For what seemed like the longest time, fitness was portrayed as the ability to do the most grueling training over and over, without pause or break, and, oftentimes, without rhyme or reason. “Ten sets with those heavy weights and then a hundred reps of that nearly impossible movement!”—and that would be just for the warm up. Pushing on through a bone-breaking workout and then running an ultra-marathon the day after being discharged from a surgery caused by the aforementioned workout was, at one point, the order of the day. A premium was placed on suffering as the minimum price of entry into the fitness community.
Because many viewed fitness as a metaphor for other aspects of life, similar ethos were adopted for other areas of human activity. Burning the midnight oil and the candle on both ends was seen as the only way to measure productivity. Pursuing main, side, and extra hustles became the only way to “make it.” All the while, pushing oneself to breaking point was proof positive of one’s commitment, discipline, and dedication.
Thankfully, though, with many of the prevailing myths around fitness and healthy lifestyles being debunked, attitudes are changing—slowly, of course, but life has always been about being the tortoise, not the hare.
Extreme workouts might be great for testing one’s physical and mental strength and stamina, but they are not for everyone—and they are also not sustainable within the parameters of ordinary life. Weightlifting may possess certain benefits while cardiovascular exercises possess others—both, it is now known, need to be pursued to have a holistic approach to long-term fitness.
Stretching, too—something that was seen as an unpleasant precursor to exercise—has become more commonplace in training programs thanks to the recognition of its positive effects on flexibility and mobility.
There is, now, an emphasis on moderation and variety, on not overloading the body with more than it can recover from (exertion, it has been found, is easy; recuperation, not so much) and finding alternative and fun ways to challenge the body.
It is now commonplace to see yoga, pilates, dance fitness, and other “softer” forms of exercise becoming integral parts of fitness training.
Soft, though, is relative. Because when any form of movement is practiced with good form, intensity, and consistency it becomes challenging.
Nonetheless, it is encouraging to see the plethora of fitness activities being embraced by fitness practitioners around the world. Because strength has more than one character and soft, as it has always been, is also strong.
Rémy Ngamije is an award-winning Rwandan-born Namibian author, editor, publisher, photographer, literary educator, and entrepreneur. He is the founder of The Forge.