Mindful movement is what happens when your brain and your body are in the same place at the same time, it’s not your body flailing about in an effort to mimic an exercise. Mindful movement happens when you’ve taken the time to train a movement with integrity and efficiency. Most of the top athletes look effortless because they have spent many hours perfecting movement. Their training has a plan and a progression. And with that training comes an efficiency of movement. Athletes generally spend a great deal of time getting tune-ups before they head out for a test drive. Oddly enough right now in the fitness world the general plan is to send everyone out for a test drive regardless of the worn out tires and sputtering pistons. The general public is out of shape but being trained like they have a master’s degree in movement. And then you get hurt and you stop, discouraged and disappointed. Not a good plan for either the trainer or the client. I blame this on “The Biggest Loser” mentality, if your not killing yourself it must not be good. If Jillian isn’t screaming at you to move through the exercise even though your back is arching like a cat and your shoulders are up to your ears….JUST DO IT. The mindset is unless you punish your body , you won’t achieve that magic 5 pound weight loss a week shown on TV. Guess what folks…it’s Reality TV that is about as real as Cher’s face or The Kardashians. Some facts here that needs to be acknowledged, you can lose weight in a rigorous fitness program, provided your diet is equally rigorous. The problem as I see it is many people who are engaged in these intense fitness programs completely lack any of the basic skills needed to get the results they are after. It’s a general statement, I am well aware that there are also some really great fitness professionals that require it’s participants to finish fundamental classes before they start the more intense program. In the personal training profession we are well aware that our clients come to us to improve their lives through fitness, our goal is personal training should enhance your life both physically and mentally. The old mentality of training was based on the “ Bodybuilding” where all the focus was pieces and parts of your body not your body as a unit. I think the latest styles of training such as boot camp have removed the focus off bulging biceps and back to training the body as a unit. What I am trying to do is to make sure you have the basic building blocks you need to move your body as a unit, and that means training movements not muscles. My approach to fitness has been based in function since 2002, which means I train movement that helps you on the golf course, at boot camp, as well as trimming your hedges!
Mindful movement starts with knowing the how’s and why’s of your exercise plan. How do you stand to engage your core? How do you flip a tire without flexing your back and putting your spine at risk? How do you swing a kettlebell using your hips and not your back? My career as a personal trainer has spanned through every trend there is, I know what works…I know what hurts.
Basic Movement Workshop…it’s free…it’s designed to help you succeed. I educate first…and train second…just like your an athlete…because you are.
