I was thinking about some former Coyote members recently and the process I saw them go through. When they joined they jumped in headfirst and did everything we asked of them. They showed up every day, did extra work, got their diet dialed in, focused on their recovery, came to events outside the gym, sometimes even competed. However, after a few years they fell off altogether and quit coming. I was wondering why that seemed to happen and then it hit me. So many people think of fitness as a hobby. I want to hopefully show you in this article that fitness is not a hobby, it is life or death.
I think the mistake that we have made in the past at Coyote was focusing too much on the competitive aspect of fitness. We celebrated PRs, encouraged people to compete, and always tried to get people to push themselves to the next level. What I realized, however, was that we were doing our members a disservice. We were focusing on the hobby aspect of fitness and not focusing on the most important thing-the health. Once our members scratched that competitive itch, or felt like they weren’t progressing in the sport anymore then they felt like there wasn’t a point to keep coming. They weren’t going to get much better so why spend more time training for something that in the end was just a hobby. And who could blame them? We were prioritizing and focusing on that! We failed to do a good job of demonstrating that the health benefits dwarfed the temporary joy they felt in trying to excel in a new hobby. We failed to show them that the ultimate prize for all of their training wasn’t a faster Fran time or a podium finish at a local competition. It was a longer life.
There have been many studies on longevity of life that have been done over the years, but there are two that have really stuck out to me. They both came to similar conclusions. One study concluded that the three biggest indicators of life span were grip strength, aerobic capacity, and body fat percentage. Another study concluded that the biggest indicators were leg strength, VO2 max, and body fat percentage. What these are saying is simple. The fitter you are (more muscle mass, less body fat, better conditioning) the longer you will live. How much longer? That is impossible to say, but suffice it to say that in general, by being fitter, you will be adding YEARS to your life.
Adding years to your life is great, but what about quality of life? Who wants to live out their last days in a sickbed or in a nursing home? The number one reason for elderly people to become bedridden is a fall. They do not have enough muscle mass to support their bones if they fall, causing them to break a hip or leg and forced into bed. This can be the beginning of the end for many. Muscle mass not only helps your body function better, but it also protects you from catastrophic injury that can rob you of quality of life as well. What about a trip to Disney World with your grand kids? An improved aerobic system will allow you to keep up with them as they run around the park.
Increased fitness will not only help you live longer, it will also help you live better. That is why making health and fitness a part of your life is so important for modern society. We no longer live like our ancestors, who walked everywhere, had to hunt or farm for much of their food, and spent most of their time outdoors. We no longer need to ever leave the house. We can have anything we need delivered to our door. We can drive in a car or fly in a plane to get anywhere in the world. We sit in a chair all day looking at a screen. Fitness is no longer a part of modern society, which is why it is so important that people make fitness a part of their daily routine now more than ever. One hundred years ago most people did not need a gym. Their day to day life provided plenty of exercise. This is not the case anymore, however. Making fitness a priority is now an imperative to live a longer and more enjoyable life.
I hope I have demonstrated to you how important fitness is. It is not a hobby. No one can afford to treat it as a hobby anymore. Modern life has made fitness a necessity. The sooner we can start treating it that way the better chance we will have of living a longer, more fulfilled life. Competition is fun and can keep you engaged, but don’t let it distract you from what is really on the line. Health and fitness is literally life or death.