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Original poster

Does this count as 'fit'?

67 replies

awsedrftghyh · 09/03/2026 20:52

Would you say that someone has a good level of fitness if they:

  1. Swim (fast, mostly front crawl) for a full hour x4 a week (plus a 40 minute walk there and back each time at a good clip)
  2. Do 30-40 minute dumbbell workouts x3 a week, on the days they don't swim
  3. Walk or cycle everywhere they need to go and also walk for pleasure when time allows
  4. Do yoga several times a week

And would you say there was more they should be doing for optimal health and fitness?

OP posts:
MikeRafone · 10/03/2026 09:21

Your doing a range of activities that will help to keep your organs in shape

cardio in the swimming to help the heart and brain
weights to help the bones and muscles
walking and cycling to help movement of joints without stress
yoga for the strength, stretching of joints, blood flow etc

possibly swap weights for skipping and jogging, to give jarring motion that aids bone and bowels health, if your not enjoying the weights so much. Skipping can be very fancy footwork

Original poster
awsedrftghyh · 10/03/2026 09:12

Definitely enjoying swimming, enjoying it a lot actually. And pushing myself for sure.
I'm enjoying the dumbbells less now, but that's because I wish I was swimming. I would love to be able to do an hours swim every day but I would struggle to fit it into my schedule. I will definitely increase it to 5 days a week when work is less busy in a couple of months though.

As the weather improves, I'll also be adding rollerblading and paddle sports, and going for longer walks. I'm a pretty fast walker, I don't like walking slowly! But last summer and into the autumn and early winter the paddle sports in particular got quite obsessive (e.g. not paying attention to the weather because 'must keep going') so I'm keen to avoid that and try to do it more mindfully and for enjoyment.

I absolutely can't use any kind of fitness tracker because of OCD and a general tendency towards obsessiveness when it comes to stats and numbers.

I'm just keen to know how I can be sure I'm in a healthy place without getting into the stats or anything that could be a slippery slope.

OP posts:
EnchantedDaydream · 10/03/2026 09:09

Depending on how heavy you go with the dumbbells and whether you are increasing over time you may not be getting enough strength work, and some more load bearing exercise (e.g. running) might be good for your bones too, Also yoga varies enormously and if the classes/routines are the same week in week out you might not be progressing your fitness. It is an impressive amount of time spent exercising though.

MagpiePi · 10/03/2026 09:08

I’ve got a Garmin Forerunner which measures stats for an all kinds of activities including cycling, swimming and walking.

It currently says I have the fitness age of a 20 year old (I’m 58) which I am taking with a large pinch of salt!

AllSlippersareBanned · 10/03/2026 09:04

Seems like a good range of exercise to me. I’d use an Apple watch for some proper stats on fitness/heart health.

MagpiePi · 10/03/2026 09:02

I wish I had that much time to devote to exercising!

How heavy are the dumbbells?

YourSassyPanda · 10/03/2026 08:52

You can measure your VO2 max etc via a fitness watch or device which will give you all your stats. While I agree with you that weight isn’t everything, it’s usually a good general indicator.

It’s also great to have a mix of aerobic and anaerobic exercise so things like walking, yoga and swimming are all good, low impact ways of keeping active but do you also push yourself sometimes, as in raising heart rate and getting out of breath regularly? Is your walking at a fast pace or more of a leisurely stroll for example. Do you always lift the same weight or try to increase it or vary exercises occasionally? Body and fitness respond positively to change. I usually go on feel, you know yourself if you’ve had a productive workout or just coasted.

BiscoffCheesecakes · 10/03/2026 08:43

Definitely

TheMatildaEffect · 10/03/2026 08:42

It sounds obsessive already, to me, op.

DisplayPurposesOnly · 10/03/2026 08:41

You do a massive amount and the fact that you are asking if this is 'enough' makes me think you have already "lead to obsessiveness".

Are you enjoying yourself is a crucial piece of information.

Original poster
awsedrftghyh · 10/03/2026 08:38

Thanks so much for the responses. I guess I'm asking if this is 'enough' (which it seems like maybe it is?) and if there is anything missing from it that people think should be added to ensure optimum long-term health and quality of life moving into middle and older age.
I don't know what stats are used to measure fitness (weight seems irrelevant unless its at either extreme and how on earth do you measure VO2 max, especially in a pool) and how you would assess this really. I worry that measuring these things can lead to obsessiveness and think that's best avoided here.

OP posts:
ShrankLastWinter · 09/03/2026 22:17

That definitely counts as an impressive amount of exercise and presumably makes the person fit.

DownThePubWithStevieNicks · 09/03/2026 22:08

I’d say it’s plenty of exercise, and makes the person very active. But, like pp said, without knowing the stats that actually measure fitness, it’s impossible to know.

Thecows · 09/03/2026 22:06

StepawayfromtheLindors · 09/03/2026 21:07

Stealth boast 🙄

Don't be silly, it's an anonymous forum , you don't know them do you.

Yes I'd say pretty fit, well done if it's you OP

lljkk · 09/03/2026 21:55

Probably yes although I cannot perceive Yoga as exercise so that doesn't matter (imho).
I suppose being fit is like being kind, so basically rather subjective, too.

StepawayfromtheLindors · 09/03/2026 21:07

Stealth boast 🙄

Muckypig · 09/03/2026 21:03

Depends on their weight, VO2 max and how they feel in themselves and what they want to achieve really.