START AND THEN CONTINUE. THE POWER OF MOVING MORE.

 

START AND THEN CONTINUE.  THE POWER OF MOVING MORE.

I’ve said it before, but here I go again…. MOVING is MEDICINE.

I acknowledge the privilege I have of watching people’s lives change through fitness.  I love that I get to coach and train all levels of fitness levels, and it is amazing to witness the power of moving more at ALL levels of fitness, from an Ironman athlete and committed marathon runner to the everyday person trying to stay healthy, mobile, balanced.

Let me share :

Some of you know I started a “PRIME FITNESS” group and I just discovered that it was almost exactly 5 years ago that we began together!  The class began as a group of ladies from my church who wanted a fitness class for I think it was above age 55 or 60 or whatever the age they said.  Of course, this was before COVID, so we all began together, in my exercise space in my house.  We started very beginner- I got an idea of where people were in their movements, taught good form and alignment, modifications for wrists/ knees/ shoulders/ hips/ backs (including my own!).  And we progressed.  And we progressed.  And we progressed.  For 5 years, this group has met 1-2x/week for a 45 min fitness class.  Over covid, we began zoom and kept consistently moving.  I delivered beach balls to their houses to celebrate “summer” of covid with this fun new little exercise toy.  Everyone has dumbbells, a stability ball, and ankle band, and we now continue on zoom.  This class…. (shhhhhhh… is now ADVANCED).  That doesn’t mean new people cannot begin- I’ve been doing this enough years to make it work for everyone, for modifications- you just have to have an open mind, not judge where you are against where someone else may be.

So, let me tell you about NOW.  These women.  I do not think they have any idea of how well they move, how fit they are, how strong they have gotten in 5 years.  They do cardio intervals, they do wall squats, stability ball pushups, jackknives, side planks, they move nonstop in SUCH challenging ways.  (I huff and puff while teaching them).  I sometimes just want to stop and smile and die laughing at AMAZEMENT.  THIS IS NOT NORMAL!  It is PHENOMENAL.  They LUNGE AND TWIST!  They lunge, touch the floor then lift up into a balance on one leg.  It sounds like bootcamp?  (ummmm because it IS! Except the running).  I know for a FACT that they have ALL DONE THINGS THEY DID NOT THINK THEY COULD DO. 

How freaking amazing.

We literally sometimes get through the first 15 minutes of a class and I think- good grief, we have ALREADY DONE SO MUCH!  It is my job of course, and also my passion, but I need to express how IMPORTANT it is to:  REACH OVERHEAD!  To TWIST! To side bend!  To balance on one foot!  To move the spine (cat cow). To know how to STABILIZE!  To notice where the body is in space.  To lose balance! And then try again! To move feet quickly!  To move SIDEWAYS.  And we do it all.  I’m like a mama bear gushing with pride.

And honestly, yes, I plan to always vary the workouts…. To hopefully keep things moving, fun, different challenges….. BUT THEY ARE THE ONES WHO SHOW UP.  FOR THEMSELVES.  On days when I am SURE they sometimes really don’t want to!  We all have those days!  And they SHOW FREAKING UP.  And we end up connecting, smiling, doing life together. 

The POWER. Of CONSISTENCY.  Making a choice day after day after week after week and year after year.  It has made a change.

This is just like all my groups.  I’m SO OVERLY filled with gratitude that I get to be a part of all of this!    

One of my favorite quotes of all times:  You get what you train for, not what you wish for.

 

Likewise, I was brought to TEARS earlier this week.  I was training someone who I have now been working with for 2 years.  Various situations had hit this person hard mentally and physically during COVID, and she was in a place that was not healthy.  She couldn’t reach up with her arms easily overhead and get into an extended position.  Sitting fully UPRIGHT with good posture in a chair wasn’t accessible.  She had a foot injury, so walking was limping, NOTHING WAS GOING RIGHT.  And. Ummmm….. She did NOT want to exercise.  But she knew she had to.  AND SO SHE DID.  And we are not where we yet are GOING TO BE, but we are ON OUR WAY!  She is now SHOULDER PRESSING 8# dumbbells overhead.  Squatting with energy and stepping up stairs, doing WALKING LUNGES that I wasn’t sure would be able to happen yet with her foot, but we have worked mobility everywhere in her body.  And this week, we got through a first half of yoga sun salutation- moving up and down, going down to lunging low on the floor, then stepping up BIG and standing and reaching again.  This is NOT A SMALL THING.  This is what she will need to do if she has grandchildren that she wants to play with and go from the floor to standing.  This is just LIFE.  And I cried to be a witness, to be watching STRONG PEOPLE DO HARD THINGS FOR THEMSELVES.  GOSH. 

 

So. This is why I believe in the power of movement so FIERCELY.  I SEE the difference it makes.  I see the difference that I have been able to manage my back pain for the past few years by working core to keep my spine stabilized.  That people are being in their bodies with awareness, being brave and trying new things, showing up to something that is UNKNOWN!  I mean--- I GET that when you work with me, you show up OPEN to whatever I have up my sleeve!!! YIKES! That’s brave, right?! And you just DO WHAT YOU CAN …. And sometimes a bit more.  And that is the magic.  It’s really pretty cool.