I say "selfish" because a part of me does it because I like to feel attractive. The exact percentages of each item in the list titled "am_Unition's Reasons to Stay Fit" are pretty unclear, honestly. Regardless, it's a privilege to even have an hour every day to devote to fitness (even 30 minutes of cardio means extra laundry, packing your bags with a change of clothes, showering to get clean, etc.), and afford membership at a nice gym that's never terribly crowded. Sure, you have to maintain your sanity. I've seen people close to me do things in their lives (professional, romantic, social, etc.) where they give it so much that they end up just about killing themselves. Not like a quick suicide though. A drawn-out lifestyle over the course of years, maybe decades, where you see them burn out, quick, like the brightest stars do. I just can't decide if that's the most selfless thing to do, or maybe I'm just convincing my candy-ass that I'll do the most damage if I get to live a little longer than they did. Heh, well that was bleak as fuck. Stay healthy, kids!I am also pretty firmly of the mindset that a certain amount of 'selfishness' is necessary and good in life.
Always make sure you've got what you need first. It might not be selfless to act in such a manner but if you live a selfless life whose life are you leading anyway? More like "everyone else's" than "yours," I think. Is it selfish to want to be attractive? Think about it this way: by improving your physique you are attracting partners who care about physique, which is also an indicator of health. That means those partners also value health, so hopefully, they're also physically active. Not only do they look good now, but over the long term they're probably more likely to motivate you to continue to be physically active (maybe with them, because it's a shared interest, or just by proxy) as opposed to encourage lazy or unhealthy behaviors. Moreover, looking good serves as a relatively-easy indication to potential mates that you care about yourself, you have confidence, you consider yourself valuable (if you didn't value yourself you wouldn't spend time working out), and you're stable (enough to take care of your bod). In turn I would expect such an image would allow you to attract similar partners. To be honest I completely understand, though, that feeling that it's selfish or wrong to care about one's looks. I had wondered if that was why you'd used the term, although I figured there were other potential reasons too. I used to think it was vain to care about one's appearance/attractiveness. I dated a lot of unattractive people. Feeling attractive is good for your mental health, I think. It is not good to be obsessed with one's looks but it is healthy to want to be able to put forth your best. When you feel attractive you feel confident and that can impact a lot more areas of life than just dating. Plus lifting is just one way of taking care of your body and making sure your needs are met (I do believe we have a need for exercise). Yo'ure on Hubski for your intellectual needs and you lift for some of your physical needs. Not that different :)