The Importance of Physical Fitness is Personal

We all know that physical fitness is good for us. We know that it reduces stress, increases cardiovascular health, reduces the symptoms of depression and anxiety, and makes us look good. But we all have our own reasons for wanting to be healthy. The importance of physical fitness in my life could be completely different from the significance or priority it holds in yours. How we view our own physical fitness also has a lot to do with how committed we are to it.

For me, the importance of physical fitness has a lot to do with my sanity. Exercising makes me happy. Literally. If I go a week without working out I get cranky and moody without even realizing it. Occasionally work and personal life causes these short hiatuses to happen and when they do everyone around me notices. I’ve been caught off guard a few times wondering “what is wrong with me?” only to realize my workouts had fallen by the wayside. For me, even a 20 minute run in the neighborhood or two of the Ten Minute Trainer workouts put be back to contentment.

The importance of physical fitness to many others is their immediate health. For some of these people they have experienced a sudden and dramatic wake up call. Perhaps a negative doctors report or a heart attack has shaken these people into reality, giving them reason to make their physical fitness a priority.

Some of us get fit purely for looks. If this is your only motivation for the importance of physical fitness, you may want to reprioritize. I am guilty of liking how I look when I work out. However, as a sole motivation for getting fit, this one is the least likely to lead to lasting health. For some reason, people who lose weight only to look good or fit in a certain pair of pants are less likely to keep the weight off. While there’s nothing wrong with wanting to look good, there are far deeper reasons for wanting better health.

What is the importance of physical fitness for you? Perhaps you enjoy pushing past your limitations and extreme programs like P90X allow you to do this. Maybe you like the social aspects of it and love being able to talk about physical fitness with others. There are many reasons for people to stay fit. What’s yours?