Does being physically fit give you a sense of superiority?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Not superioirity per se, but I know looking good gives me advantages in life becasue so many others have given up on looking good. Being fit communicates a level of discipline that so many lack.

Nah, it's reflective of your genetics.

Genetics will get you to about 30. After that it's self-discipline and working out and being mindful of diet. And that is true for everyone. It's what makes fit 40-60 year olds impressive. There's a lot of character behind every good looking 50 year old.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Not superioirity per se, but I know looking good gives me advantages in life becasue so many others have given up on looking good. Being fit communicates a level of discipline that so many lack.

Nah, it's reflective of your genetics.

Genetics will get you to about 30. After that it's self-discipline and working out and being mindful of diet. And that is true for everyone. It's what makes fit 40-60 year olds impressive. There's a lot of character behind every good looking 50 year old.

lol, I have time, money, and a touch of anxiety at 50. Character? Thanks - that was laugh out loud funny.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Not superioirity per se, but I know looking good gives me advantages in life becasue so many others have given up on looking good. Being fit communicates a level of discipline that so many lack.

I wonder where many of you post from. The vast majority of middle age people I interact with have not let themselves go.

[Anonymous]

When I moved to DC I was in the minority of coworkers and friends who didn't eat well or work out regularly so I felt motivated to start. When I go back to visit my home state in the south, I am definitely one of the few people who still regularly workout and eat well in my 40s. It doesn't make me feel superior. It makes me sad that health and physical fitness aren't a way of life there!

[Anonymous]

I live in Arlington near a bike path that I am on daily…I am in awesome shape for any age.

But I am very impressed by many of the people I see on the bike pat (especially early weekend mornings) that are absolutely jacked/better shape than me.

I do not feel superior- more like out of shape people are the outliers around my area.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Not superioirity per se, but I know looking good gives me advantages in life becasue so many others have given up on looking good. Being fit communicates a level of discipline that so many lack.

I wonder where many of you post from. The vast majority of middle age people I interact with have not let themselves go.

In a less exclusive zip code than you, anytown, america.

I mean, duh. Being this ignorant is not the flex you think it is.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I live in Arlington near a bike path that I am on daily…I am in awesome shape for any age.

But I am very impressed by many of the people I see on the bike pat (especially early weekend mornings) that are absolutely jacked/better shape than me.

I do not feel superior- more like out of shape people are the outliers around my area.

Are you equally surprised to find weightlifters at the gym?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Not superioirity per se, but I know looking good gives me advantages in life becasue so many others have given up on looking good. Being fit communicates a level of discipline that so many lack.

I wonder where many of you post from. The vast majority of middle age people I interact with have not let themselves go.

In a less exclusive zip code than you, anytown, america.

I mean, duh. Being this ignorant is not the flex you think it is.

So the vast majority of DCUM are outside the DMV? Are you reacting to real people you interact with or imaginary ones in any town ? Do you actually live there and post here?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I think I can outrun the slow people in a zombie apocalypse. That's why i have a small smug smile on my face all the time

Rule number 1: cardio

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Not superioirity per se, but I know looking good gives me advantages in life becasue so many others have given up on looking good. Being fit communicates a level of discipline that so many lack.

I wonder where many of you post from. The vast majority of middle age people I interact with have not let themselves go.

In a less exclusive zip code than you, anytown, america.

I mean, duh. Being this ignorant is not the flex you think it is.

So the vast majority of DCUM are outside the DMV? Are you reacting to real people you interact with or imaginary ones in any town ? Do you actually live there and post here?

LOL. The vast majority of DCUM? You think DCUM posters aren’t overweight and obese or otherwise not fit and healthy? Have you seen all the Wegovy threads recently?

Do you think DCUM is representative of the entire DMV?

Or maybe you just have your own definition of what it means to let oneself go.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Not superioirity per se, but I know looking good gives me advantages in life becasue so many others have given up on looking good. Being fit communicates a level of discipline that so many lack.

Nah, it's reflective of your genetics.

Hardly. I don't have any special genetics - everyone in my family is overweight, and many with diabetes and/or high blood pressure. I was not overweight as a kid because I played a lot of sports but soon as I went to college and wasn't playing sports anymore I gained a bunch of weight. So I started exercising to lose the weight and realized I really enjoyed it. So then exercise just became a part of my life. But even with working out daily I still have to keep my diet in check. Anytime I get off track I start gaining weight. So maybe you could say that I am genetically predisposed to being athletic or liking exercise but staying fit is by no means "easy" for me. It takes discipline and hard work.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Not superioirity per se, but I know looking good gives me advantages in life becasue so many others have given up on looking good. Being fit communicates a level of discipline that so many lack.

