Does this count as 'fit'?

[awsedrftghyh]

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?

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

Stealth boast 🙄

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.

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

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.

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

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.

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.

It sounds obsessive already, to me, op.

Definitely

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.

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

How heavy are the dumbbells?

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

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!

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.

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.

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

Yes, definitely fit.

I would look at progressive overload on dumbbells if you're not already, to challenge your muscles and grow stronger, and do a mix of full body/upper/lower.

You could mix in rowing, kick boxing, stair climber for different types of cardio if you fancied a change (and of course if you had access to a gym).

I don't think you need to do more, you are doing above and beyond the recommended amount. Essentially the key is that you're enjoying yourself so that you continue!

Well you are exceeding UK govt advice so probably ok from a health perspective. If you are enjoying it …. That’s the main thing surely?

OP you’re doing loads. You don’t say how old you are but are you actually giving your body recovery time? (Unimportant in 20s, crucial by 50s if you don’t suddenly want an injury)

Don't be an idiot. The poster has asked this in the exercise forum. It is a completely appropriate question.
Getting really sick of people doing the whole stealth boast comment on threads like this. It happens on the money amd investment forums as well. It is pathetic and makes the commentor sound very immature, especially when it is accompanied by the childish eye roll emoji.

Depending on your age, building in recovery days are really important too. Overtraining leads to injury. With swimming and weights you are putting stress on your body 7 days a week.

Most training plans I've used include 1 recovery day per week. Stretching and gentle yoga would be ok on a recovery day.

Thanks for all the responses.

I'm 38. I haven't always treated my body very well so I'm very keen to make sure I approach menopause and my older years taking good care of it without that tipping (back) into issue territory.

I'm not sure to what extent swimming counts as resistance exercise? Some articles say it does but others don't. I was doing dumbbells 7 days a week for a while until I started swimming (3 months ago) and I worry that doing that less means my muscles will lose strength. But my stamina and endurance swimming-wise seems to be improving I think. And I'm sleeping better.

I'm wary of answering the questions about what weight the dumbbells are because I've seen people on Mumsnet post what weights they are using and then get told 'that's nothing' and that they need to go heavier - and while I really want advice I'm also feeling very sensitive (and inadequate) at the moment!
I want to progress but I'm not sure I would be physically able to manage heavier dumbbells for the workouts I'm doing (I'm often using heavier weights than the instructor in the videos I follow or adapting the exercise for both dumbbells when the instructor is using one dumbbell). I also don't have the budget or the space to buy much more equipment at the moment.

I think the responses I've found most helpful have been the ones that reminded me to focus on enjoyment. I think enjoyment, variety and not too much pressure/guilt might be the best things to focus on.

Thanks so much for all your thoughts and comments (and thanks to those who responded to the 'stealth boast' comment, I genuinely do just want advice and and to make sure I'm doing the right things and the right amount)

Sounds like you're doing plenty!

I'm jealous that you have 10 hours to devote to swimming alone, nevermind everything else on top!

I think enjoyment, variety and not too much pressure/guilt might be the best things to focus on.

I think this is a really good plan.