This has been on my mind for sometime now.
I remember when I was in University (and after) I wanted to work with athletes, help them be the best they could be. I never did end up in that area, though I did train for a sport myself, I was never the trainer, and the clients I did have, I was too young to really understand how to work with them. Once I found yoga, things started to change. Build into that Critical Alignment Therapy, Natural Movement Fitness, and of course age and experience (and a heck of a lot more learning)... and now I couldn't even think of wanting to train athletes. Clients that are experiencing years of chronic pain, battling the negative beliefs of aging and movement... those are my all time favorite clients. They are the real athletes!
I've always wanted to help people live better, healthier lives; but why now would I tell everyone that I am not likely the coach for you...?
Here I am, at a turning point, not only a new chapter in my life, but a new volume, working to establish myself back in the fitness & health world. I am finding that as I meet and work with people I have a niche that can be seen as quite specific, though I see so many people that would benefit from working with me, though I'll be honest, that is my bias.
So if you are looking to take your life, health, and outlook up a notch, I'll explain why I likely don't fit into your view of what you think you are looking for.
First... I won't be 'fixing' your posture. I believe that movement is key and standing or sitting in a specific, measurable posture is only for performance like ballet. We will work on our fluidity of movement and you will learn to assess where your body can find it's best positioning whether you are standing, sitting, playing a sport or musical instrument, and/or just being a human being. This positioning is not to be measured, it is to be experienced. When we work in our sessions, I'll get you to experience different movement sensations and teach you to become more aware, without being hyper-vigilant, about the difference between tension/bracing and strength/stability.
I won't be letting you push yourself so hard that you create the habit of holding your breath. We will work hard at times, not only to build strength and endurance, but to create the awareness of how your breath can help you while you work that intensely. This awareness will spill into your daily life allowing you to find more balance throughout your day with being grounded, not exhausted and feeling clarity, not chaos in your mind.
I won't be your weight loss coach to help you find the latest supplement or quick fix pill. First, I am NOT a Nutritionist, if you would like one, I can point you in the right direction. I will talk to you about eating whole foods, I'll share some of my favorite meal ideas, some of the basic supplements that I've included in my day (and why I choose them), and let you know that occasionally ice cream is included (but really good ice cream, really, who wants to eat frozen milk with fake flavor and additives?). I believe we should move to life our best life, not workout to look the best.
I won't be asking you to stay focused and serious. This is a tough one for most people who look into working with me. I come off as the movement weirdo, the one who doesn't 'hit' the gym everyday, who uses the day that I have to create movement the best I can. I am a little less structured, a little more adaptive. Yes, structure and repetition are ideal ways to build strength, but I also want you to build sustainable habits. Good habits don't happen with big, drastic changes... They happen with small, doable changes and grow into a lifetime of good decisions (I am also a certified Consistency Coach), but we are not perfect. Let's accept we are not perfect, or need to be perfect, and not use it as an excuse.
I also believe that as adults we have lost our sense of play, this loss increases our tunnel vision and creates a loss of connection in our community. We need to attempt things in our lives and at the same time be okay if it doesn't work or we fail. Play allows us to try new things and be open to helping one another without judgment. Not to mention how good it is for an aging brain!
I am not often going to get you doing sets and reps. Honestly I am horrible at counting past 3 for these things. What we do is work on tuning into how the body feels. Ideally what I would love to see is for you to work hard and at that limit that you feel, to connect to your breath and use that awareness to move further into your strength, stability, endurance, mobility, and more. Though, sometimes there will be counting.
When I meet with you we won't be doing a 10 min warm up of running or burpees. I am going to expose you to relaxation and breathwork, and explain to you the benefits of getting decent sleep as well as ideas to help you fall asleep and stay asleep. Living a healthy life is not about being super fit, it is to find balance in all aspects of life. (More about sleep here, because it is so important, and this is another blog post)
We WILL NOT be doing specific exercises to 'protect' your back from pain. We will talk about pain and how it is activated by processes in your brain and what are the best ways to manage chronic pain. Trust me, it isn't all core stability... not even close. This is a topic that I'll write another blog on one day.
I don't want to see you 3x a week (unless there is something specific we are working with). I will give you things to do throughout your day to make your life more movement based. If we are working together for pain management, once we finish the first 4 sessions I don't expect to see you very often because you'll be doing things on your own, or attending group classes. The benefits of group classes are another topic I'll write on one day. And I'll always be here to meet up with you for a refresher session or provide inspiration. And if you do choose to work with me 1-2x a week, that is great as well, but I'll be holding you accountable for doing a few things on your own time. :)
I'm not going to take you through 'fitness' testing. Each time we meet up for a session we'll be talking about how things are going, what your goals are, and how we can move better throughout the entire day. We will be looking at how you move, in a practical human way. Can you get off the floor from sitting? (no? we can start there as well!) What does your squat look like? How is your balance?
If any of this resonates with you, if you would like to learn more or talk more, let me know! We can book a session or I can point you in the right direction to find the information that you are searching for. Don't let a Google or Facebook algorithm steer your life, start asking more questions!