It is easy to look at a person with a beautiful body and be envious.
We think because someone is skinny, or slender, that they must be fit and healthy. That is not always the case.
Fitness and size do not directly equate. It is possible to be a size 2 and be very unfit, and it is equally as possible to be a size 20 and be in very good physical shape.
When you are judging your fitness level, your weight is only one component to consider. Yes, you want to achieve and maintain a healthy weight.
But the key word there is “healthy.” This means avoiding obesity, and also avoiding unseen visceral fat, the kind of hidden fat that doesn’t show, but accumulates under your muscles and is unhealthy.
A better measure of fitness is your ability to do the kinds of activities that you like. Can you play with your children without becoming out of breath, or do you mostly sit and watch? Can you park your car anywhere at the mall without having to circle endlessly to find the closest space?
Do you have the energy to pursue your interests when you get home from work, or do you collapse onto the nearest couch? Do you do enough weight bearing exercise to keep your bones strong? And last, but certainly not least, do you work for flexibility, range of motion, and cardiovascular health?
All of these questions are far more important than just reaching a certain number on the scale or on the label of the clothes you buy.
