Functional Fitness

I am on a journey to live my best life. I have been on this journey for some time. I am on a mission of preparing my body to move in ways that help me function in my day-to-day living. I have been challenging myself and have reached levels of fitness that have given me strength to do things I want with ease.

I focus on patterns of functional movements. These include squats, lunges, pushing, pulling, bending, twisting, and being able to walk. For more information see resources on functional movement patterns

In 2018 when I joined CrossFit Hubtown and met with my personal trainer Amanda Thompson, I was in a foreign world. I had never been in a gym except to watch an event or my experiences as a youngster in the school system. In the beginning I was unfamiliar with the equipment and the exercises we engaged in. I was unfamiliar with the language and the mindset that went with the world I was now part of. I was unfamiliar with the people and their abilities to do things. I just had no idea. It was a huge learning curve. I was also struggling with my low level of fitness, my difficulties with movement and with stamina. Yet, on the other hand I was very well adept at using physics to get what I needed done. I was a quick learner and a hard worker. I was and am dedicated to my sense of health and my value of living freely through the lens of love. Which means moving my body in ways I had never done before. What a trip......

I shifted from one-on-one training to being in a group! I modified movements and learned so much. My coaches referred to me as an 'athlete'. This was a new concept for me. I took it on! I found group difficult. The classes moved so fast, and folks were so adept at the movements. I shifted to an open gym time and found a beautiful group of people to do the workouts within a way that worked for me. I loved my CrossFit experience. I still love the people I met along the way and the connections I built. I love that I can and do think of myself as an athlete!

I love that I committed to mattering and that part of mattering was moving every day. I set goals on my apple watch and eventually was able to meet those goals. I completed 1500 days of being active!

I am now working towards 1,750 days of meeting my move goal. This morning I will work towards my 1,636th day. That is 1 day at a time for 1,636 days. Each day of putting movement into my day. I have moved the wish and want of this part of my life to a true commitment.

I am learning over time that the saying "if you don't use it, you lose it" has truth. While in CrossFit I learned to do many things like squats, wall push up's which progressed to push ups from the floor. I learned sit ups and ring rows. Then there were those lunges and burpees. I also learned skipping which brought back memories of my brother Scott and I skipping as children. He was the best!

One of my finest moments during my CrossFit days was back squatting 120 lbs. I progressed from front squats to back squats.

Then Covid came. CrossFit did a pivot to online work outs. I kept up at home for a while and slowly let it go. When CrossFit Hubtown closed down, I purchased some equipment and added to the setup of my own home gym.

In December 2022 I noticed that my abilities had deteriorated over the time span of the pandemic, and I was having difficulty with tasks like alternating feet up and down steps. I was having trouble stepping up onto steps and some days I was having trouble getting from my bed to the bathroom. After investigating I realized that I needed help.

I went to my doctor and was diagnosed with arthritis in my low back, and I am following a treatment plan to reduce the pain. I went to physiotherapy at the hospital for a short period and I engaged a Chiropractor. I began moving once again. I dug out all my CrossFit material and started utilizing my resources. I started rowing 50 meters a day and am now up to 10,000. Eventually, I started biking and kayaking. I am back on track being an active athlete once again. I am doing squats using my ring rows, stepping up on boxes. I have reached a new level of fitness in that area. I can step up on to the highest box I have. Higher than I was able to when at CrossFit Hubtown. I am getting back to jumping so I can skip once again. A work in progress.

I started slowly to regain my stamina. My body remembers the how to do things. The execution of the how is not always so easy.

What is functional fitness? My understanding is that it is movements that support everyday living. When I look around, I know I need to be able to walk, push, pull, squat, bend, twist, lunge and have a strong core.

Why functional fitness? To be able to live my best life and keep doing things that are important to me like:

Mow my lawn

Garden

Loading Kayaks

Most importantly to build new memories. This past weekend I built lots of memories. Not only did I jump over a beam I biked 9.36 km after a fall, and I completed a 5 km walk. My sister was able to run a lot of it and I caught up with an old friend!

What I need to be functional to live my best life may not be what you need. However, what I do know is that there are basic functional requirements we have as we move forward in our lives to remain independent.

Resources:

7 Ultimate Functional Movement Patterns Trainers Want You to Master by Jessica Migala (11/11/2016) https://dailyburn.com/life/fitness/functional-movement-patterns-tests/

Foundational Human Movements https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-fjnMQlVbKI

The Seven Functional Movement Patterns - Functional Fitness Training https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6BxcbQO7C10

Day 1 5 basic functional movements; exercises for seniors and the elderly, leg strengtheninghttps://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AsnKH7ovwx0