What's your experience of being 'really fit'

Never been a physical person but RN in my fifties I'm probably fitter than I've ever been, thanks to regular weight training for the past four months. Which isn't a lot compared with athletes, but is certainly enough to start experiencing the benefits.

Enjoying the confidence and the calmness, the mental clarity, the vastly increased energy, fewer aches and pains, being more in tune with my body.

The endorphins that are released during and after a training session are addictive indeed - I walk out of the gym as if on air, with a massive spring in my step.

And although I haven't been training cardio I do feel my endurance has improved as well every time I walk up the steps.

Regular activity is the key. After as few as 3-4 days without activity I have to steel myself that much more to get back in the gym, and the first session back is harder work.

Played semi-pro rugby in my late teens/early twenties. Carried on at amateur level and retired last year. Things are aching and making cracking noises that shouldn't at my age.

Still enjoy powerlifting but struggle to find the energy these days to keep it consistent for more than 3/4 weeks.

Try to play golf but get mentally shattered around hole 12-14 and lose all my concentration so end up getting annoyed and scoring high.

I'm 32 but reckon I've got the body of a 45 year old, albeit with some decent muscle mass.

For me it's always hindsight, never while I've actually been fit.

The 3 fittest times of my life.

As a teenager swimming 4/5 times a week for 1-2 hrs a session plus other sports casually. Best abs I've ever had by a country mile. Used to get people commenting on my shoulders and tris and i would wonder what they were on about. Was never the best swimmer in the club so never felt fit. Thinking back we did a couple of fitness tests at school, a bleep test and a test where we were spaced out around the gym hall and you had to catch the person in front of you. I won both pretty comfortably much to the resentment of the school bullies.

In the Army in Germany I was with a couple of lads who were extremely fit, European level Triathlon/Biathlon level. I used to tag along on 100 mile cycles and 2 hr runs (I'm not much of a runner even then, I'd usually be dropped at some point). As point 1 I wasn't the fittest so didn't feel fit but looking back that was the fittest I've ever been. I do remember having odd days where we could cycle 5/6hrs and your legs just felt "there' the whole way, cyclists will understand.

Then about 5 years ago got into lifting, Bench mainly but also deadlift. Went to the gym 6/7 days a week. Not huge numbers but pretty strong, same sort of thing again, training with someone who repped 210 on the bench and seated deadlift 500kg makes you feel weak but then if I pick 100kg now it feels heavy and that used to be our second warm up weight

The theme being you're probably fitter than you think right now.

I was a total gym junkie in my early 30s. I went 3-4 days a week for an hour of intensive workout followed by a 1km swim. I had a 17% fat score and defined muscles.

Then I started to get knee issues followed by two operations, including a lateral release and then followed by rheumatoid arthritis which on some days makes my limbs feel like lead.

I loved being really fit. It was great to have energy and not go swimming and feel like I am in concrete and not water. I still try to keep fitish as it would be so easy to just give up and sit around all day, but that will only end in one way, very quickly.

It’s an interesting thing - people perceive fitness in different ways -IMO being ‘very fit’ is easily measurable against levels in that sport or pursuit (assuming it’s physical). But as you allude to there, you were even professional in one thing despite not being super fit.

Chocolate frog is right too, you can be fit ‘for you’ but doesn’t mean you’re actually ‘very fit’ in an actual sense. Things like parkrun and sportives and the like lead you to think that someone running 19 min 5k is very fit, or getting a gold time in the He’ll of Ashdown is very fit. But the reality is that they’d be nowhere in a local run club/road racing league where the people are very fit (assuming we’re keeping a vague distinction between pro and amateur) and would wipe the floor with you.

Fat knacker until I was 52yo then I had a life-change and started cycling 7-days/week. Lost 30Kg and felt like Superman.

I'm 37 and in excellent shape, and honestly it feels fantastic. At this stage in life, people seem to choose to either prioritise their fitness or let things slide. I've always been active and never struggled with weight, but I've definitely taken a more systematic approach to my fitness over the past three years.

I naturally wake up early every day and usually feel ready to sleep by 22:30. My weekly routine includes running 2-3 times, weight training 2-3 times, and maintaining an active lifestyle that encompasses cycling, swimming, hiking, sailing, kayaking, skiing, and tennis. My diet is high in protein, though I don’t obsess over it. I also maintain a year-round tan and healthy skin.

While I don’t want to sound too Patrick Bateman about it, one of the greatest benefits of this lifestyle is feeling physically prepared for anything that comes my way, whether it's new opportunities or spontaneous activities, without fear of injury. This readiness allows me to actively engage with my kids and generally push the envelope more than others who might lead more sedentary lives. As a parent I think it is important to show your kids that moving is normal. There is a time and a place for lolling around on the sofa, but its far more fun to be out and about.

Additionally, my fitness level provides me with an abundance of energy. Where most might call it a day after one activity, I can easily fit in a trail run after a day of skiing, or enjoy a hike to a fishing spot on vacation, or play tennis with my wife after returning from a run. This ability to do more means I experience more and achieve more each day.

I think the most important thing for me though is that I know that by being fit and strong, I am increasing my chances of enjoying life for longer. Most people seem to slow down once they reach 50. Barring serious illness, there is no reason why I can't enjoy everything I do activity wise well into my 70's. My wife and I will also "retire" at 50 and go travelling when both kids have left home. I want to be in great shape for that so I can take advantage of everything that travelling has to offer.

I'd slightly take issue with this. Elite amateurs and pros not only prepare and train well but are usually the most genetically blessed.

Those of us who didn't choose their parents as well can still consider themselves fit if we're maximising our potential.

I'd contend that the emotional and physical benefits (and risks) of training to potential are as significant for carthorses as they are for racehorses

As a kid I was a lazy st and would rather play playstation than do anything physical, I went on a healthy eating and fitness phase in my mid twenties but a couple of minor injuries meant I fell off the wagon after about a year. Now I'm mid thirties and had a bit of a shock at how much I'd let myself go so I got back into the gym and started playing attention to my diet a bit more. That was 2 years ago and I think I'm in the best shape I've ever been in, I'm stronger, can run faster and further I could in my twenties but I find I struggle more with injuries a lot more

Yes, it was a very good level, but I suppose that my point was that no matter how I trained I was never going to be capable of achieving “equivalent” at middle-distance or further.

The very best of training could never get me as close to the 5k record as it did to the 100m one.