by Michael Plank
A couple of times each year, we take 2 weeks and run a comprehensive fitness assessment for all our members. We look at deadlifts and flexibility and coordination and endurance and everything in between. And often we see people improve across some, or even all, of the 15 categories that we address. And that’s super exciting.
But it doesn’t always happen. Especially once you’ve been training for a long time, or you start to age, or you recover from injury, or you deal with stress outside the gym, or any of a number of other things… sometimes lifting more, running faster, and jumping higher is not guaranteed.
Sometimes you go to assess your fitness and you find out that you can’t do as much as you used to be able to do.
If that’s you, then here’s your reminder that what your body can do says nothing about who you are as a person. It has no bearing on the kind of friend you are, the kind of parent, the kind of spouse, or the kind of leader. It says nothing about the difference you make in the world. It says nothing about your worth.
And here’s the flip side…
If you are thrilled about your fitness, if you’re progressing like you’ve hoped and dreamed, here’s your reminder that what your body can do says nothing about who you are as a person. It has no bearing on the kind of friend you are, the kind of parent, the kind of spouse, or the kind of leader. It says nothing about the difference you make in the world. It says nothing about your worth.
Exercise is important. Fitness is super valuable. But you’re not a better partner because you can run fast and you’re not a worse partner because you can’t lift as much as you could last year.
Who you are and what you can do are two separate things. Don’t forget.