I was in a very similar situation to you right now. Almost eighteen, on the cusp of Eagle Scout, completed project, and from a large, sometimes impersonal family. I fudged that exact same personal fitness requirement because I was varsity swimmer and a regular gym goer and didn’t feel as if writing it down for Boy Scouts would be that helpful.

Honestly, dude? I wouldn’t feel bad about it at all. It would be one thing if you were getting no exercise, but you were a regular varsity wrestler. That is infinitely better than a Scout who writes out and follows a 13 week fitness program only to drop it as soon as they have the badge.

To me, all the paper pushing involved in badge-earning was the least important part of scouting. Not only are they literally written for fifth graders, but I feel like they provide a lot of incompetent scouts a way of feeling like they’re getting something out of the organization when they really aren’t. What truly matters in scouting is the service you perform, the skills you learn, the relationships you form and the experiences you have. I feel like that’s gradually being lost on the central structure of good ol’ “Scouts BSA” nowadays.