How to feel strong again, and trust your body to perform.
Have you lost confidence in your body? After years of working with a diverse range of clients, I became aware of the common drivers to why people invest in personal training. In this blog I wanted to share with you one particular client group. Those clients that lose confidence in their bodies ability to perform as they once did. I want to highlight how training can regain confidence, and therefore allow a rediscovery of a more active lifestyle.
Aging has its consequences.
As we age most of us have experienced breakdowns in our bodies at some point. It might be from a broken or fractured limb, ruptured ligament or a dislocation. Or just from lack of use, and the natural decline of muscle mass that comes with aging. Consequently, the ability to jump, run, or play sport leaves you feeling anxious, and you realise you no longer trust your body to function as it once did.
The loss of body confidence can be a slow realization, which takes months, even years to recognize and appreciate. If you have not run, jumped, danced, or played football for years, your body is not prepared for the physical demand required. There can be a very real fear where you no longer trust your body to attempt certain movements, and consequently your body becomes less capable of performing those movements. The old adage ‘if you don’t use it, you lose it” rings true!
A case study
A female client of mine, in her mid 50’s, going through the menopause, and who has been inactive for 20 years noticed the growing lack of strength, stability and mobility in her movement. Therefore joining a gym, attending exercise classes didn’t appeal. A personal training programme focused on these areas, enabling her to join the local dance exercise group, and to take on challenges she was not previously comfortable with.
The Simple Solution
The solution is straightforward, it is to progressively rebuild the body to enable it to cope with the demand. Starting with basic core and glute stabilizing and strengthening exercises to underpin the functional movements. Performing the functional movements well is key.
The 7 functional movements are:
- Hinge
- Lunge
- Squat
- Push
- Pull
- Walk
- Twist
Once functional movements are re-mastered, we move onto more dynamic movements, that may include jumping and hopping. When landing is safely performed we take a look at taking off. Everything can be regressed and progressed.
With a programme people build trust back in their bodies, longer walks become possible, playing football with grandsons less risky, competing in the parents race at sports day and being competitive once more is a viable option. Tennis, golf, swimming, all achievable goals.
The Next Step
Although it may seem strange to teach posture, and functional movement as it should be a natural ability, it’s the modern lifestyle of sitting in the car, at desks, and looking at screens which alters our natural alignment. These modern habits cause us to become weaker in the core, to lose muscle strength in posterior muscles caused by hours of sitting, an activity we were not designed to do.
I am happy to offer a free consultation and assessment to see where your weaknesses may lie. From there I can design and implement a program to reach your goals, please do get in touch with me at libertyptraining@gmail.com, or call me +44-(0)7782546604.