Does your lower back “twang“ every time you bend down or open a door?
Or..
Do your knees crackle and pop like Rice Krispies when squatting down?
Or maybe..
Your hips get sore and stiff when sitting down for too long without moving about?
If so, you’re not alone!
These problems were exactly what Lyndsay had when she first came to train with us 2 years ago, where her lower back was always sore and achy especially after sitting down or during and after shopping trips and school runs, her knees were painful especially when climbing the stairs and her hips were getting overly tight, which was compounding her back pain.
When I first met Lyndsay she told me that she had tried to get into the fitness routine in the past on many occasions but she never felt inspired or confident enough to follow a training routine for a sustained period of time.
She also mentioned that she never used to be a “sporty girl” at school or uni and memories of her old school PE teacher making her do cross-country running around the field put her off the thought of exercising all together.
You will be amazed how many people tell us that school PE turned them away from exercise and sport, which followed largely through into adulthood...Sound familiar to you?
After a thorough consultation to discuss the problems Lyndsay was facing and the targets she wanted to work toward, we went about putting a plan together where she would do 4 x 1-1 sessions per month including home programming to follow between coaching sessions.
We also initially made the agreement that she could cancel at any time and there were no long term buy ins with us, which would give Lyndsay a no pressurised approach just in case she felt like it wasn’t for her.
As a very brief summary, the initial stages of the plan were to improve the pain and stiffness in her lower back, hips and knees using a variety of progressive therapy type exercises and functional movement patterns to increase the stability of her knees, increase her spinal stability in her lower back and mobilise her hip and ankle joints.
Once we got Lyndsay out of pain we were then able to focus on the second stage of the plan, which was to increase Lyndsay’s muscular endurance and capacity so that her body could better cope with the strains of daily tasks, to ensure she wasn’t getting overly tired and worn out at the end of each day.
This could only be done once we got Lyndsay out of pain and when proper movement patterns were restored to a healthy level.
As Lyndsay continued to build better capacity and muscular endurance all around her body, we were then able to start increasing the intensity of her training by introducing more strength based functional movements and blocks of metabolic training.
FAST FORWARD 2 YEARS…
Fast forward 2 and a bit years and Lyndsay is still training hard and has got her body to a point, where she has never felt so strong, fit and mobile in all her years.
She is loving living an active lifestyle with her family and having the energy to play football with her little boy.
She now feels like she has the freedom of choice to do most activities without the worry of being in pain or too out of breath, which makes physical activities fun and enjoyable at last.
THIS ONE IS AWESOME - One of the biggest benefits that Lyndsay has earned from her improved relationship with exercise over the last 2 years, is that she no longer feels that exercise is a chore that triggers anxious feelings of being out of control.
In stark contrast, she now really appreciates the benefits of being active and enjoys the happy endorphin kick you get at the end of every training session.
Lyndsay‘s story reminds me that - As people keep telling me, the 40’s are the new 30’s!
And this is certainly the case for Lyndsay who is currently in her 40’s and in the best shape of her life..and most importantly PAIN FREE!!
Here is a google testimonial that Lyndsay posted up last week (15/03/22)
From the team at FF: Congratulations Lyndsay on all your hard work and most importantly your consistency to keep training even when life throws its challenges at you!! Let’s keep pushing forward to see what else you can achieve. 🎉👏🏻
This client spotlight should make it crystal clear to anyone who is currently in pain and struggling to exercise on a consistent basis, that they can with the right coaching and the right plan in place, not only remove pain from their daily lives but also have the chance to get in the best shape of their lives.
If you or someone you know is in the same place that Lyndsay was 2 years ago in pain and uninspired by exercise, please email us to claim your FREE CONSULT and speak to a real coach..
info@functionalfitness.me
REMEMBER The hardest step is often the first!!
Until next time,
FF Team