weights on the bars, or the times of my workouts, or the health numbers that allow me to have vitality in life.
One way that I have come to think about this question is to consider if there are areas that I’m limited or unable to do what I want to as a direct result of my overall fitness. If someone asked me to help them move an item and I was unable, then that may be an area I could build more fitness. If I wanted to go for a hike and was unable to complete the trip, then I may want to improve in that area. If after my doctor’s visit the numbers for my blood pressure were high, I would want to improve it.
Does this mean that once I am able to deadlift 200 pounds, I no longer need to deadlift? Not necessarily. I still want to maintain my strength as I age and build muscle for my health, but the pursuit of building to a 225# deadlift may not be as important. If you want to be a competitive powerlifter, then continuing to work to improve your deadlift would be a meaningful pursuit.
Progress is not always tracked by PR’s and weights and times moving in a certain direction. It can also be tracked by how efficiently I move during the workout, the effort to move the same amount of weight, the ability to recover more quickly after a workout, and also the numbers you can’t always see such as resting heart rate, blood pressure, and body composition. So if you’re wondering how much fitness is enough, then the answer to pursue may be what areas of your life are you limited? Is it your strength, your endurance, your flexibility and range of motion, or your balance.
If you want to have a conversation about how to improve your fitness and what that can look like, our coaches are ready to chat with you!
