The Fitness Puzzle

When it comes to fitness, all too often I see a disconnect between what someone thinks they want and what they actually need. I feel it myself! And with the ridiculous amount of messaging surrounding health and wellness, it can be overwhelming to sift through all of the noise.

There are phases I commonly see when someone is starting a program. Initially, someone has decided that it’s time for a change, and time to get down to business. They hire me for personal training sessions, and envision me yelling at them while they jump up and down, perform challenging feats of strength, and sweat profusely until finally I allow them to stop at their 100th repetition. 

Sometimes I think I want this for myself! Sometimes I feel that THIS is fitness. Sweating profusely, being yelled at, and working harder and more sloppily than I have in my life - all in the name of a great workout that leaves me feeling as though I have “done” something. 

But is this doing something? Is this an effective way to become stronger, more fit, to move better, have less pain, and become more healthy overall? Or is it just a way of punishing ourselves for too much time spent not exercising, and perpetuating a cycle of extremes?

As a personal trainer, I feel that it is my job to educate my students about balance and about lifelong fitness habits. I want them to develop an interest in strength training that can become a lifestyle rather than a short term project. I want them to know that mobility training, stability training, and restorative sessions are an important part of the fitness puzzle. That running until they are a puddle on the floor will not bring them enlightenment. 

Though I am no expert in habits, I have been in the fitness industry long enough to see that fitness must become a habit in order for someone to see real change in someone’s mind, in their body, and in their spirit. It must be something that is seen as pleasurable in order to be repeated over and over again. And it must be sustainable in order for it to take effect over the long term. 

Each and every one of my Kettlebell workouts opens with an average of 10 minutes of movement prep and mobility work. Inside the workouts themselves, we challenge the perception of a workout, with movements that incorporate mobility alongside end range strength. We spend time down-regulating at the end of each workout with intelligent sequences. And we focus on mobility-only days, yoga-only days, activity-only days, and recovery-only days. 

My personal training students know not to cancel a session if they are taxed emotionally, if they haven’t slept well, or if they are working on other aspects of their health and need a session to focus on restoration. My On-Demand students know that there is a full library of videos including general movement sessions, yin yoga sessions, mobility sessions, gentle workouts, and “move for 10 minutes then go outside for a walk” sessions. 

I pride myself in being a personal trainer who is a real human with her own need to down-regulate, restore, replenish, and inspire herself with a variety of activities. Kettlebell training, as I see it, is our foundation. It’s where we go to work on our fitness puzzle. It’s where we keep coming back to, and where we will continue to press play over a lifetime. All while leaving room for life to happen.