How Fit Should I Really Be?
Interestingly, most medical or epidemiological
studies will tell you that you don’t need to be all
that fit to maximize both your health and your lon-
gevity. There are studies that suggest that slightly
overweight people who are otherwise reasonably
fit, live longer on average than really thin people.
Reasonably fit overweight people also tend to
have a reduced risk for cancer and many other
diseases as well. Conversely, those who train too
hard for too long actually start to incur increased
risks for illnesses of all types. I guess the good
news is that it really doesn’t take much effort to
be “reasonably” fit. A few long walks a week, a trip
or two to the gym and some attention to your diet
will get you there if that’s all you want. But I doubt
anyone wants to be only “reasonably fit” and still
overweight?
On the other hand, you probably should be fit
enough to handle your daily chores, carry grocer-
ies up two flights of stairs or lug your bags through
the airport without hurting your shoulders. Better
yet, as legendary strongman Earle Liederman
once wrote, there are five fitness benchmarks that
any man (or woman, with some modifications; Lie-
derman wrote this in the not entirely enlightened
1920s) possessing adequate fitness should be
able to do:“Every man should be able to save his
own life. He should be able to swim
far enough, run fast and long enough
to save his life in case of emergency
and necessity. He also should be able
to chin himself a reasonable number
of times, as well as to dip a number of
times, and he should be able to jump
a reasonable height and distance.”
(Liederman, Endurance)19