By Aleisha Theisen, PTA and NBC-HWC
As we move past the initial excitement of New Year’s resolutions and focus on staying energized and resilient through February, functional fitness offers a sustainable approach to movement and overall well-being.
Functional fitness has become a buzzword in the health and wellness world, and for good reason.
What is Functional Fitness?
Unlike some workouts that emphasize aesthetics or isolated muscle strength, functional fitness prioritizes exercises that mimic daily activities, helping you move better and live healthier. These movements involve multiple joints and muscles, mirroring actions like bending, lifting, twisting, pushing, and pulling.
Examples include:
- Squats: Mimicking sitting down and standing up.
- Lunges: Preparing your body for using stairs or picking something up from the ground.
- Rotational exercises: Improving your ability to turn and reach.
- Single-leg stance: Training your balance for dressing and stepping over obstacles.
The goal is to improve strength, balance, coordination, and flexibility, enabling your body to perform efficiently and safely in real-life scenarios.
Why is Functional Fitness Important?
Improved daily living: Tasks like carrying groceries, cleaning the house, or playing with your kids become easier and less physically taxing.
Injury prevention: By building a stable foundation and improving mobility, functional fitness reduces the risk of falls, strains, and overuse injuries.
Enhanced athletic performance: Athletes benefit from functional training by improving their agility, endurance, and power for sport-specific movements.
Increased longevity: Functional fitness supports independence as you age, helping maintain the ability to perform essential daily activities.
How to Maintain Functional Fitness
To keep your body in top functional shape, consider working with one of our physical therapists to incorporate the following strategies:
1. Incorporate Functional Exercises
- Bodyweight movements: Push-ups, squats, and lunges build foundational strength. They can be modified in the early stages by reducing the range of motion and progressed by adding resistance, such as holding dumbbells.
- Compound movements: These activate two or more joints or muscle groups. Lunges with an overhead press or squats with rows are two examples.
- Balance work: Tai chi, stability ball exercises, and yoga poses can challenge coordination and stability.
2. Prioritize Mobility and Flexibility
- Stretching regularly helps to maintain a full range of motion in joints and promotes nourishing circulation to the tissues.
- Dynamic warm-ups like arm swings, hip circles, and marches in place can help you ease into a workout routine.
- Foam rollers and other myofascial release techniques can reduce muscle tension.
3. Practice Mind-Body Connection
- Activities like Pilates and yoga enhance body awareness and core engagement, both of which are critical for functional strength.
- Focus on proper form and controlled movements to maximize benefits and avoid injury.
4. Stay Consistent
- Aim for at least 2-3 sessions of functional training per week.
- Mix up your workouts to prevent plateaus and maintain motivation.
How Our Physical Therapists Can Help
If you’re unsure where to start or are recovering from an injury, physical therapy at FYZICAL-Forest Grove can be a game-changer in getting back on track with normal movement and helping you build functional fitness to prevent future injuries.
Our PTs are uniquely qualified to:
- Evaluate movement patterns: They will identify inefficiencies, balance problems, or weaknesses that could lead to injury or reduced performance.
- Develop tailored programs: They’ll create exercises specific to your needs, whether you’re an athlete, a new parent, or someone aiming to stay active while aging.
- Rehabilitate: Functional training is integrated into recovery plans to ensure you regain strength and mobility safely following an injury or surgery.
- Prevent future issues: Our PTs can teach proper techniques for lifting, bending, and other daily movements, reducing strain on your body.
Functional fitness is a cornerstone of a healthy, active lifestyle. Whether you’re looking to enhance athletic performance, recover from an injury, or simply move better in your daily life, functional training can help you achieve your goals. Physical therapy at FYZICAL-Forest Grove can provide the guidance and expertise needed to maximize your efforts and ensure you’re on the right track.
Ready to take the next step to a more active, independent life? Contact our clinic today at 503-357-1706 to schedule a physical therapy evaluation and begin your journey to functional fitness.
Aleisha Theisen is a physical therapist assistant and a board-certified health and wellness coach.
Disclaimer: This blog is provided for informational purposes only. The content is not intended to be a substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment. Always seek the advice of your physician or another qualified healthcare provider with any questions you may have regarding a medical condition.