Anyone who has sprained an ankle, strained a muscle, or slipped a disc can tell you what happens when you move the wrong way. Each body is different, but there are some fundamental movement patterns that can protect us from these everyday injuries.
Functional fitness is just about practicing and strengthening these movement patterns. This protects us from falls, builds up our strength to prepare our bodies for aging, and even activates our nervous system to ingrain safe movement into our daily lives.
We all do bending, walking, lifting. twisting. How well does your body manage these movements? How easy or hard is lifting your child, carrying in groceries, or going up and down a step? This is the stuff of functional movement.
So what are these movements? How do they translate into everyday life? And how can you get started?
Lunges: You know this classic. There are so many variations of this simple movement, and they are so important for many daily movements. Walking, running, stairs. Not only do lunges strengthen your legs and, depending on depth and angle, give your bum a lift, but they also challenge balance and coordination, important for preventing falls. You can start to practice lunge movements with a step-up! Simply step up on a stair or elevated surface. Be sure to start slow, keeping your knee below your hip. For a balance challenge, step up with the right foot, then raise your left knee with control to your highest comfortable level, then step down with the left foot, and switch. If you do it slowly and with control, it is more challenging than you think! From step-ups, it's an easy progression to alternating lunges, and from there, you can add weight, or increase your range of motion depending on your goals.
Squat: Love 'em or hate 'em, it is undeniable that squats build strength and mobility. They make it easier to get up and down from chairs or the floor, or pick things up when you drop them. If you have to pick up a child or pet in your daily life, squats are definitely a move you'll want to incorporate once or twice a week. If you can't quite squat fully, chair squats are a good way to start. Grab a dining room chair, and simply sit down slowly and with control. Then stand up and do it again a few times. From here, move to a lower chair, then on to simple air squats. To progress, add weight, or maybe challenge your mobility by taking a deep squat, bringing your bum as close to the floor as you can.
Hip Hinges: Our hips are powered by our glutes, the largest muscles in you body, and on the opposite side of our hips, the hip flexors. Hip hinges will help you pick up your grocery bags or that pen you dropped on the floor. Importantly, if you perform hip hinges with good form, it will protect the vulnerable lower back from injury by putting power and movement in your hips rather than your back. Good Mornings are a simple bodyweight movement that works the hip hinge. Put your hands behind your head, straighten your back, and brace your core so that your lower back DOES NOT MOVE. Make sure your feet are about hip-width apart, with toes pointing straight ahead or just slightly outward, whatever feels most comfortable as you move. As you lower your upper body forward to be parallel to the floor. Then slowly, with control, raise back up to standing.
Push and Pull: While this is actually two movement patterns, they are two sides of the same coin. Push and pull mainly apply to reaching and grabbing in daily life, and they are exactly what you think they are. Pushing a grocery cart. Pulling a wagon. And when it comes to exercise, some have it right in the name: push up, pull up. Push ups are a great functional movement, because they engage your whole body. If you can't quite eek out a full push-up, start against the wall, then work your way down to your kitchen counters, then a chair or couch, a step, and finally, the floor. A row variation is the "pull" to a push up's "push." You can use dumbbells, or just a pair of water bottles. Hip hinge forward, holding your low back strong, so that you are bent over as close to parallel to the floor as is comfortable. Then, pull your weights up, elbows coming back and up to be even with your torso. Increase weight for a greater challenge, or do an inverted row if you have access to a bar which can bear your weight.
While this little list does not completely cover the full scope of functional fitness, it can give you an idea of what it is, and how to start building strength for your daily life. Reach out if anything is unclear or you want some more details about movements you can use to work these movement patterns!
And always remember, slow and consistent will always win the best results!
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