Anonymous wrote:Do you feel like you are better than everyone because you are fit?

Yes.

Over people who are not as fit as me? Sure. Of course.

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.

Maybe slightly because most women in their early 40s don't look like me (or even many in their 30s). I worked hard for it so yes I take pride in how I look. I like showing off my arms and when people ask me if I'm a personal trainer or an athlete.

I don't think I'm better than anyone though and there's also a lot more to me than my looks. Its just one part.

I mean, I already KNEW I was superior. My superior fitness is but one element of my superiority. I'm the best. And I know it. And so does everyone around me. Statues crumble for me, etc.

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.

Anonymous wrote:Nope - I might feel a momentary flash of accomplishment or pride when I work out on a day when I'm not feeling it or have a new PR, but it's fleeting.

I'm mostly grateful that I'm healthy enough to exercise daily, and that I have the time and energy to make it a priority. Not everyone has that and it's not just a matter of discipline. You never know what other people are dealing with.

Exactly this.

I'm glad I'm stronger than I used to be. But my friends with stage four cancer or a torn ACL or hours of work needing to caretake for babies and ailing parents are not undisciplined at all.

I feel incredibly lucky every day I work out that my body is allowing me to do so.

No, but it sure makes me feel good about myself! I don’t need to buy clothes that hide my fat rolls. Whether super casual or glammed up clothes look good on me. At 48 I’m more fit than I was at 25 with admittedly some crows feet. I have a 20 year old daughter and we wear the same size which I’m proud of but her clothes are too revealing for me. My husband definitely appreciates my fitness for many reasons. Being fit is good for the body and the soul.

Anonymous wrote:Yes. I'll say it again like the other thread:

A well built physique is a status symbol. It reflects you worked hard for it, no money can buy it. You cannot borrow it, you cannot inherit it, you cannot steal it. You cannot hold onto it without constant work. It shows discipline, it shows self respect, it shows patience, work ethic and passion.

I have something in work hard to obtain and maintain. You can't even have it if you're a trillionaire. You can have it to only through hard work but you choose not to.

This! You can only achieve a fit body through hard work and discipline. Money can’t buy it. It is a positive attribute for sure. I wouldn’t say I feel superior though. People can work hard and be disciplined in other areas, it’s just that those areas may not be apparent to a stranger in the same way as fitness is. There is more to a person than outward appearance.

I feel good about myself when I’m exercising and taking care of myself (regardless of whether the results are evident yet). But i dont feel better than anyone else. I try to actively recognize and move past such thoughts because that’s not who I want to be (it’s tough! Especially when I feel so bad about so many other aspects about me), and that’s not a manner of thinking I would respect in others either.

Nope - I might feel a momentary flash of accomplishment or pride when I work out on a day when I'm not feeling it or have a new PR, but it's fleeting.

I'm mostly grateful that I'm healthy enough to exercise daily, and that I have the time and energy to make it a priority. Not everyone has that and it's not just a matter of discipline. You never know what other people are dealing with.

Look, you can have results or excuses but not both. If you don’t find the time, if you don’t do the work, you don’t get the results. Where the mind goes the body will follow. Discipline is what you use when you don't want to do something, when you have to force yourself.

The mind is incredible. Once you've gained mastery over it, channeling its powers positively for your purposes, you can do anything. I mean anything. The secret is to make your mind work for you not against you. This means constantly being positive. Constantly setting up challenges you can meet either today, next week, or next month. "I can't..." should be permanently stricken from your vocabulary, especially the vocabulary of your thoughts. You must see yourself always growing and improving.

Just remember, you can't climb the ladder of success with your hands in your pockets. There's always a reason to say "I can't" or "I don't have the time", so what are you going to do about it?

Anonymous wrote:Yes. I'll say it again like the other thread:

A well built physique is a status symbol. It reflects you worked hard for it, no money can buy it. You cannot borrow it, you cannot inherit it, you cannot steal it. You cannot hold onto it without constant work. It shows discipline, it shows self respect, it shows patience, work ethic and passion.

I have something in work hard to obtain and maintain. You can't even have it if you're a trillionaire. You can have it to only through hard work but you choose not to.

This! It feels better walking out of the house than any designer outfit, purse, shoes or jewelry could. It’s the ultimate accessory!

Anonymous wrote:Do you feel like you are better than everyone because you are fit?

Better as an overall human being? Of course not. There are plenty of out of shape people who are smarter, or wiser, or funnier, or more compassionate than I. There are some who labor under conditions that would break me. You never know what people are dealing with.

You know who I do feel morally superior to? My old fat self, because they were weak, undisciplined, irresponsible with the health of this body we both share, and in my case there was zero excuse. Life is better and more fun when you are strong, and every hour I have invested on the road or in the gym has repaid me tenfold with a better quality of life. If my past self had their act together I would have gotten a better life, and while I understand some of the issues and lack of knowledge that led there, which certainly contributed to the situation, at the end of the day it was an utterly unjustifiable moral failure and a failure of discipline. That’s my truth, and it is true. I am straight-up morally superior to that person. A better human being in every way.

As to others who are in a similar to state that I was? I feel a lot of empathy; for most of them their situation could be greatly improved and they would be happier if it was. Obviously you can’t tell people this, but I do wish someone had shaken me by the neck when things were starting to get bad and said “you don’t have to live this way.” But I don’t judge or feel contempt, because I know how easy it is to go to that place and how no one is willing to tell you that you need to make a change. It’s super easy into denial about one’s situation, ask me know I know. It’s also true that people are animals and there is a hierarchy of attractiveness; people treat you differently when you move up it, even if you’re not on the market or anything. And also, you can’t help but notice who would be a liability if physical safety becomes an issue; at the margin stronger is better than weak, and so I, like basically everyone else, is of course more interested in and drawn to people that have their physical act together. But that’s a marginal effect. I have overweight friends for whom I feel nothing but love and respect; literally obese colleagues who are straight-up assassins in our chosen field whose skills i envy,etc.

5:13 hir the nail on the head. Some truly are just that way naturally- athletic, strong, thin, flexible…. Life isn’t fair. Yes you can control certain things but plenty of thin athletic or genetically traditionally beautiful people get cancer and die.

I have been thin and fit and yes fat and fit. I am naturally string, flexible, and a good swimmer. Can’t run or jump naturally though. Id like to take the fat suit off but my genetics are fighting against me and winning at 52. I am still strong and flexible- i will never have osteoporosis. My metabolism is shot or you could say very efficient- I don’t need many calories to survive… i still dream of thin thighs but it is a dream that will never be for me. I do think social media has actually made our lives worse— constant comparisons and photoshopping. Plenty of “trainers” look good but doesn’t mean they are strong or even have to work hard for it.