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Recently, while traveling from Indiana to Minnesota, I had to make a quick connection in Detroit, Michigan. When I say quickly I mean that I only had thirty minutes to get from one plane to the next. That would have been doable if we would have landed on time. Instead, I had a window of time that was so short that I don't think even Wonder Woman could have made it. With four, yes I said four, minutes to get from the last gate of concourse B to the last gate of concourse A. I laughed as I thought this was a joke. Waiting for someone to jump out and say, "You've just been had. You're on candid camera!" But no, as many of us filed off the plane in a state of panic hoping to make our connection I noticed that some people were struggling as they tried to run to the next concourse.
Now, I've only been in the Detroit airport one other time and I had forgotten how big and spread out the airport was designed. Nonetheless, after waiting for one woman that was clearly not in the healthiest of conditions she finally said, "You go ahead - you'll make it". At first I felt awful for taking the lead but I knew that I had to get home for my son's baseball game. I wished her well and ran as fast as I could in high-heel sandals in hopes that they would hold the gate for me. As I huffed and puffed and ignored the new blisters on my feet, I finally arrived at the gate - ten minutes late! Knowing that they probably would have the gate closed, I approached the agent to see about getting out on the next flight and at the same time coming to the realization that I would miss my son’s first baseball game of the year. The agent said, "You must be Wendie. We were waiting for you and two others and can only wait three more minutes!" I was thrilled! I made the flight that day, but thought about the sweet woman that I left behind and how she didn't make the flight due to her lack of functional fitness.
So often we think of physical fitness by aesthetics (how we look) alone. Someone walks by and they look healthy and fit, which is nice to look at, but it's so much more. The functionality of being healthy and fit is even more important than how nice it looks. It could save you time, save your life, and give you freedom to do the things you want or need to do. Physical Fitness = Functional Fitness. Make the connection!!!!
--Wendie Pett, Fitness and Wellness Coach, www.wendiepett.com
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Great blog entry! 
You're very right about the importance of functional health.
I think the key to sticking with any exercise progarm is not aesthetics but how
exercise makes you feel. Once you make the mind to body connection to feeling good and exercising,exercise becomes the best kept secret on the planet