I wonder where many of you post from. The vast majority of middle age people I interact with have not let themselves go.

In a less exclusive zip code than you, anytown, america.

I mean, duh. Being this ignorant is not the flex you think it is.

So the vast majority of DCUM are outside the DMV? Are you reacting to real people you interact with or imaginary ones in any town ? Do you actually live there and post here?

LOL. The vast majority of DCUM? You think DCUM posters aren’t overweight and obese or otherwise not fit and healthy? Have you seen all the Wegovy threads recently?

Do you think DCUM is representative of the entire DMV?

Or maybe you just have your own definition of what it means to let oneself go.

I have eyes and leave my house. Do you? The vast majority of people I run into in the DMV have not let themselves go. So back to my question - are you comparing yourself to real people?

[Anonymous]

It makes me feel superior over my former self! It's hard work to stay in shape...

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:No. But I do enjoy looking at myself when I have a good body.

Honestly, being fit is really easy. It's just requires you to eat right and workout consistently. It's like going to school, in which getting good grades just means you need to do your homework every day/week.

It's not hard, and I find it odd that people have such a hard time doing it consistently. I guess this sentence makes me sound like I feel superior, but I assure you that I do not, because I don't find that being physically fit is difficult. And so I don't feel superior for doing something easy.

+1. I’ve been physically fit my entire life, and no discipline has been needed. I’m just living life normally. I too don’t know why or even how people struggle so much that they feel like the need lots of discipline to stay physically fit, but it definitely isn’t a sign of superiority.

+2. I’m in Finland right now, and nearly everyone I see looks physically fit. Lots of people biking, walking, swimming, etc. I find it hard to believe that this is the result of some kind of moral superiority or excess discipline. It’s just that the society here has made it easy to be physically fit.

If you were mentally fit, you’d know that it is *significantly harder* to be physically fit in the United States than it is in many European countries. Our lifestyles are not even close to the same. So in Finland it might not take any effort or discipline, but HERE it absolutely does.

That being said, on a population level you’re basically making the case that their lifestyle is… what’s the word? Superior?

The original post is about whether you feel superior, not whether you are superior. If you get an Olympic gold medal and your friend gets an Olympic silver medal, you are superior. However, you're not egotistic so you don't feel superior.

Here, people in Finland are healthier so they are superior, but they probably don't feel superior because they're not really trying very hard.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:No. But I do enjoy looking at myself when I have a good body.

Honestly, being fit is really easy. It's just requires you to eat right and workout consistently. It's like going to school, in which getting good grades just means you need to do your homework every day/week.

It's not hard, and I find it odd that people have such a hard time doing it consistently. I guess this sentence makes me sound like I feel superior, but I assure you that I do not, because I don't find that being physically fit is difficult. And so I don't feel superior for doing something easy.

NP. You, like many other respondents in this thread, know intuitively that you’re not supposed to feel superior. But you do feel superior, AND YOU SHOULD. And I say that as someone who is in okay shape but not particularly fit. It takes effort, consistency, and discipline to be physically fit, especially as we age, and as you pointed out, most (American) adults simply will not do it. So why on Earth shouldn’t the responsible hard workers feel superior? They objectively are, at least in some ways.

PP here. I don't feel superior because it's not difficult for me personally to be fit. I found the workout routine that works for me and I live next to the gym. I found the diet that works for me and I make enough money to buy what I like to eat. I mostly work from home and can eat what I want from the fridge and not be tempted by foods from work. This isn't something to brag about, personally.

For some reason, I sense that you would find yourself feeling inferior to people who are fit. In some ways, I think this is like being jealous of someone who comes from family money. They might be fitter than you simply because they got lucky and figured out what works for them sooner than you, or just have more time than you because they have a nanny that takes care of everything.

I hope you are able to figure out a workout routine, or some form of exercise (i.e., tennis, pickleball, gymnastics) that you really enjoy, and you can fast track yourself to being fit as well. In addition, I hope you figure out easy simple healthy recipes that you like eating. Good luck!