Looking Fit & Being Fit

I've been working with people of all ages and fitness levels for over 12 years now. And let me be the first to tell you that just because a person looks fit does not mean that he or she is fit. I've worked with chisled men who looked the part but smoked, suffered from high blood pressure and didn't have the flexibility to touch their toes. On the other hand, I've worked over-weight women who had ideal blood pressure, healthy hearts and great flexibility.



Last week, a "muscle head" (and before anyone gets offended, I used to be a muscle head and I love muscle heads! Their passion for and dedication to the art of bodybuilding is inspiring. So, don't get all bent out of shape) scoffed at a core exercise I was doing with a client. "Muscles" could bench 300 lbs but he didn't have the core stability or balance to do some basic exercises with a stability ball.



Ok, my point is that physical fitness means more than fitting into a certain dress or suit size. It entails more than having the brute strength to bench several hundred pounds. What's your blood pressure? Resting heart rate? Blood chemistry (cholesterol and triglycerides)? How flexible are you? Do you lead a balanced life?