Of course some people are unable to remain fit, but many more simply choose not to prioritize it. I suspect it the vitality you demonstrate helps sell your "brand", and also just helps you to be better than you would be otherwise.
The average IT office is really not a sporty place, and people also really don't like if you dress well either. It makes people feel threatened and annoyed.
What people like is for you to be a partner in crime in neglecting your health, having no self control, making self deprecating jokes and join them in unhealthy activities so they can feel less responsible for it.
People save their best self for free time and social life, where it actually scores some points, and show their less positive side in the workplace, and that's a bit of an unspoken rule that you're supposed to really relax at work.
I guess I'd want to know where you live. Weight has turned into something of a class marker in the modern US.
I am 66, I could stand to lose maybe ten pounds, but am not overweight on the BMI scale. I run on the weekend, walk then and otherwise a fair bit. Most of the men in my neighborhood that I suppose to be of roughly my age seem to be in fair condition.
I’ve seen another do basically an entire session in the parking lot on a beautiful fall day. It was clear she wouldn’t be up for going on even a mild hike to the prettier locations.
I stay in shape with a standing desk snd walking treadmill. Editing photos isn’t exactly mentally taxing so it’s pretty damned easy to do.
Of course you do. We all tend to think that we're living the right way (obviously, else we'd change). It's not really possible to evaluate whether you are actually living the right way by looking at things from your own reference frame though.
For what it's worth, I'm a bit overweight, I don't exercise much, and yet I don't seem to have trouble finding a job. In my current role I've never met anyone in the company I work for except over video calls. They have no idea what my level of fitness is, or how fat I am, or even how tall I am. Maybe I'd be better off if I went for a run more than three times a year, but I'm unlikely to ever find out.
Do you think so? I'd imagine most people are like me and echo St Paul's position of (paraphrasing) "I do what I wish I didn't and don't do what I wish I did".
I guess you're able to always summon the motivation to make for any activity you wish, but I suspect that is very rare.
Thanks to remote work. I have switched few jobs during covid. WFH interviews are awesome.
Many people live with restrictive medical conditions that limit or prevent any level of "hard" exercise. Those conditions are certainly not of their choosing, and the underlying implication that those people are "guilty" of a lack of "discipline and intellect" is offensive and deprecating. The unfortunate fact is that such conditions become increasingly likely as we all age, becoming a near certainty for most people as they approach and pass 60.
That the parent commenter has evidently managed to avoid (thus far) that sort of misfortune is wonderful for them. But it shouldn't be used to demean or belittle those who have not enjoyed that good fortune.
He's saying to exercise and eat healthy. He's not saying run a marathon every month.
I see your comment as doing way more assuming. You’re policing the most basic health advice on account that it might not apply to everyone. Obviously.
Also, the fact that you’re typing is ableist - think of the poor people without fingers that are also mute so they can’t use text to speech.
If we can’t talk in generalities then we can’t talk at all.
This comes from a man who does not like exercise, and has a genetic tendency to severe obesity (if family is any indication).
Five days a week you will find me sprinting up hills around my neighborhood, using bands and weights for resistant training, and doing breathing exercises. I eat one or two meals a day.
I'm lean, toned, and walk with speed, energy and purpose.
I'm not exactly good looking, and I can occasionally be socially awkward - but I'm fit, respectful and wear tasteful attire.
Personally, I think this gives me a giant advantage in my age cohort where most men waddle around like they are 11 months pregnant and you can hear their breathing from 60 feet away. I hear a lot of guys in this category counting down the days till retirement.
I dislike exercise but have practiced fitness training for decades. The physical and mental benefits are well known. I think the impression it makes is off the charts when you present as an older man with discipline and intellect.
I have an aunt who is deeply concerned for my health because I'm too small in her opinion (food = love). Yet her son, my cousin (who she considers a strapping example of manhood), just went on SS disability after being a tow truck driver for decades. He just got too fat to do the job. Nobody would hire him - they just see a giant medical liability.
We have control over fitness regardless of looks, and it can make a difference.