This is what somebody said to me earlier this year.
And you know what, I agree 100%.
You see, exercise is about SO much more than just losing weight & toning up. It's about managing pain, maintaining our independence as we age, having the energy to enjoy all that life has to offer, the ability to play with children, grandchildren, nieces and nephews...
In over a decade teaching group fitness classes and working with private clients, here are some of the comments demonstrating this that have made me most proud, and why.
Some of them may just surprise you...
"I'm getting my single leg balance back"
How many of us take our ability to walk for granted?
We perform a single leg balance with every single step we take and the ability to maintain this balance and to take the weight of our bodies on one leg is integral to maintaining this.
"I can't believe how much better my neck feels - I can turn and look over this shoulder properly now!"
Have you ever tried to drive without being able to turn your head? Being able to see clearly at junctions and when reversing keeps us - and any pedestrians or animals around us - safe when we're behind the wheel. Unfortunately I encounter many people who let neck & shoulder pain fester and simply decline to improve their condition which can impact upon things such as our ability to drive safely.
"Before I started, I struggled to get in and out of the bath"
Even for me as a 35 year old, I am thinking about my resilience for the future. Seeing first hand others becoming housebound and unable to move without assistance makes me determined to increase my health span* for as long as possible. Building a foundation of strength and mobility can increase your chances of living independently and with dignity in older age. Simple things like being able to bathe and dress unaided, and being able to sit on the toilet and reach for the loo roll maintains our dignity; bigger things such as the ability to leave the house to buy your own groceries or meet up with a friend; maintain a social life and enjoy the simple things like the warmth of the sunshine in summer, or the crunch of leaves or snow underfoot in Autumn and Winter helps us maintain our independence and positively impacts our mental health.
(* health span = the number of years you are mobile and healthy | life span = the number of years you are alive in total)
"Practicing Pilates has genuinely exceeded all my expectations of how much my back would improve"
80%+ of us will experience back pain in our lives. Fact. For some people this can turn into years of pain, repeated medical visits, injections, scans and despair. I've worked with people who struggle to put on their socks in the morning, and people who have had investigations, injections and all sorts in search of relief. Exercise is scientifically proven to be one of the best interventions possible for back pain and can significantly reduce the risk of debilitating pain cycles, time off work and impacting upon our social lives and freedom.
As a fitness professional, I revel in the ability to share my passion with others, whether that is through the joy of dance, the incredible physical health benefits of Pilates or the independence-giving benefits of strength & resistance training.
Nothing makes me sadder than seeing others who simply accept physical limitations and allow these to dictate how fully they can live their lives.
Seeing exercise through the narrow lens of "weight loss" is unhelpful at best, but if we widen our scope to see how it can positively impact our:
‣ mental health
‣ longevity
‣ risk of pain
‣ independence
‣ dignity when ageing
‣ social lives
We can start to build ourselves a more fulfilling life for both now and the future
(p.s.. if this post has inspired you... just start with a walk - exercise doesn't have to be crazy high intensity or complicated.)
If you're ready to begin improving your health and fitness, check our our Dance Fit Membership which has plenty of classes suitable for complete beginners to get you gently moving in the right direction.
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