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What does it mean to be fit? Finding a discrete definition is somewhat difficult. According to the dictionary, fitness means: “the quality or state of being fit." (The definition of “fit” is: “sound physically and mentally.")  If you find those words somewhat vague, you’re not alone.

And that’s sort of the point, according to exercise experts. Fitness doesn’t have to mean that you’re an ultra-marathoner or that you can perform one pull-up or one hundred. Fitness can mean different things for different people.

“For me, fitness is first and foremost about feeling good and being able to move without pain,” says the certified strength and conditioning specialist Grayson Wickham, a New York City–based physical therapist and the founder of Movement Vault, a mobility and movement company. He explains that true fitness is about feeling healthy and being in sufficient shape to do the activities you want to do and live the lifestyle you want to live. Can you play with your kids or grandkids? If hiking the Inca Trail is on your bucket list, can you do it? Do you feel good after a day spent gardening? Are you able to climb all the necessary the stairs in your life without getting winded or having to take a break?

physical fitness is simply defined as your body's ability to perform tasks. Nowadays, there are more tools available than ever for fitness enthusiasts to track, measure, and follow.

For example, you’ve got body mass index (BMI), resting heart rate, body fat percentage, VO2 max, 5K or marathon personal records (PRs), 100-meter-dash times, and bench-press maxes.  These are all objective measures we use to gauge progress (or measure ourselves against the guy or girl on the metaphorical squat rack or treadmill next to us).

But physical fitness should not solely be measured with any one of these or other tests or evaluations. It's much more complex. You wouldn’t, for instance, use one factor (such as blood pressure) to measure someone’s overall health. Blood pressure is a useful test to monitor for cardiovascular disease, but it doesn't indicate whether or not someone has cancer or dementia.

Physical fitness should be considered a balance of many of the aforementioned measures, but also many more intangible measures, too, including your outlook on not just your body, but your attitude toward your own health and wellness.

Traditionally, experts have defined five key components of physical fitness: body composition (the relative proportion of fat and fat-free tissue in the body), cardiorespiratory or aerobic fitness, flexibility, muscular strength, and muscular endurance. But you can’t discount the impact of nutrition, sleep, and mental and emotional health on fitness either

That means looking fit doesn’t mean you actually are.

Some individuals obsess on their physical appearance and numbers but are motivated by low self-esteem and criticize the flaws of their physical appearance. Some sacrifice rest and sleep in order to achieve further success but, in turn, drive their body into illness or burnout.  Fitness is a truly a spectrum of physical well-being that must balance our physical and emotional motivations.

When all of the components of fitness are balanced, physically and mentally, we get the most benefit.

Being Fit Boosts Energy, Mood, Sleep, and Your Immune System

Because fitness is the state of being physically able to live the happy, fulfilling life you want — the first and most obvious payoff of achieving fitness is high quality of life.

Research links fitness to:

• Increased energy levels
  
• Better work-life balance, according to a study in the November/December issue of the journal Human Resource Management
  
• Stronger immunity
  
• Sounder sleep
  

Some research suggests that increasing your fitness through exercise may help mild to moderate depression just as much as medication.

Physical activity is also connected to better focus and productivity. A study published in the May 2015 issue of the journal Psychophysiology suggests this is because exercise increases the flow of blood and oxygen to the brain.

The mental health and emotional health benefits of physical fitness are some of the most important ones — and often have the biggest effect on someone’s quality of life.  The satisfaction of pushing your body and seeing it respond breeds not only a stronger, faster, leaner body, but a more peaceful, satisfied, and confident mind.  When you’re physically fit, you know first hand what you can accomplish when you put your mind to it, and you become empowered to hit your personal, career, and relationship goals in a way you wouldn’t otherwise.

What’s more, you can’t deny the impact of fitness on helping people achieve (and maintain) healthier weights.  That’s because increasing your fitness level through physical activity not only burns calories, it builds metabolically active muscle. And the more strong, healthy muscle you have, the more calories you burn every day at rest. A fitter body equals higher metabolism equals healthier weight.

Exercise and Sleep Have a Very Intimate Relationship.

Here’s How They Both Play a Role in Overall Fitness

Think about it this way: Even a marathon runner who fits in multiple strength-training workouts per week can throw off their fitness by eating a diet of highly processed foods that are low in nutrients and high in saturated fats and sugars. Similarly, someone with stellar workout and diet habits can side track their fitness by not logging a consistently healthy amount of sleep each night.

The benefits of keeping both sleep and physical activity in check? Staying active helps your sleep, and logging the seven to nine hours of sleep per night recommended by the National Sleep Foundation helps you maintain the energy you need to actually stick to your workout goals and stay active