Once you enjoy training and embrace it as part of your life, it goes from being something you HAVE to do, to being something you just LOVE to do. Being fit is great, but what is your fitness for?
Fitness Should Be Functional
Yes, it’s great to look in the mirror and see your gains, but when there’s not much else to it, what is really the point? We all want to look and feel great, but fitness shouldn’t be just for aesthetics. It should be functional so you can take it out of the gym and apply it to real life. Have you noticed how popular the term “functional fitness” has become? Sadly, not everyone is truly aware of what that means.
What Is Functional Fitness?
Functional fitness exercises are meant to train the body to carry out common daily tasks. It uses several muscles in the upper and lower body, but it also gives a lot of attention to core stability.
For example, a squat is a functional exercise because it trains the muscles used when you rise up and down from a chair or pick up low objects. By training your muscles to work the way they do in everyday tasks, you prepare your body to perform well in a variety of common situations.
Source: http://www.mayoclinic.org/
Applying fitness to life
Applying Fitness To Real Life
As you start mastering movements, a sense of accomplishment comes along. It’s great to know you can knock out a few sets of pull-ups and sit-ups, and that you can deadlift more than your own body weight, but how do you apply that to your everyday life? Indoor settings are comfortable because they’re predictable and safe, and it’s common that we are drawn to that sense of comfort, but think outside “the box” …literally.
Fitness is supposed to be transferable; however, when it comes a time to use it in the real world, you might realize it’s different from training in the gym. Train for the unexpected because, outside gym doors, the environment is a whole lot more dynamic. CrossFit is meant to make you better at life. You should be able to apply your training to your everyday activities like picking up your kids, moving heavy furniture, or carrying a heavy bag of dog food back to your car; trail running on uneven terrain (even if you never train specifically for that), go rock climbing, or kayaking.
Learn new skills that you can put to the test. The next time you’re at the gym, think of how much more fun it will be when you get to transfer that into your life activities and learning a new skill or sport.
