HOME WHY FITNESS ABOUT US FITNESS CONSULTING TRAINING PHILOSOPHY WHO WE TRAIN OUR SERVICES OUR TRAINERS FITNESS TESTING LOCATIONS CONTACT US RESEARCH FITNESS LINKS FITNESS INDUSTRY CONSULTING WORKOUT GEAR FITNESS EQUIPMENT SPECIAL PROMOTIONS EMPLOYMENT OPPORTUNITIES GROUP FITNESS CLASSES DOWNLOAD FORMS PAGE    WHY FITNESS? A wise old gym owner used to tell the story that when people are asked publicly "Why do you want to be fit?" the overwhelming response is to live long and healthy, but when asked anonymously the dominant answer will be to attract the opposite sex. The  "why?" of fitness is complex and individualized but we have the duty and honor of offering our perspective as engineers and advocates of a fitness system that quite clearly recognizes both longevity and health as highly desirable. Luckily, for most of us, the "look better naked" vs. "live longer" debate is confidently resolved by adopting lifestyles that we smugly believe optimize the two simultaneously. But, what if that were not possible?  How much quality does fitness add to life independent of hopes and guarantees of health and longevity? Examining this question builds a framework from which the broader question "Why fitness?" might be answered. As a tease or enticement to examine non-health and longevity aspect to fitness, we share that it is the reasoned assessment of some longevity experts that collectively the research data on diet, exercise, and longevity support the view that caloric restriction and exercise may not be as beneficial to longevity as caloric restriction and being sedentary. Were this true, what would you do? Again, to answer, we need first to examine the non-health and longevity aspects to fitness before we even begin to consider what may or may not be an equitable or even possible balance or trade off between quality and quantity of life. We believe that exercising is smart and makes us smarter. Recent analysis of the profound difference in genetic expression between exercising and sedentary people and the resulting disorder in multiple body systems of the sedentary suggest to us that normal brain function in sedentary individuals may eventually be shown by disadvantage of gene expression to be impossible. SEE LINK: Exercise and gene expression: physiological regulation of the human genome through physical activity.  http://jp.physoc.org/cgi/content/full/543/2/399 Anyone who exercises regularly can quickly speak to its impact on mood and mental function. Someday, science will show that exercise does not exactly produce unnaturally ebullient or buoyant mental states as much as being sedentary induces unnaturally depressive brain chemistry environments. There is another non-health advantage to becoming fit that does not require blurring conventional or colloquial distinctions between mind and body but, rather, acknowledges the distinction and uses physical experience and successes to draw effective strategies for success in non-physical domains. Fitness training can be an ideal place to learn strategies for success. Return on our efforts is more certain, tangible, and immediate in the physical domain than, say, the emotional, spiritual, or financial, but the lessons are not fundamentally different; they just come easier. Fitness, ultimately, exercises and develops the will. As The Bard, William Shakespeare said, "Our bodies are our gardens, to which our wills are gardeners." Similarly, lessons and expressions of self-discipline, responsibility, friendship, work, perseverance, and faith come easily and regularly in the best training environments. The impact on character of athletic training has even caught the attention of academics. Numerous studies have demonstrated that athletes compared to non-athletes: � Are more extroverted and open in their outward communications � Have a stronger achievement need � Have a stronger stimulation need � Are more aggressive � Are more psychologically stable � Have better emotional self-control and are emotionally more stable � Are less anxious � Are more confident � Show a higher degree of dominance � Show a higher degree of responsibility While scientists study and debate whether these traits develop athleticism or if physical training builds these traits, coaches from a hundred athletic disciplines regularly, and in the course of their daily work, hone these capacities to a razor's edge in tens of thousands of athletes. Physical movement, overcoming obstacles, and exercising the will is required of life and is the very essence of being human. We believe that purpose is not bestowed upon us but created by the very act of turning thoughts and dreams into physical events in a continuous chain of efforts. The value and the cost of achievement are paradoxically contained within the struggle and nobility of the endeavor, and it is noble struggle that leads to purpose. A physical culture that inspires, guides, and enriches every aspect of our being may add years to our lives but certainly adds life to our years. Longevity independent of achievement, capacity, independence, productivity, and self-sufficiency potentially becomes grotesque. One discomforting scenario for the future is that life expectancy will rise to 150 with the last 75 years being spent in a nursing home. Discussion about trading quality for quantity of life is largely hypothetical because current knowledge about fitness and longevity offers no such trade. It is our hope and belief that longevity will optimize under conditions where functional capacity does as well. All Images and Content Property of US Fitness Group Inc. (425)223-7169