A Controlled Movement Playground
vs
An Uncontrolled Movement Playground
The Gym as a Controlled Playground for Movement
There are a lot of stressful, overwhelming feelings towards the gym. A large percentage of the population will never step foot in a gym. A smaller percentage of the population drag themselves to the gym weekly. A very tiny percentage of the population can barely handle taking 2 or 3 days off in a row from the gym.
If you are part of the percentage in which the gym makes you cringe or you literally have to bribe yourself to get there, take a step back and think about this.
Every single day we move thousands of times. Some are big movements and some are small. Some we are conscious of and others we aren’t.
We bend down, twist, accelerate, decelerate, jump and reach. What if over a thousand times a day we moved wrong? How would this affect us?
Let’s look at the shoulder as an example.
If you have tight muscles surrounding your shoulder joint and your shoulder joint is not sitting in the right place, every single time you move your shoulder it creates wear and tear on the joint and as a result, over time, you might experience shoulder pain and perhaps even obtain a shoulder injury.
Now, think about Life as an Uncontrolled Playground for Movement. In life we generally do not consciously move. We don’t set our joints in the right position, brace our core and then pick up a bag of groceries. These scenarios are most likely where we will actually injure ourselves.
However, in the gym we can consciously move our bodies properly. We can set our joints in the right place, brace our core and move efficiently.
Practice does not make perfect. In actuality perfect practice makes perfect. So if we take ourselves to the gym to work on moving efficiently and effectively, would we not have the ability and awareness to move more efficiently and effectively in our day to day activities?
When I watch a client move for the first time, I know that if they are moving incorrectly in a controlled setting (the gym), then this is likely how they move in an uncontrolled setting (their life).
If you change the way you think about the gym and the things you do in the gym it will become a more enjoyable experience.
Fostering movement helps optimize your frame of mind and in that positive frame of mind we find happiness, gratitude, energy and possibility.
Movement is medicine. Think about the gym as a place where you get to play and challenge your body… through Movement. Robert did!! In fact, I recently met Robert through a presentation that I delivered to Members of the St. Albert Chamber of Commerce. How impressed I was when he approached me immediately after the presentation and with great enthusiasm said:
“OMG! I get it! It all about Movement!! I can totally relate! You have shifted my thinking from exercise and working out to MOVEMENT!! I can do this!!”
Robert is now one of my many clients. Thanks Robert! Now, let’s get Moving!! FYI: Robert has never ever stepped into a gym with a Personal Trainer. The sheer fact that he is DOING THIS, is a celebration of his continued commitment to positive mental health.
