[Closed] Are you coincidentally fit? (confession content)

People who lean toward ectomorph and mesomorph somatypes are always going to find it easier to get fit.

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does anyone believe that you can be fat and fit?

prior to my electrical malfunction of the heart i always thought of my self as pretty fit for a big fat bloke.
at the age of 17to 21 i was about 16 stone, but at the time i was a profesional rugby league player.
i them started cycling and running longer distances to aid my training.
this led to me completing around 20 or so triathlons in the late 80's and early 90's.
i have also completed 4 half marathons whilst weighing 18 stone.
i have cycled since the age of 14, firstly with the ctc, then the rsf and i have montainbiked since the mid 80's.
i have ridden about 12 polaris 2 day events, various mtb enduro events (merida's, rough rides, whinlatter challenges).
i have ridden audax rides up to 300k whilst weighing 19 or so stones.
i have ridden with dozens of people off here who are obviously a lot slimmer and healthy looking than me, but i am pretty sure i have managed to keep up on the rides and have not held them up or made them wait too long.

i am not trying to blow my own trumpet, just stating that you do not have to look athletic and fit to be fit.
it would be nice to look like a adonis tho............ 😉

Bit of a strange question as I don't think anyone is naturally fit, only some people have better genes for ability to be 'fit'.

When I started this thread I wasn't really talking about natural fitness, as in innate biological/genetic fitness, but rather fitness as a habit that goes beyond MTBing.

As I've said, I'm way fitter now than I was because I ride, but if I didn't ride I wouldn't really have much of a fitness habit. I'm scared of gyms, I don't run etc. I would be flabby. That's it, really. 😉

I'm really unfit atm.

Havent been able to do any sort of exercise for nearly 4 months.. went from riding every day to nothing.. :/

worst thing is watching my weight stay the same, but my belly grow..

What happened, anto164? I hope you're on the mend...

Snapped my spine one sunny sunday morning at the end of June whilst dirt jumping. Shit happens, but i'm on the mend.

Blimey, that sounds pretty serious! All the best, mate. I hope you get back on track.

Yep, I'd agree with coincidentally fit thing. I ride a lot because I enjoy it and it saves me money when commuting.

I eat a load of crap (sometimes although I guess my general diet is OK) and drink a bit too much. I'd be a mess if I didn't exercise.

I'm pretty skinny nowadays, when I posted a picture of my tattoo a while back on here people told me to stop breathing in when I wasn't which did wonders for my ego.

Quite happy with the situation.

I'm always astonished at the levels of fitness on STW Peak forum rides.

😀

I have been fit for years and years, just active and healthy kinda guy. When I was a kid though I did put a lot of weight on (13yrs-15yrs) not sure why but I did. After that little era I simply lost it all and being active and sporty has just been my way of life. About 6 years ago I had some presure at work and seem to worry a lot, I put weight on, once I sorted myself out it dropped off again and I been roughly the same weight since 18, small range between 73-78 kgs, which is about right for me.
No diets here, healthy food choices. I drink 1 maybe 2 bottles of wine a week, if I don't I don't miss it, only drink "real ale" (no lager or mass produced beers) But do like whisky so occasional tipple before beddybys. Chinese and Indian food takeaways twice a month max.

I guess the main ingredient to all this is I just like gettting outside and playing.

I'd come at it from a slightly different angle. I think there's a problem in the UK in the sense that medics and health 'experts' and the media have tried to turn 'fitness' into something that's an activity in itself, which it never was and mixed it up with endless crap about six-packs and aesthetics.

It's epitomised by the miserable people you see jogging or sulking in gyms because their GP has told them to go there - there are even schemes where GPs refer patients to gyms fercirissakes. Its fundamentally wrong headed - those people will never get consistently fit because they don't enjoy what they're doing, so they will never carry on doing it. You can see it written all over their miserable faces.

