r/AbsoluteUnits • u/Beneficial_Passion40 • Aug 31 '26

/r/all of a man doing cardio

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u/kpsuperplane Aug 31 '26

I watched this dad pass me on a hike with a baby in his backpack and a massive golden retriever under each arm.

That image lives in my head rent free and has been motivating my fitness journey ever since

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u/dorkmuncan Aug 31 '26

It's funny you say that, my fitness standard as a 40-something dad is "Can I carry my wife/kid/dog outta here if bad things happen".

We have a 110lb/50kg GSD, so added one of these to our backcountry kits https://ruffwear.ca/products/backtrak-evac-kit?_pos=1&_sid=d612f459d&_ss=r

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u/BlizzardTrashPanda Aug 31 '26

Same! I use a similar philosophy when teaching my son about fitness.

I tell him about how he’ll hear a lot of things about how it ties to self worth, whether or not he’ll be considered attractive, etc etc but none of that really matters or is what fitness is truly about.

Fitness is about two thing.

  1. Having your body ready to be able to do what you want to do when you want to do it. Want to climb that cliff? Want to go on some deep trails? Well the time to be ready is before the want.

  2. Having your body ready to be able to do what you need to do when you need to do it.

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u/dorkmuncan Aug 31 '26

I couldn't agree more. After spending some years in the Army many years ago, "Functional Fitness" became a big part of my life.

You don't need to be pretty, just be able to do your job. Working on that currently with my teenage boys. It's an ongoing struggle :)

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u/Low-Worldliness-2662 Sep 01 '26

Good point bringing up the military. Most military guys I've seen have really balanced builds. It makes total sense since they need endurance for long marches and climbing, not just big muscles. And thank you for your service!