I often have this discussion with my husband because he is in the fitness industry and I am trying to get into the industry.  What do people perceive as ‘fit’?  Is it the physical or the mental attitude?  There are some people out there that are naturally built ‘fit’ and have a look to them that says they look ‘fit’ when perhaps they don’t even workout.  I read shape and fitness magazine once in awhile and I often look at the women in that magazine and wonder if they even workout.  I prefer to see pictures of curvy women like myself because that is what I relate to.  What do you think?

Most people think of yoga instructors as having bodies like a ballerina.  Or at least that’s what I used to think…  But the beauty of yoga is that it’s for people of all shapes and sizes.  When I did my 200-hours for yoga teacher training there were all different ages, shapes, and sizes.  The one thing we all had in common was our passion for yoga.  I loved this because it made it that much easier to feel comfortable around the group.  I myself have a curvy figure and after baby I’m happy with my size 6 body.  Maybe I’ll get back down to a size 4 one day but I know that that might not be realistic for this time in my life.  It’s not that I don’t care about being in better shape it’s that I would rather spend my time playing and watching my son grow and develop than working out 2 hours a day (like I used to do pre-baby).  I live a very healthy lifestyle and I think that that’s what keeps me strong and healthy to be able to take care of my family.  Isn’t that what life is all about?  To feel good about ourselves inside and out!

But don’t think it’s just a woman thing…  My husband asks me, do you think people look at me and think I’m ‘fit’?  And of course I say ‘yes,’ because he is my husband and I love him but I can’t speak for others.  My husband is long and lean and working out is something that he does every day along with eating food and drinking water, it just happens!  I think most men would kill to have his body but when you compare him to a body builder, maybe he looks small.  6 foot, 3 inches tall, 200 lbs, and he looks small?  Yea, well, next to a body builder he might, but he eats a clean diet and exercises in a safe way while pushing himself to his maximum potential.  I might be biased but I think he is one of the ‘fittest’ people I know, especially when it comes to the world of strength and conditioning.  I remember when he was a personal trainer it was hard because while he had a masters degree and all the knowledge, clients would choose the un-educated ‘body builder’ type over him.  Good thing he’s no longer a personal trainer!  I couldn’t imagine growing old in that industry if your body was your #1 selling point.  But we all see those older men and women trying to keep up in an industry made for the young and beautiful.  In those situations it’s definitely about the physical and not the mental.  Maybe next time you hire a trainer or coach you’ll think about asking for their credentials, instead of how much they can bench?  You’ve heard this before but, never judge a book by its cover… Sorry for getting off-track a bit, back to being ‘fit’…

Perhaps we should stop reading magazines and comparing ourselves to the men and women in there that probably don’t even workout and start trying to be the best that we can be.  Establish your own mindset of what being ‘fit’ is for you!  And if you aren’t there yet, than set small steps to get yourself there…  My hopes are that others can relate to my strengths and weaknesses so that they can have someone to relate to.  In my opinion, being ‘fit’ isn’t about a size it’s about an attitude.  Maybe someone that is a size 2 would disagree?  Maybe someone out there believes ‘fit’ is a size 0-2 (period), and they believe there are no other characteristics that being ‘fit’ encompasses.  This is a blog and I am entitled to my opinion so I’d say my definition of ‘fit’ is someone that lives a healthy lifestyle by staying active and eats a clean diet that includes a variety of foods.  They stay away from things that aren’t good for them like drugs and smoking, but on occasion will indulge in things like alcohol (red wine) and chocolate (dark) that have some health benefits.  What’s your definition?