Ryan Holiday

For the Stoics,

Fitness and strength was about function.

They were trying to keep at fighting weight, not for appearance sake, but because they wanted to preserve their health.

The purpose was functionality, not aesthetics.

The purpose was certainly not so they could catch a glimpse of themselves in the mirror and be really excited.

The Stoics did difficult things and picked up heavy things and challenged themselves because life was challenging, because life is...

difficult.

Training was a form of exercise literally and figuratively for them.

They wanted to have that strong mind and a strong body because that was the formula for living a good life.

That was a way to build discipline and cultivate resilience to inure themselves against hardship and to maintain that sound body so they could better serve their community and pursue wisdom.

And they were hesitant and wary of going overboard, which is always that temptation.

Both Mark Strelitz and Seneca talk about spending too much time on exercise.

Mark Strelitz says, why are you working so hard to be a better wrestler instead of being a better citizen, a better person, a better resource in tight places?

a better friend, a better forgiver of faults.

He was noticing how in a way it's easier and more quantifiable to put energy and effort and to see returns from that when it comes to your physical form, when it comes to losing a little weight or showing a little muscle or hitting some PR goal.

In the end, this isn't what

It's actually important.

This isn't how you measure a life.

He was warning himself and us about having our priorities precisely backwards.

Epictetus said that it's a bad sign to spend too much time on things relating to the body.