Fitness for the general public
Most Americans try to "get fit" in order to look good and to prevent the incidence of diseases that are a result of our lifestyle - sedentary jobs and processed, low-nutrient foods. For many, fitness is exemplified by tight, washboard abs, a shapely rear-end, and (if you're a guy) nicely bulging muscles. Most others strive for low body fat, a low resting pulse rate, and the ability to bench press 300 or run for one hour straight. A more realistic group might try to emulate an athlete they admire in their own quest for fitness. They want the endurance and stamina of Lance Armstrong, the explosive speed of Michael Johnson, or the power of Jerome Bettis and Barry Bonds.
There is absolutely nothing wrong with any of these goals. It's natural to want an attractive body, to have bodily statistics that make your physician smile happily at you, or to even come close to replicating the incredible accomplishments of the athletes I just mentioned.
But it's not really related to function, is it? A popular catchphrase in the workout world these days is "functional fitness." But let's face it. The average American does not need a high level of fitness for their day-to-day survival. Many of us spend our days sitting at a desk, and even those of us who perform what might be considered "manual labor" for a living have it considerably easier than our grandparents did. It's rare that we have to lift heavy things on a regular basis, we don't have to walk or run very much, and even the average soldier can get away with not being all that fit, since modern warfare involves manipulating sophisticated weapons systems and not blood-and-guts hand-to-hand combat. Functional fitness for most of us means having the energy to stay awake during a boring afternoon meeting; being strong enough to carry our groceries into the house from the car or to play with our kids, and having our internal organs at a state where we don't have to worry about them exploding at some inopportune moment and killing us.
