We recently asked members of the BuzzFeed Community to tell us what fitness means to them. Here's what they said.
Fitness is:
1. Experiencing the euphoria of an endorphin rush.
Fitness has everything to do with body and mind. The endorphins and hormones that exercise produces does amazing things for sleep, mood, weight loss, sex life, and overall happiness. —Emily Steele, via Facebook
2. Accomplishing what you set out to do.
It's being capable of doing whatever I set my mind to through patience, hard work, and determination. —Kelsey Arcocha, via Facebook
3. Feeling powerful in every way.
Having the ability to unleash your inner power at any given moment. Inner power is not just physical fitness, but mental fitness. Fitness abilities, physical and mental, make up the incredible individual that you are. —torin496b6c8d4
4. Discovering you can do amazing things with your body.
To me, fitness means discovering things I can do with my body that I've never been able to do before. —Calli Celine Allen, via Facebook
5. Never having to slow down.
It means being able to physically do whatever I want to do. I'm 52 years old... and I've run almost 50 marathons and ultramarathons in the last 10 years, I still snowboard with my kids, I mountain bike, rock climb, do flips off the diving board, whatever I want. And I have no intention of slowing down. —Thom Patterson, via Facebook
6. Keeping up with a toddler.
It means being able to chase an evil toddler when you ask her to come here and she clearly decides "here" is in the opposite direction... it means being able to carry all 40 pounds of her like a Gronk heading for the end zone when she's gone full shenanigans in public. —Holly Haddad, via Facebook
7. Banishing anxiety.
Fitness to me means being mentally and physically happy. I suffered from really bad anxiety but once I began running/working out I felt like it all melted away. —Tara Roy, via Facebook
8. Being happy with how you look.
To me, it's finally being happy with myself and how I physically look for the first time in my life. And no, I'm not super thin or muscly. I'm just me. —Brittani Bartnik, via Facebook
9. Surpassing your limits.
Being fit means being able to push yourself past your limit every day to achieve a goal you set for yourself. I have lost 115 pounds, and I am still losing... Being fit and being healthy is about how you feel on the inside, which will show on the outside. —Danielle Fuerst, via Facebook
10. Striving for balance.
To me, fitness is more of a mind-set than anything else. It means striving for balance within one's life, and creating goals for yourself along the way. —Holly Kruggel, via Facebook
11. Being emotionally stable.
Well, for me, it's just being able to be emotionally stable. I don't care to get my six-pack back. I just wanna be happy again. —Rebekah Marie Byrd, via Facebook
12. Being the horror movie character who survives.
Knowing you'd be able to give outrunning a mad ax man a decent stab. Everyone knows the first one to get the chop in any horror flick is a weakling. —Laura Bertin, via Facebook
13. A sign that you're improving yourself.
It's a sign that I am bettering myself from where I used to be, also it's opening doors that I didn't even know about in life. —Aaron Lassen, via Facebook
14. Being able to try anything.
To me it's being able to turn my hand at anything. I might not be the strongest, fastest, etc., but I have the physical capability to give a damn good go at whatever is asked of me. —Michelle King, via Facebook
15. Loving yourself.
Being fit is eating healthy, exercising regularly, and being hygienic. But most important of all, no matter your weight or gender or appearance or habits or ability, being happy and comfortable with yourself. —ABCDBadwolf, via Facebook
16. Keeping up with the demands of your job.
As a student paramedic, to me, fitness means that I can do my job properly and not be limited by my physical endurance. —andyb49c668ad7
17. Being healthy at any size.
I always thought that fit = happy, and happy = skinny, and skinny = pretty. I never really thought of being fit as being in a good state of health... I'm slowly starting to realize that being fit should equal happiness and no health issues relating to your weight. —adaira
18. .An unbeatable mind-body connection.
When I'm not afraid to go outside and I do go outside for hours-long walks, then I feel fit because my mind and body are functioning as a team. —jillianp3
19. Feeling strong and in control of your body.
Fitness means being in control of my body. As a 22-year-old cancer survivor, feeling strong is very important. Health gives me that feeling. —saras4fe00de7c
20. Making time to achieve a goal.
Ninety minutes every day just for me, when I don't think about doing anything but sweating and pushing myself to achieve a goal. —wouldntuliketono
21. A way to stay positive and sane.
Personally, fitness is my way of staying positive and feeling good about myself. It has helped me through one of the worst moments in my life and made me sane. It's also my way of meditation. —tiffanyw4f77f2f53
22. A way to combat chronic pain.
For me fitness is the ability to endure more during the day. I work out to build strength and flexibility in order to combat chronic pain. So every day I work out, I gain a little more endurance and relief. —aliciareneeg
23. Crushing your goals.
Having my degree in sports science and working with the general public and elite athletes, fitness to me is being able to exceed your goals. —Samantha Fong
24. Being able to walk.
It also helps keep me out of the wheelchair I fought so desperately hard to escape. Learning to walk is by far the biggest fitness accomplishment in my life. —Natalie Zeimer, via Facebook
25. Overcoming adversity.
It means overcoming an eating disorder while being able to view food and exercise as good, not evil. It means combating debilitating self-image issues, to be proud and not ashamed of the reflection that stares back at me when I look in the mirror. It means reshaping my lifestyle, mind-set, and overall self in order to be happy and healthy. —Emily Waitson, via Facebook
26. Living the good life.
Happiness, strength, and a release of anxiety. —Tia Bernagozzi, via Facebook
27. Dominating on the court.
Fitness means to me shooting hoops, learning how to play that perfect layup, and having fun. —Maia Willis Reddick, via Facebook
28. And, of course, loving the way you look in your birthday suit.
Looking good naked, obvs. — Rachel Byrne, via Facebook
