Pillar #3 of my book The Fitness Curveball is focused on movement foundations.
Why do you workout?
This seemingly simple question has a profound impact on the results you get…from workouts and life.
For most of the population (and perhaps you too), the two most common responses are:
- To Lose Weight
- To Get Fit (aka to look good)
While I know this is the reality that most people experience, I believe those are crappy reasons to workout.
It’s these reasons that contribute to so many people “hating” exercise.
Then again, I probably would hate exercise as well if those were the only reasons I could see for working out.
I believe this massively narrow focus on “getting fit” and “losing weight” is also at the root of what’s wrong with so much of the fitness industry.
Trainers, instructors, and businesses continue to promote this outdated idea and sadly, it ends up alienating the very people they want to help. It sets them up for failure and frustration while limiting their ability to get the REAL results they want.
Yes. I believe it’s not actually weight loss and fitness you want. Seriously!
Sure, those are nice “side effects”, but they aren’t the REAL goal of exercise.
Somehow modern society has taken all the joy and benefits of moving our bodies and diminished it to vanity, aesthetics and reaching a certain “number on the scale”.
Thankfully, movement, fitness, and life are MUCH more than going to the gym, doing cardio, lifting weights, burning calories, fitting into our jeans, or dropping a few pounds on the scale.
So, I will ask again…why do YOU exercise?
Everyone will have their reasons, and for many people, it originally started with “getting fit” and “losing weight”. However, talk to anyone who has reached those goals and continues to be active in their life, and you will find that their reasons are completely different!
Here’s what a few of our members said when we asked them why they workout…
Danielle – it’s her ability to live pain-free and enjoy exploring the mountains.
Mark – wants to have the energy and capability to keep up with his growing kids.
Julie – wants to keep learning new skills that amaze her and her friends with what she can do at her age.
Sheena – it’s for her to feel better and be able to do more at 50+ than in her 30’s.
Greg – feels there is so much of the world to see, and he wants to be able to experience it for many more decades to come.
For others, it’s about having the energy and mindset to accomplish their biggest goals, spend time with their kids, grandkids, along with the sheer joy and pride that comes with mastering new skills and defying expectations of what is possible.
The interesting thing is that each of these clients lost weight and got in great shape throughout their time with us. Yet, if they focused just on fitness and weight loss, they would likely have become frustrated and bored before reaching their goals.
And if they did reach those particular goals, they wouldn’t have much incentive to continue. This is how the fitness and weight loss yo-yo gets started.
But, there’s another critical aspect of movement and exercise that’s hardly ever talked about.
That’s being “functional” and able to do the things you want to in life…without having to think about whether you can.
Have you ever had to move furniture, do a physically demanding job, pick up your kids, jump over a fence, carry something heavy, or get asked to play a new sport or game without notice?
Just yesterday, I moved a fully loaded two-drawer filing cabinet up a flight of stairs and into another room. This involved all kinds of bending, lifting, pushing, pulling, and twisting that resembles NOTHING like what someone would do in the gym or a workout.
Yet, these are things we ask our body to do these movements each day. Ok, perhaps not moving filing cabinets, but the fact is, most people’s exercise routines do nothing to prepare them for what they do in life.
If there is a definition of functional strength, the filing cabinet and life examples would be it.
Life requires that you be functionally strong so you can pick things up, move them around, and generally interact with the world around you.
Think about this…
- Do you have the stability and mobility to lift your kids?
- Can you run, jump, and leap when you need to?
- Climb a tree or mountain? Scale a fence?
- Go on adventures on a moment’s notice without self-doubt or fear of injury?
- Do you have the energy and clarity of mind each day to follow your dreams and well…Move a filing cabinet when you need to? 🙂
Let’s face it, having functional strength is SUPER useful in life – for yourself and for others.
Yet, most people avoid doing these things…because they can’t.
This gets worse as people age. They think the activities I mentioned are for “young people”. That’s total BS.
I’m 47 right now and am in better shape in many ways than I was in my early 20’s. Plus, there’s still so many more skills I’m excited about learning and being able to do. I feel I’m just getting started!
The best part is that when you train for movement and function, the benefits can be attained at ANY age.
The stronger and more mobile you are, the cooler the skills you can do, the more adventures you can tackle, the better you will feel every day.
Plus, you will be ready to live your best life without nagging pains, preventable injuries, and worries that you won’t be able to do something you really want to or need to.
Even more, you will live a longer, more fulfilling life. I don’t know about you, but knowing that I died early when I could have prevented it by moving more…That would suck!
Imagine what life will be like when…
- Your back doesn’t hurt when you lift something.
- You aren’t scared of falling and hurting yourself
- You have the strength and confidence to protect yourself and those you love when you need it.
- Your joints don’t ache when you move
- You can go to play and have fun with your friends and not fear that you will tear a ligament
- You can move a couch (or filing cabinet) with ease and pride
- Y️our strong, lean, muscular body and active lifestyle helps you avoid 80% of the top causes of death
- You live longer, and you get to enjoy it more!
This Is The Benefit Of Effective Movement And Functional Strength At FRESH!, we help awesome humans like you learn to MOVE better so you can do everything you want to in life.
Our approach revolves around several important concepts that every human will benefit from mastering.
The 4 Movement Foundations
- Breathing
- Bracing
- Alignment
- Activation
The 7 Primal Movement Patterns
- Squat
- Lunge
- Push
- Pull
- Hinge
- Gait
- Rotate
You may look at these and say, “I already know how to do most of these”, I can say from 30 years of experience that despite being familiar with the terms, the large majority of people have not learned how to do them correctly (Yes…even breathing!)
Don’t believe me; I encourage you to pick up Pillar #3 (Movement) in The Fitness Curveball book series. It goes through each of these steps in detail and will be the best health and fitness purchase you make this year.
You can pick up the books at www.thefitnesscurveball.com or www.timborys.com/curveball.
Want to see these concepts in action? Book a Functional Movement Analysis session with one of my expert movement coaches, just email info@freshfitness.ca.
One last thought before we wrap up:
The movement decisions we make today determine what we can do tomorrow.
So, has your answer to my first question changed?
What are you training for?
