Building Strength Doesn’t Always Mean Doing More
Before you keep reading, I want you to take a breath.
Inhale, now exhale. Pause. Check in with yourself: How do you feel? How has your day been so far?
Now give yourself three minutes to read this post.
Here’s the deal: we are constantly pressured to do more. Somehow, with all the conveniences available to us, we still manage to overwork ourselves and overload our days. And there is always more information coming at us about what we should be doing for our health.
From conversations about GLP-1s to strength training and longevity, there is a lot to take in. I love that health and wellness are part of the conversation. I love that we are thinking about how we want to live as we age.
But we cannot change everything in a day.
If your goal is to build strength, there is a starting point. My latest blog posts have explored how Foundation Training can help you start the process. From there, you can start working toward what comes next.
Progress Can Look Different Than You Expect
We are often hesitant to get started. Sometimes we do take that leap but then drop off if we do not see progress.
As human beings, we like checking boxes. We want to know that our effort is taking us somewhere. Research supports the value of paying attention to progress: a review of 138 studies found that encouraging people to monitor their progress helped them achieve their goals.
But what are we looking for when we check in with that progress?
Progress might be recognizing how you are standing. It might be noticing your breath or knowing how to adjust a movement. It might be moving through your day with greater confidence in your body.
Those changes deserve recognition, too.
What Are You Building Strength For?
We took a breath. Now I want you to look ahead into tomorrow, next week, or the rest of this year.
What do you want your body to help you do?
Are you training for your sport? Do you want to feel more supported sitting at your desk? Would you like to pick up your grandkids this holiday season? Go to a sporting event and feel stronger climbing all those steps?
There are so many things we can build for. That is something I love about working with clients and teaching this work: we are all leading our own lives. We have different starting points and our own goals.
Your movement practice can reflect that.
Foundation Training gives us a place to practice breathing, anchoring, and hinging, and to explore how those principles can support what we want to do next. The goal is to carry that understanding outside of class and begin recognizing it in your everyday movements.
Building Toward Feeling Capable
We all want to feel capable.
We want to feel independent in our own ways. It can be frustrating to feel like we are losing autonomy.
We are aging every day and should celebrate that. Let’s get excited about new goals, new experiences and new ways we can challenge our bodies.
Remember, you can start right now. It is a good time to begin recognizing progress in your own unique way.
Many of you are already practicing Foundation Training which is amazing. And some of you may know someone who would appreciate a place to begin.
Please share this with them.
Let them know it is okay to take a breath. It is worth checking in. And it is okay to give themselves the time and space to practice something that can help them build for their future.
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