27 Definitions Of Fit That Are All Accurate AF

Because it's so much more than how long it takes you to run a mile.

We recently asked members of the BuzzFeed Community to tell us what ~being fit~ means to them.

We got responses from readers who represent a bunch of different backgrounds, experiences, and realities, but of course each and every one won't ring true for — or be accessible to — every single person. If you have different experiences, we definitely want to hear yours! Please share your own in the comments.

1. Being fit is the ability to take on new and exciting challenges.

—jexxeosl

"To me fitness is about taking on challenges and learning what you're really capable of."

—jexxeosl

2. It's smashing goals you never believed you could.

instagram.com / Via Instagram: @will_strathmann

"Then creating new goals and smashing those as well."

—t49922d57e

3. It's powering through a fitness class.

instagram.com / Via Instagram: @extremeconditioning

"...And not dying in the process."

—georgiao48c6f3ebb

4. And being able to play in a pick-up game with friends.

instagram.com / Via Instagram: @kickball365

"To me being fit is going for a hike, or playing a pick-up game of kickball with my friends without being winded. As long as I'm not held back, then I am fit."

—elysem48a8350f8

5. It's being able to carry all the grocery bags in one trip.

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—marisaa4ed676004

6. It's running up three flights of stairs without being winded.

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—Nina Roach Boasso, Facebook

7. And it's catching up to the ice cream truck moments after it's driven off.

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—Dan Ramirez, Facebook

8. It's dancing all night long, without being exhausted.

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—Syd Monroe, Facebook

9. It's achieving 250+ steps an hour.

instagram.com / Via Instagram: @konivonundzukonrad

"Being fit is the ability to get through a day without thinking of the pain my back injury creates. The fact that I'm walking is an achievement. So fit to me is achieving 250+ steps each hour and making sure my water intake is on target."

—a4fd51df87

10. It's going to the gym and doing a little more than you did last time.

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—Lucy Thorpe, Facebook

11. It's being able to last more than three hours in a zombie apocalypse.

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—Ryan Townsend, Facebook

12. It's going to physical therapy and working hard to recover.

instagram.com / Via Instagram: @gabriielle_x3

"I just had knee surgery a couple weeks ago. Being in crutches for three weeks and a total leg brace for three months, I am totally unable to do any sort of strenuous exercise (running, hiking, jogging, walking too much, etc.) and have been unable to for a year. So being fit is going to physical therapy and doing a perfect straight leg lift, or a squat with my leg bent at 60 degrees."

—hayleyb32901

13. It's running a mile without passing out.

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—lorreileec

14. Or being flexible and strong enough to dance ballet.

Instagram: @art51ph / Via Instagram: @art51ph

"I know that most ballet companies are super strict about weight, muscle, and height. I'm a short, pretty chubby girl with more than enough boob. But I'm able to stretch, bend, and hold myself the way I need to at the barre."

—emilyo407c6f07b

15. And having the ability to keep up with your kids.

Instagram: @kkdoll / Via Instagram: @kkdoll

"I decided to get into shape after I gave birth to my now 2 year old. Being fit, for me, means being able to keep up with him and do the activities that he wants to do and also be around long enough to watch him grow up."

—r4c9c30079

16. It's feeling like you can tackle all your daily chores and tasks.

instagram.com / Via Instagram: @teej22

—bandsareamazing

17. It's having a strong core and great cardiovascular endurance.

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—starfireivy

18. Being able to keep up during marching band practices and performances.

instagram.com / Via Instagram: @izzy.dynan

"Being fit to me is being able to do a high school marching band show — which is normally 8-10 minutes of high intensity marching and jazz running along with playing an instrument — and all the practices that go with it. We run, do sprints, squats, sit ups, push ups, and jazz runs during most practices."

—madisond469139340

19. And never having to say "no" to something fun.

Instagram: @lilyannaleah / Via Instagram: @lilyannaleah

"...because you're not sure if you can keep up."

—Laura McFarland, Facebook

20. It's maintaining balance, but never punishing yourself.

instagram.com / Via Instagram: @shan__rosenberg

"I put in five to six days at the gym and eat a mostly healthy diet. But I also listen to my body if it needs a rest, and don't punish myself mentally if I eat some junk food or have a beer with my friends on the weekend. Fitness to me is not just physical, it's mental and emotional too."

—taiylerl

21. Waking up, feeling energetic and vital.

instagram.com / Via Instagram: @captnpeanut

"Fit is having enough energy and not waking up everyday feeling sick. To push myself in my workouts and do things I wasn't able to do a week, a month, or a year ago."

—Melissa Keena, Facebook

22. And feeling yourself getting stronger.

instagram.com / Via Instagram: @ikiesoul4real

"I didn't truly understand that fit came in all shapes and sizes until I started to really get to know my body through Roller Derby this year and started to realize that I could do more than I thought I could. Fit to me is no longer the way you look, it's the way you feel as you notice yourself getting stronger."

—Kayla Marie Clark, Facebook

23. It's crushing a workout and feeling wonderful afterwards.

instagram.com / Via Instagram: @mmaneevese

"Fit to me means being able to workout without it being really unpleasant. It means being able to run four miles without it being a big deal and bike 15 miles because it's relaxing. Fit doesn't mean that I never feel the pain, but it means that I find pleasure at the end of the pain."

—liz423

24. It's strengthening your lungs as well as your legs.

instagram.com / Via Instagram: @lemato

"This is going to sound so lame but to me being fit means being able to run for half an hour and not having to stop to take my inhaler. For so long asthma was a big thing in my life that just stopped me from doing so much, and at the start of this year I took up running. While I've not lost as much weight as I'd have liked to, my lungs have become so much better! By trying something different it's allowed me to not be so dependent on medication."

—alisoni4b0743a2a

25. And feeling inspired to be better, and empowered to do so.

instagram.com / Via Instagram: @curvygirlspole

"I used to think being 'supermodel skinny' meant you were healthy, but that isn't always true. Even after losing 20 lbs, I noticed my mood was changing and I was becoming more interested in life. Fit to me means being inspired to bring out a better person while doing an exercise, running, Zumba, spinning or anything else. After I work out, I always feel like I can accomplish anything."

—Jaclyn Bergeron, Facebook

26. It's winning fights against your self-doubts.

instagram.com / Via Instagram: @therock

"Fit is being able to accomplish things with your body and mind that you never thought possible, and striving to try to be better, stronger, and faster every day. Tackling that workout that looks impossible, picking yourself up on the days when things don't go perfectly, and trying again the next."

—Bridget Jesionowski McKay, Facebook

27. Fitness is about doing what makes you happy, and being able to do it for many years to come.

instagram.com / Via Instagram: @lalalalifeinshanghai

—snapetheswagster

Some answers have been edited for length and clarity.

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