The only real exceptions to that are people who are so narcissistic that they'll inflict pain on themselves just to look 'good' and professional athletes who are basically working for money. Or possibly those with a physically active job who, again, have no choice.

For any half-normal human being in this country, it's about finding a sport or hobby that you love. For me that's bikes, running, walking, climbing, but equally it could be table tennis or football or even going to the gym, if you enjoy that stuff and some people do. Find something you love and you'll carry on doing it because you're passionate about it. I find it harder to not ride my bike than to ride it, always makes me wonder when people struggle to get out there.

Anyway... that's my take on it. I guess the nub of it is that I think rather than trying to persuade all those sofa-surfers to go to the gym and 'get fit' we should be helping them to find activities that they become passionate about because that's the only way they'll get and stay consistently fit. And if they can't be arsed, stuff 'em ...

That's my take on it anyway 🙂

Oh, and Ton's post about being big and fit. All part of the same thing. If you build a culture where being 'fit' is all mixed up with aestheticcs, people start judging fitness by how you look rather than how you perform. I know plenty of folk who look nothing like elite athletes, but are improbably quick and strong and, well, 'fit'.

As an aside, if you're into climbing, Andy Kirkpatrick looks like a big, slightly tubby, moth-eaten teddy bear with stuffing starting to leak out at the seams, but is actually one of the toughest, most effective mountaineers out there. And then there was Don Whillans...

It's epitomised by the miserable people you see jogging or sulking in gyms

I find it harder to not ride my bike than to ride it, always makes me wonder when people struggle to get out there.

BadlyWiredDog, there's way too much sense in your posts for this forum! 😆

I like abusing my body

😯

don't look at me like that! climbing big unclimbable hills till you collapse by the side of the trail head spinning, hyperventilating and nauseous, hills reps till your thighs are on fire, running till you can't walk, all good clean fun.

Okay, your explanation inspires me to change 😯 to 🙂 .

'Fitness' is just an industry.

Being fit and healthy comes from moving around quickly for short periods, slowly for a long time, lifting heavy things, eating certain things and not eating certain other things.

How much of that someone chooses to do is entirely up to them. It's not a natural occurrence or talent.

It's not a natural occurrence or talent.

I used to think it might be a bit of an addiction...

'Fitness' is just an industry.

Being fit and healthy comes from moving around quickly for short periods, slowly for a long time, lifting heavy things, eating certain things and not eating certain other things.

How much of that someone chooses to do is entirely up to them. It's not a natural occurrence or talent.

Much truth. But thanks to Progress many of us are desk jockeys who 'work' by sitting in front of glowing rectangles all day. Phsyical activity no longer required.

Then the fitness industry comes along promoting people with six-packs (as the average person gets fatter & fatter), whilst charging us extra for foods with less calories! Genius!

For any half-normal human being in this country, it's about finding a sport or hobby that you love.

I've found a sport/hobby that I love. It gets pushed to the side by family and work.

Making being active part of your everyday life is the key. I [i]have[/i] to go to work and the only means I have of getting there are to walk or ride.

How much of that someone chooses to do is entirely up to them. It's not a natural occurrence or talent.

I'd argue that moving things, moving yourself and eating stuff available locally and in season are natural occurrences. Moving about in a tin box, sitting down all day and sitting down all evening are unnatural.

it's interesting to think about when 'moving about' became a chore. For me, I remember when I was in primary school we lived in a block of flats that had a communal swimming pool (not the UK) After school without fail we were always down splashing about, swimming loads - so obviously I had no problem with general moving about; it just felt 'natural'

Cue secondary school, your fitness is suddenly organised, and into team oriented competitive sports (which I absolutely loathed) - and suddenly I started to associate exercise as something of a chore.

I didn't really do any sort of 'extra' exercise (apart from walking places) until a few years ago. I slowly realised that I could enjoy moving about on my own (I prefer running in the morning when there are less people about) The benefit is that I feel much better and stronger, though I'm not 'fit' compared to you types! but I still have a bit of a hangover of seeing it as a necessary but enjoyable chore - I still usually have to 'organise' it into my day; it's not spontaneous.

