The world is forever evolving and at a seriously fast pace! We have become used to having what we want, when we want it and that usually means “now”.
It is difficult to see how this pace will ever slow down. In fact, our expectations are likely to become even more demanding (you’ll all be familiar with the your boss telling you that he “needed that report yesterday!”)
To keep up, we look for shortcuts in everything we do. Whether it’s getting to work in the morning, cooking dinner in the evening or trying to run four weeks’ worth of errands on a Saturday! Too many shortcuts can be counterproductive – there is a lot of truth in that well known phrase “less haste, more speed”.
Lets consider this in the context of “fitness”.
Firstly,
What does fitness actually mean?
The truth of the matter is that fitness means many things to many people. For some, simply running fast or for an extended period is enough, for others it may be having the ability to lift 3 x their body weight. Then there are others, like me, that believe that fitness is far more complex. It combines all of these things and much more!
Now, I know that you want to get fit as soon as possible, but rushing it, or taking shortcuts, isn’t the way to do it. To really see the benefits of exercise on both a mental AND physical level, you need to go back to the basics and learn how to move in the right way. It’s a little bit like driving a car – anyone can get behind the wheel, release the handbrake and roll a car down a hill but would you call this driving? Absolutely not. Anyone can start jogging, lifting weights or bench-pressing but if you aren’t doing it right, there really is little point.
You might be thinking, why we need to learn how to move? We’ve been moving for years…we must be doing it right, surely?!
Wrong! Let’s take this right back to our early years. Most of learn how to move through physical education at school and unfortunately, there is little focus on developing co-ordination.
This affects the way our muscles develop and ultimately, the way we move. I see it all the time – adults struggling to co-ordinate right with left and arms with legs. It may seem like such a basic point but it really is an issue! Then, there are those who moved well when they were younger – perhaps they grew up playing sport and exercising regularly, which is great. Then they start working. All those good habits are quickly lost as other demands take over – they fall in to what I call the “dark side” and lose flexibility and proprioception.
Monica Seles is a former world number 1, Hungarian professional tennis player.
Monica finds exercise, in particular tennis, as a way of keeping her fit and healthy and her joints active.
Proprioception refers to the body’s ability to sense movement within joints and the joint position. Proprioception plays an important part in all movements and is essential for good co-ordination. When we lose proprioceptive ability, we effectively lose that connection with our bodies which in turn impacts our ability to move.
How does this impact our approach to fitness?
The modern fitness industry is all about “functional training” which focuses on the efficiency of movement. Let me be quite clear that my view of “functional training” or “functional fitness” is not necessarily the same as you’ll find on the internet or from fitness gurus, but that’s another story for another time – I’ll be posting a video about it soon.
What I’m trying to say is that without the right foundation, starting a fitness class, lifting weights or even using kettlebells could lead to long term catastrophe.
There are so many training programmes out there these days, including mine. I truly believe that mine not only delivers great results, but is a healthier and more sustainable approach than perhaps a quick weight loss boot camp or body transformation diet.
My systems combines a number of training methods and will teach you how to move well and move right. It’s not the “holy grail” but I’m confident that it will help you to achieve better results and in a much safer way than perhaps could be achieved through general exercise.
I combine theses exercises into our clients general training routine to make sure they start moving well.
Walk before you run, think before you talk and move before you train.