First let me explain what we do then I’ll explain why we do it ;)
At Reactive our sole aim is to make you “BETTER”.
Better can be subjective, and my better might not be the same as yours, so let me elaborate.
My “BETTER” is about “STRENGTH”, “MOBILITY”, “HEALTH” and “WELLBEING”.
Some of those words more than likely don’t really matter to you, and maybe that’s due to not fully grasping why they are important.
Let me start with “STRENGTH” and why being stronger is important…
Strength training is the fast track to being toned, (*not muscly), which is 99% of women’s reason for joining.
*Side note – Getting bigger IS NOT A RESULT OF STRENGTH TRAINING. The only thing that’s making you bigger is what your putting in your mouth.
Strength training involves progressive overload, which means in order to keep getting better and get all the benefits you have to keep challenging your body.
Here’s a cool article from Women’s Health with 12 really important reasons for you to be lifting weights and getting stronger
http://www.womenshealthmag.com/fitness/weight-exercises-women
I’ll list the reasons:
- You will lose 40% more FAT (if you nail your habits)
- Your clothes will fit better
- You will burn more calories
- Improves nutrition adherence
- Handle stress better
- Better mood
- Stronger bones (significantly decreasing your risk of fracture)
- Healthier heart
- YOU’LL LIVE LONGER (surely this is enough reason?)
- You’ll be smarter
Read the article for the research and further details.
Mobility is about having control and strength in your movement, being able to get up and down from the ground gracefully is a good example.
Lack of mobility and strength can lead to dysfunction, injury and pain.
Working on your movement vocabulary is like investing in your health, the more you can do… The more YOU CAN DO.
Most people initially join Reactive because they think they want to lose weight!!!
Let me tell you a secret ;)
You can join any gym, class, bootcamp etc that just work you hard and get you sweaty (that’s actually really easy).
When or if you lose weight (depending again on your eating habits) what’s going to be underneath the fat?
You’re more than likely going to lose muscle, bone mineral density and have further dysfunction with no regular strength training.
Later down the line, your emancipated, have no muscle tone or definition, you’re skinny fat and believe it or not your health will suffer.
We have plan 12 month periodised programme working on the FUNDAMENTAL human movements to help you move better, improve your mobility and then strengthen those movements.
If you don’t like some of the movements, you probably need to work on them the most (by default we avoid the stuff we’re not very good at).
Combined with all this exercise stuff we throw in just enough of all the other stuff you WANT with the right dose.
Think of a recipe, if you don’t get the exact amount of ingredients then your soufflé may end up looking like scrambled eggs.
We choose the best exercises that give women the best bang for their buck in terms of maximising their STRENGTH and MOVEMENT.
Women should be doing a minimum of x3 STRENGTH based session each week to achieve these benefits.
Combined with our FAT LOSS HABITS we have a habit based nutrition plan based around the basics of eating for health and fitness.
If I could summarise everything, we work on helping YOU move better, getting stronger, leaner and toned in order for you to live a healthy and fuller life.
Examples which might help that some members have mentioned include:
Having the strength and movement to play with their grandkids…
Being able to carry their shopping…
Being able to put their shoes on and tie laces comfortably…
Feeling more comfortable in their body…
Being strong to help look after others…
The skill to avoid falling over…
Getting down and back up from the floor…
Decreased risk of injury, improved mood….
Pain free…
Improved health markers…
Decreased health risks…
Toned muscles and less jiggly bits…
Another important aspect is the increased life expectancy and quality of life into older age…
Want to know another secret?
Sometimes I hate training and lifting weights, in fact I hate it most of the time.
We sometimes lose sight of why, and want the instant gratification of feeling sweaty as it feels like we have made an effort against our bad habits.
Strength training is all about investing in your body, and that’s why we make it clear it’s not a quick fix.
It’s easy to forget where you started…
You will always be striving for more looking for an easier more enjoyable option, the closer you get the further it seems just like the horizon….
Here’s the cool thing when you focus on“STRENGTH”, “MOBILITY”, “HEALTH” and “WELLBEING” you can ALWAYS get better, from week to week, month to month, year to year ;)
Imagine if you actually focused on moving better, doing your habits better and getting stronger?
I wonder how YOU would feel ;)
Be consistent, get strong, move well and follow your habits…
SIMPLE not EASY ;)
Robert
P.S. You already knew most of this, and you also know you need to work on the stuff you don’t really like…