What is the Fit Index?

It’s a rating system I made up to track my activity and to keep me on task and motivated.

I want to share it with you so you can maybe do something similar.  I know there are phone apps and wearable technology to track your fitness – the number of steps you take in a day or whatever.

FitBit be damned!

I like my system better because it lets me be objectively subjective.

Objectively subjective?  What the hell does that mean?

Well, a 5 mile trail run in 95 degree heat with 100% humidity in August is certainly a bigger effort than the same run on a cool 50 degree October morning.  I want the ability to bias my index accordingly.  I should and will get more points for that summer run because it’s mentally harder to get out the door and more taxing on my aging body.

Great, how do you come up the Index number?

Think of it like the stock market’s S&P 500 index.  As of this writing, it’s sitting at 2103.

What does 2103 mean?

Not much alone, but when compared to yesterday, last year, 10 years ago it means everything to your 401k and personal wealth building.

Likewise, the Fit Index is just a number for comparison.

I’ve got some core activities that I do week in and week out:

1. Trail running
2. Biking (mostly utility – commuting, errands, etc)
3. Push-ups and Pull-ups.
4. Yoga.

These all happen in various forms and times.

On the low/easy end I may run for 40 minutes before work or just take 10 minutes and bang out few sets of pull-ups on the way home.

On the high/strenuous end, I’ll get after the bucket list and run/hike for 8 hours on a weekend day in the White Mountains.

Big difference in time and effort there so my Fit Index scoring reflects this:

Running

0.25 points for every 20 minutes of running + a bonus 0.25 just for lacing up the sneaks and going.

So if I go for an hour run after work I get 1 full point. (3 x 0.25 + 0.25 bonus).

A 2 hour 40 minute weekend run nets 2.25 points (1 full point for the 1^st hour then the 0.25 for each 20 minutes).

I also play in an over 40 lacrosse league.  I just give that a flat 1 point and 3 miles of running (I play midfield after all).  I should score that higher because it’s pretty huge intensity for my wiry body.

Again, it doesn’t matter as long as it remains as 1 point always (remember we are just making a value for comparison).

Biking

My commute to work is 15-1/2 miles one way which takes me just over an hour to pedal.

I give that a flat 0.75 points each way.  So a round trip is 1.5 points for the 31 mile day.

If I do an errand that’s less than 3 miles of flat, leisurely city riding, I usually don’t score that at all.  You gotta earn your Index Points!

I score the biking less than the running because of the coasting and the inherent mechanical advantage of the machine itself.  It’s less taxing than running and there’s no mental bargaining to get myself to ride – thus no bonus.

Pull-Ups and Push-Ups

This is just a flat 0.25 points for each.  At the minimum I’ll bang out 3 sets of one or both.

If I’m feeling ambitious I’ll up it to a 10 set combination of the two (even get some dips in sometimes).

Whatever I do, it usually takes less than 20 minutes.  Though the effort is high, the time investment is low so I score it low.

Side Note:

Push-ups and pull ups are pretty much all I do for my upper body and it’s been that way for years.  Can’t stand the gym – it’s inside under crushing fluorescent lights after all.  Racking free weights and meat heads grunting out a 1 rep bench max just puts me off.

Plus, I just want to know that I can handily move my own body weight and that’s all I really need to keep the upper muscles fit.

End Side Note

Yoga

Bikram Yoga is a 90 minute stretch and sweat fest in a 100 degree room.

1 point for each class.

Side Note:

Everyone should do yoga.

End Side Note

Other Point Getters (and Losers)

Though it hasn’t happened yet this summer, my feeling is that if you do something to improve your overall life (like cleaning out a closet) and skip the workout then you should get some points.  So if I spend 2 hours on that closet and don’t do anything active then I might give myself a 1/2 point.  A clean closet puts me in a good mood – Fit Index is for your mind too.

Other activities outside the core group net points as well.  If I rent a stand up paddle board on vacation and go for a fun hour then the Index is getting upped for sure.

Alteratively, If I don’t do anything for an entire day then I loose a full 1 point.

That’s right people there are consequences for choosing nothing.  The dreaded negative number motivates me to at least try for 3 sets of push-ups.

Below is my Fit Index spreadsheet from June:

So that number 33.75 for the Fit Index is now a benchmark comparison for the coming months.  June was pretty active for me mostly because of the big run/hike in the White Mountains across the Presidential Range.

Going forward, I’ll effort to get close to or exceed that 33.75.  Just like I hope the S&P 500 will be 2150 or more next month.

You’ll also see totals for run & bike miles, yoga, and the dreaded negative days.  All fun metrics to keep an eye on.

There you have it – The Fit Index.

You can make your own index whatever you want it to be – Time spent on learning a new language, exercise, de-cluttering, gardening – a combination of them all – whatever.

The Index creates a fun number to compare your monthly time and effort.  You control the points because only you know how hard or easy your stuff is.

Let me know how your own Index works.

Good luck people.