Evolving Fitness

Am I in the best shape of my life?

This is a question that many of us have been challenged to ask ourselves as of late and one that has had me thinking.

For me the short answer is no. 

But, time to buckle up cuz you guessed it, here comes the not so short answer.  And yes, I have over thought this.

First of all, let me start by acknowledging the intent of asking yourself this question.  Self reflection and awareness is the key to self improvement. Understanding where you were, where you are and where you want to be is part of the journey towards mastery.  Continual evaluation and action is essential to moving in the right direction.

Now, let's get into it...

What does "shape" mean?  I think there are several facets that need to be considered; physical fitness, mental health as well as emotional and spiritual fitness. Now it is important to understand that everyone is different and all of our experiences from day to day and year to year help shape us.  I can only reference my own experiences and evolution.  

I am going to tackle the "easier" ones first.  

Am I in the best emotional and spiritual shape of my life?  Hands down yes. Although I never have nor ever will win the lottery, I am reminded every day that I am one of the luckiest people around.  As a youth, I had no direction or ambition and absolutely no understanding of who is was let alone who I wanted to be.  But fate, luck or whatever you want to call it, allowed my life to intersect with the right people and/or experiences at the right time.  Now granted, I took every opportunity to learn from those people and experiences, emulating the qualities that I deemed valuable and ensuring that I did not develop those qualities that didn't align with my evolving values.  Because of that, I know who I am and continue to strive to become that person I want to be.

Although connected, I am not referring to "mental health" as most of us understand it per se or at least not in it's entirety.  I am specifically referring to the concept of mind over matter.  Again, I can only speak for myself, but I know many of the physical limitations I have experienced (and probably still do) are not physical at all.  They are artificial constraints conceived by my mind.  So, Am I in the best mental shape of my life?  Although, I have a long way to go in this area, I do feel that I am in the best mental shape so far.

When "shape" is discussed in the current context, it is typically the physical fitness aspect that is being referenced. So, bringing us full circle, am I in the best physical shape of my life?  No.  Will I ever be?  Probably not.  Now, without breaking physical fitness down into sub-categories, I can honestly say that my fitness level has evolved over the course of my adulthood.  Increasing, decreasing and even moving laterally, depending on my life at the time, sometimes my cardio would excel and other times my strength and agility.  From my peak fitness as a teen, to being almost 100lbs overweight and being diagnosed with the trifecta of obesity (type II diabetes, hypertension and high cholesterol) in 2012, I am now less than 40 lbs overweight and can say that my conditions are well under control. But if I were to take some liberty with the question (keeping in mind the intent, as I perceive it), am I currently in the best physical shape since the past 25 years?  Yes.

I will not be as fast, flexible or resilient as I was as a teenager, as that is what comes with age.  But I am mentally, emotionally and spiritually stronger than I even have been. Capitalizing on that to ensure my fitness level continues to evolve in the right direction is what will be key for me.

Thanks for reading

Mike