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The Biggest Value of Fitness You’ll Never Hear About

There is a benefit to fitness that is so incredibly valuable and yet you’ll never hear about it. Why is the greatest benefit of fitness not one of its major selling points?

Because it isn’t sexy.

This benefit won’t show up in an ad with glistening muscular bodies. It’s not about making your high school friends jealous at your 10 year reunion. And it won’t manifest instantaneously like the deceptive ads for “fit teas” or “30 days to beach body” programs falsely advertise. It can’t be accomplished by a six week challenge.

No. The greatest gem of fitness requires some self-awareness and using our imagination. So let’s try together because with this understanding of the true value of fitness, you can drastically improve your life. Your whole life.

Let’s imagine the two paths your life can take as you get older: staying active and in healthy physical shape compared to not doing any physical activity at all. This doesn’t mean being a fitness model, this means having a regular routine of physical exercise that you enjoy. Sport. Individual. Gym. Outdoor. Doesn’t matter. Now, imagine the trajectory of experiences with health that are or are not likely to arise because each of these choices. And then imagine what you will be able to or limited from enjoying, doing, trying, and engaging in during your whole life because of that choice.

So here is the secret fitness value your will never hear about:

Being consistently physically active helps you to get older better.

  • Staying fit is one of the only (if not the only) way to maintain your cognitive function as you age (hello memory!). Not brain games on a screen. Not TV crime shows. Physical activity.
  • It decreases your risk of disease (like diabetes, heart disease, obesity, cancer)
  • It decreases your risk of injury and improves joint and bone durability 
  • It improves emotional and mental well-being (including reducing the big three: stress, anxiety, and depression)
  • It improves your overall immune system
  • It decreases the limitations in your life
  • Connects you with health-minded people and communities

All these benefits and more can be yours but see? It’s not very sexy. Although, for us lucky ones, living a long life is a reality we will have to deal with. We can make this reality more or less enjoyable for ourselves. Fitness is like an investment into a positive life experience and if you make a consistent investment, the benefits continue to grow over time.

Investing in your fitness today is like putting money in your health bank. Are you ready to invest in yourself today?

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Mobility and Jiu Jitsu (Self-defense and sport)

Jiu Jitsu can be thought of as a game of chess with bodies. The game is played stringing movements together to advance your position while also neutralizing your opponent’s moves.

You don’t need be flexible, strong, or the most athletic person in order to do it but having the ability to control your own body can make your learning process easier. Here is a movement that can help with your strength, mobility, flexibility and coordination for jiu jitsu and for life.


This one is called 90/90 (similar to the yoga pose Pigeon). With modern lifestyle creating stiff hips and limited mobility, this movement can help prepare the body for the S-mount or armbar set up. You can do a static stretch or add a flow like we did here in the video above ☝🏼 ( personally I like to add a motion so this way you’re not only working the muscle but also the joints).

To not give away any extra space in jiu jitsu, a good mobility of the hips and hamstrings will allow us to sit in the proper position and set up the armbar submission, in this example, with better technique and therefore require less strength. Give it a try and see if you notice any difference in your “S” Mount.

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You Cannot Change Your Body

We get so caught up in “upgrading” our stuff that we forget a very simple but eye opening fact: we can’t replace our body. We can change our country of residence. We can change our partners or our careers but we cannot change out our body for another.

60lbs difference between photos

Our body is the one thing we are committed to for life.

Of course we can evolve or devolve our relationship with it and this can alter its appearance or function, but this is the costume we will wear for our time on Earth. So why not wear something we actually enjoy?


It feels good to feel good in our bodies and we are designed for a healthy and active existence. This requires we heal, nourish, cleanse, and move our bodies. We cannot swap out our frame for someone else’s but we can create the best existence possible with the frame we have. This is available to every one of us.


Being in a positive and health-focused community, like ours at Concentric Fit, is an important component to live in ultimate health with the body we have. Studies have shown people are 95% more likely to continue a health routine that they start with friends. Being around people that support you healing, nourishing, cleansing, and moving your body is a major key to successfully live long and live well.

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Fitness to Compliment Your Life

Coach Victor and I (Coach Caroline) at Concentric Fit are not bodybuilders or professional fitness competitors.

We consider ourselves athletes but we see fitness as a tool to enhance and increase our longevity and durability for our other athletic pursuits. Coach Victor used his athleticism and recovery to compliment his years of martial arts training when he won gold at the California Open Jiu Jitsu World League competition in May. (You can watch Coach Victor’s wins on his YouTube channel! Subscribe to Macho’s Man Cave or follow our blog for more more fitness and healthy living inspiration. )

Victor’s gold medal

Our students feel the same as us! Beth has enhanced her weekly pickle ball game performance at 60 years young. Robert (40yrs) continues his passion for competitive soccer and scoring goals. Rod (42yrs) increased his wave-catching-volume per surf session with less fatigue. Nancy (62 yrs) enjoys her long nature hikes with her increased endurance and strength. Or our many parents that have simply improved play time with their little ones and made it more enjoyable for everyone. Or our office workers that use fitness training to decrease their stiffness and risk of injury from a sedentary lifestyle.

Imagine the benefits from enhanced fitness that would compliment your own life.

What would YOU like to enjoy more of in your life with increased fitness?

Let us know in the comments!

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Beat Anxiety with Exercise

What if the most effective anxiety treatment was free, natural, and had side effects of self-confidence and improved health?

Guess what… this isn’t some mystical or idealistic Jack and the bean stalk story. The solution is actually as easy as lacing up your sneakers and heading outside. Exercise is the most underutilized anti-anxiety treatment and the most effective for the average person.

According to a MD on the Harvard Health blog, most people dealing with chronic anxiety have more sedentary lifestyles. When we exercise, we take our mind off of whatever is making us anxious but we also produce all the biochemicals that induce uplifting states (like serotonin and GABA). What if we thought about exercise as a method to help with our mental state plus all the physical health benefits?

If you are struggling with anxious thoughts, try a physical activity you enjoy and compare your anxiety levels before and after. We all have had the experience of feeling better after doing something physical. The proof is in the pudding. Enjoy!