When talking about fitness, what is the first thing comes to your mind? A muscular figure working out in the gym for 3 hours? An athlete who is able to run continuously for 10km without gasping?
How do you define FITNESS?
Today I came across with an interesting definition of FITNESS from an article. According to Dr. Pamela Peeke from the University of Maryland, fitness is about the ability to cope with life’s emergencies, big and small. Whether it’s sprinting to the airport to catch the morning flight because you had just overslept, or escaping a burning building, when unfortunately you were trapped in the 10th floor; it’s all depend on whether you have the strength, endurance and agility to free yourself and your loved ones from the disasters.
As a female, I have built up a pretty tough physique due to my karate training and involvement in other sports. It’s my desire to be characterized as a fit person and I actually considered myself fit, in appearance. Now I would like to go for a higher level of fitness, the fitness to survive in the 21st Century life.
It has always been my concern if I am able to rescue myself from a difficult and dangerous situation, says an ambush by a stranger on the street. There are usually two choices for you in such case, fight or flight. My karate teacher has always been telling me to flight, at my best. I strongly agree with him. That’s a good rule of thumb for self defense, regardless if you have martial art background. But, what if… when the option of flight was unavailable? When I had no choice but to fight, for the sake of my own life?
I wouldn’t deny, I do have fantasy of fighting on the street once in a while. And of course, the plots are always amazing to make myself a cool heroin. 
But I am clear, a fantasy is a fantasy, it hardly matches to the reality, unless I am really good, or my opponent is really lousy (as fragile as toufu).
There is still a room for me to improve my fitness level, in the aspect of self defense. I do believe through proper martial art training, one tends to handle life’s everyday emergencies better.
So what about you? Do you think you are fit enough to save your own life?
