Exercise For Aesthetic Vs. Functionality

The world is filled with fashionable ideals about what a man or woman should look like. Men are told they need to bulk up, and women are told they need to slim down. Whilst some of this is changing, many people’s exercise motivation is completely dictated by these extremes. Even if you try not to, it’s difficult to resist being drawn in, and before you know it, you find you are comparing yourself with the 0.0000001 % minority blessed with an Ares or Athena physique.  Of course, whatever motivates you to get moving is a good thing.  We wouldn’t dare to judge others for their reasons to exercise. But we wonder if not achieving the perfection which is presented out there is doing more harm than good!  Isn’t it off putting when we realise that our momentary bubble of ‘maybe I could look like that’ gets burst? 

We like to be clear with clients about motivational mindsets.  What your initial impetus for exercising is makes all the difference!  We work from an inside-out perspective. We try to encourage clients to get a healthy thought process about their motivation alongside embarking on a new journey with their body. We like the idea of falling in love with your body and what it can do, and that includes recognising its limitations.  It is about building a relationship with your body.  This is different to loving an ideal look which has an underlying message that you are not good enough as you are.  In this scenario, you would be striving for an unattainable image of a body exterior that you think will appeal to others.  And, of course, some body shapes are plain old ‘not on the menu’ for us, depending on what we are gifted with through our genes.

Our ideal is to have a functional body that has a robust immune system. This leaves you being responsive to your body’s feedback, as well as pushing yourself when you want or need to.  Through combining Pilates, Yoga, and release work, we aim to equip you with a holistic program that will optimise your body’s functioning. This combination, which we call the 123 approach to fitness, offers you the opportunity for optimal feedback from your body. Our goal is to teach you how to manage the tension in your body in both the positive use of its power, and in a restorative and rejuvenating manner, designed to keep you in a balanced and relaxed state of vitality. The additional benefits of this are that your risk of injury is kept at an absolute minimum.  This means that you develop an exercise program which you can adapt to any chosen cardiovascular activity, and one which is also sustainable.  What you can sustain will help you develop a program that has you looking the best you possibly can anyway.  With the right mindset you can exercise in an intelligent and considered way that celebrates your uniqueness.