What Does Fitness Mean? A Personal Framework for Coaches
Frameworks with Carl Hardwick | CoachRx Podcast Network
Fitness means nothing anymore if it can mean appearance, calorie burn, competition, performance, health, or a social media score all at once. Yet that does not make the idea useless. It means coaches and clients need a definition that fits the person, not a borrowed standard.
For Carl Hardwick and James FitzGerald, fitness is less about winning a test and more about building practices that support the life a person wants to live.
Fitness Is a Means, Not an End
An earlier definition offered in the conversation was that fitness is "the medium that connects people to their highest values." That frames fitness as a process. Exercise, food choices, recovery, and daily routines matter because of where they lead a person, not because they produce an impressive number.
James FitzGerald's view has shifted over time. His earlier work included coaching athletes, coaches, family members, and his own training. Now, he sees fitness as something far more personal, even private.
A useful definition can offer direction without turning fitness into a universal scorecard.
That personal view still leaves room for principles. A coach can believe in consistent movement, real food, recovery, and learning without insisting that every person should train the same way or pursue the same outcome.
Why a Single Fitness Standard Falls Short
People arrive with different needs, histories, and responsibilities. A breastfeeding mother, a stressed older adult, and a competitive athlete may all want to improve their fitness, but their best next step will not look alike.
That is why James describes living in a "post-fitness" world. The word has been repurposed so many times that it can seem to mean everything and nothing. It has been attached to body composition, workout intensity, calorie expenditure, sports performance, and lifestyle branding.
The answer is not to reject the word. Instead, coaches need to make it useful again by defining it in a way that accounts for the human being in front of them. Carl and James bring this perspective to Frameworks, their coaching-focused show, which is also available through the Frameworks podcast.
Physical Activity and Physical Expression Are Different
Physical activity can describe any movement that uses energy. Physical expression carries more intention. It is chosen movement that reflects what a person can do, what they care about, and why they are doing it.
Physical activity may include walking, lifting, biking, or working in the yard.
Physical expression includes the purpose behind the movement, whether that purpose is play, performance, challenge, competition, daily living, or simple enjoyment.
For much of human history, movement was necessary. People moved to work, travel, gather food, and care for their communities. Many people now need to construct movement within lives that no longer require much of it for survival.
That choice matters. The same bike ride can mean recreation for one person, training for another, or a way to regain confidence after a difficult period. Movement becomes more meaningful when it is connected to the person doing it.
Fitness Grows Out of Daily Practices
Carl proposes that fitness is the result of how someone physically expresses themselves day after day. That definition moves attention away from one workout, one race, or one body measurement.
Still, James pushes the idea further. Fitness cannot be only physical because a person's choices around behavior and nutrition shape what physical practice can become. The OPEX coaching model groups its work into three connected areas:
AreaWhat it includesBehaviorChoices, consistency, lifestyle practices, and self-awarenessExercisePhysical expression, training, recovery, and repeatable effortNutritionFood practices that support the person's needs and intentions
Outcomes do not tell the whole story. Someone may look athletic or perform well in a narrow setting while neglecting food choices, recovery, or the behaviors that support long-term progress.
Carl argues that behavior may sit beneath everything. Choosing food is behavior. Choosing to move, recover, show up consistently, or avoid a useful practice is behavior too. This does not make exercise and nutrition unimportant. It gives coaches a better place to start when a plan is not working.
Practice, Recover, Repeat
A simple exercise framework is: do something, recover from it, then do it again. Practice, recover, repeat is a better measure of fitness than surviving a single hard session.
The same rhythm can apply to behavior. A person experiences a challenge, works through it, adapts, and moves forward. That process may require emotional awareness, patience, and support. Nutrition also becomes a repeated practice, not a one-time list of approved foods.
Fitness develops through rhythm. Isolated actions can matter, but lasting change comes when helpful choices become part of ordinary life.
Higher-Order Coaching Starts With Foundations
Carl and James distinguish between higher-order and lower-order thinking. Lower order does not mean useless. A tactic can help at the right time. The issue comes when a coach reaches for a quick fix before understanding the deeper issue.
For example, a nutrition coach can jump straight to a nutrient target or a detailed food tactic. However, higher-order thinking asks whether the client has a workable food routine, understands basic principles, and can follow the plan consistently.
The same applies to training. If a client struggles with recovery, adding more intensity may miss the point. If someone cannot maintain a simple practice, a more complex program may only add pressure.
Foundational work often looks simple because it addresses the conditions that make every later tactic more useful.
This approach requires patience. A coach may spend 18 months focused on one area with a client, and that may be exactly what the person needs. Real people do not improve on a clean 90-day timeline.
Coaching Depends on Listening and Relationship
A strong program matters, but coaching begins with consultation. Coaches need to listen, observe, explain what they notice, prescribe carefully, and reassess over time. The relationship gives clients room to talk honestly about where they are and what feels possible.
James describes lifestyle consulting as a central part of the OPEX education approach. A coach who wants to study that framework can explore the OPEX Method Mentorship.
Coaches also need their own working definition of fitness. Without it, they can easily adopt someone else's standard, whether it comes from a famous training system, a wearable device, or a client's expectations.
That definition should be personal but clear enough to guide conversations. A coach might explain that fitness involves physical expression, nutrition practices, and behaviors that a person can improve over time. Then the client and coach can define what progress means in that client's life.
Fitness Should Connect to What Matters Most
"Highest values" do not require a coach to conduct endless analysis or claim complete knowledge of a client's inner life. Often, people tell you what matters through their concerns, goals, routines, and stories.
A client may care most about having energy for parenting, feeling steady through a demanding job, returning to a sport, or becoming more capable in daily life. Those priorities give fitness a direction.
Over months and years, the definition can change. A good coach stays curious enough to notice that change and flexible enough to adjust the plan. The goal is not to force every client into the same version of fitness. It is to help them build a version that they understand and can practice.
Fitness Begins With Awareness
The ultimate aim in this framework is awareness. People should understand that they are making choices, recognize the path they believe is best for them, and decide how closely they want to follow it.
Fitness can include challenging yourself, eating real food, and learning new things. More importantly, it asks whether your choices match the life and values you want to build.
A useful definition of fitness gives people ownership. It replaces a borrowed score with a practice they can sustain.
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Frameworks is part of the CoachRx Podcast Network, your hub for principled, purpose-driven coaching conversations.
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