Why Exercise Should Focus on Fitness

Critics and experts challenge the goal of thinness as unrealistic and unnecessary; they say fitness is better for health in the long run.

The debate is on again.  ‘I am too fat; I want to be as thin as Beyonce, Janet Jackson, or J. Lopez’.  But if you look closely, you'll notice that these three pop stars are not what you call ‘thin’.  They have voluptuous figures, beautiful, and are very feminine.  When you see them perform, they do so with so much high energy, you wonder where they got the raw power from.  That is fitness. On the other hand, a supermodel like Kate Moss or a celebrity like Victoria Beckham may be called ‘thin’.  Their job requires them to be super thin. Put them on the same stage with Beyonce, Janet Jackson and J.Lopez, and I bet you they will be gasping for breath to catch up. 

Now, before you start punishing yourself on the treadmill or bodywork machine, it's important you pause to ask what your objective should be.  Do you want fitness or by all means want thinness.  If you are overweight by a long shot, naturally you need to reduce your fat for health reasons.  Thereafter your aim should be overall fitness, so say the experts. We couldn’t agree more.  A fat woman can be fitter than a slim woman and vice versa.  But by now we should all know the benefits of being fit, so naturally we will tip our preference for fitness.

If we talk about getting in shape, it means improving fitness, and not necessarily reducing fatness.  In any case, if you're in shape and fit, your excess fat will be replaced with muscle steadily without you being obsessed about fat reduction.  Think Serena Williams.  And again, when a thin person enters the gym, fat people will look her up and down and ask the question “What are you doing in the gym?”  or say something like “If I have your figure, I will not be here”.  That’s a wrong assertion.  For all you know, the thin person may even need to exercise more than you do for fitness.

It’s about time we drop the myth that only fat people need to exercise. We all could do with lifestyle changes, not necessarily weight changes, like healthy eating and exercise, which are beneficial whether they produce any weight loss or not.  Being more concerned about your nutritional intake will give you real health benefits.  And if you are lucky to get just a little weight loss, this is just as good as a lot of weight loss. 

So stop hopping on the weighing scales each time you enter the gym, and groaning when the scale doesn’t  fall down to the ‘left’ hand side but actually creeps further to the ‘right’.  Cast your mind back and think about the good things that your new exercise program is giving you: no more headaches, no more lower back pain, tiredness reduced, no more panting when you climb the stairs, appetite suppressed, your skin has improved, constipation gone, your sex drive is back and several other health benefits.

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