If I stopped I'm sure I would feel awful, lethargic and become agitated (not any fatter though) - so I guess I now see extended exercise as an essential thing to do, but because I still give it a label like that I maybe don't see it as entirely natural yet?

it's interesting to think about when 'moving about' became a chore.

I discovered the joys of sleep ins and general lethargy in my teenage years. Now, sleep ins are impossible due to work and the presence of Camo8 and I find I actually like moving again.

That's a good point and I see what you mean about how it starts getting organised at secondry school. That's when I got put off exercise too!
The more organised it is, the more it starts feeling like it's for experts only; the sporty kids and the others; gym rats & fatties; them and us.

I slowly realised that I could enjoy moving about on my own

Actually +1 for school killing an interest in being active. For me it was because I wasn't allowed to wear my glasses for any of it, and I was very short sighted to the extent that I couldn't see the ball half the time and just chased round after the fuzzy blobs of other players. And as for hurdles... ouch. So any enthusiasm I had for such stuff was killed off by a stupid rule from our PE teacher and I didn't find a sport I enjoyed until I'd left school and found that it was possible to enjoy what you were doing if you could actually see 10 feet in front of your face.

school sports

*shudders*

I'd argue that moving things, moving yourself and eating stuff available locally and in season are natural occurrences. Moving about in a tin box, sitting down all day and sitting down all evening are unnatural.

Indeed. Though it should also be remembered that it may also be argued that minimising energy expenditure wherever possible is another entirely natural thing to do.

When I started this thread I wasn't really talking about natural fitness, as in innate biological/genetic fitness, but rather fitness as a habit that goes beyond MTBing.

As I've said, I'm way fitter now than I was because I ride, but if I didn't ride I wouldn't really have much of a fitness habit. I'm scared of gyms, I don't run etc. I would be flabby. That's it, really.

So what you are talking about is bodyfat fat rather than fit. As Ton mentioned in the post earlier, it is possible to bit 'fit' and still have a a highish bodyfat percentage. Fat loss is a result of diet and exercise and manipulating the two to achieve a goal. Being 'fit' is something different. The two cross over and are interlinked, but are not the same.

Bodybuilders have the lowest bodyfat of just about anyone, yet they are not cardiovasularly 'fit' as they do the vast majority of cv at around 55% of max hr. This burns fat, but does not do a lot for conditioning your heart and lungs.

Fitness is a bit misunderstood, as most people associate 'fitness' with being lean and having a particular look. This is not the case.

If I didn't ride bikes I would probably not be as 'fit' cv wise, but I would still train in the gym and find other sports to play. I would still be lean if I didn't do any training as I have a fast metabolism and eat well.

Indeed. Though it should also be remembered that it may also be argued that minimising energy expenditure wherever possible is another entirely natural thing to do.

True. As is stuffing your face on sweet things when available 🙂

So what you are talking about is bodyfat fat rather than fit. As Ton mentioned in the post earlier, it is possible to bit 'fit' and still have a a highish bodyfat percentage. Fat loss is a result of diet and exercise and manipulating the two to achieve a goal. Being 'fit' is something different. The two cross over and are interlinked, but are not the same.

You're right. My terminology was not sufficiently precise or rigorous. It was, if you will, a layman's phrase and proof of my hopeless tendency towards inexactitude. 😳

Just to clarify, then – I meant 'fit' in the conventional, generally understood sense, not in the rigorous medical/health sense. Sheesh. 😀

BadlyWiredDog, there's way too much sense in your posts for this forum! 🙂

There's a first time for everything... 😉

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Here is a picture of paddy doyle, who held loads of endurance records and is pretty damm fit. He also has a bit of a gut.

Fitness and bodyfat percentage, don't confuse the two 😉

Fitness and bodyfat percentage, don't confuse the two 😉

Gotcha!

😉