How functional training helped me walk up a mountain.

Hello there. It’s been a while. Thank you for sticking around. If this is your first time on the blog site, welcome. If you have been here before and have been waiting for the next blog, thank you for waiting.

Before we continue, that is not a picture of me. I was with my little family and some photos I like to keep private. Let’s continue 😊

If you have been here before and have been wondering what I have been up to, well I have been quite busy as usual. I was studying a pretty tough pathophysiology course. Pathophysiology looks at the origins of illnesses. I won’t bore you with the details, but I will tell you that it has helped me see illnesses in a new light and this new knowledge is now helping me in my clinical practice when I assess someone and see how their different health conditions all started and how they are interconnected.

I have also been busy working, and I have been learning quite quickly on the job. Currently, I am diagnosing and treating adult ADHD. It’s a fascinating area of clinical specialty and I’m definitely growing as a clinician. It’s just when your studies, work, and home life are all equally demanding, there is not much left in the tank, creatively speaking.

With the course out of the way and waiting on results, it is one less thing to worry about at the moment.

Of course, while I was doing the course, I knew I couldn’t put a stop to the rest of my life. Things like eating right and looking after your body are things, I prioritize more now than ever, as I realize that with age, everything doesn’t work as well as it did before physically, and one needs to take better care of the machine that is the body.

In my 20s and even into my 30s I could be more relaxed. I could devote myself to my studies, not eat right, not exercise right, and I would be ok. Especially in my 30s when I returned to nurse training several years after doing any type of studying, I recall locking myself away, especially leading up to the deadline, with a fridge full of energy drinks and sweets. Sure, I passed, but I was also overweight, and irritable and I didn’t like how I felt.

I am in my 40s now and I realize that what I did before was not right and that I had to look at other ways to get the most out of my body and mind. I learned that time management is so key, especially when you don’t have a lot of time. Sometimes you need to wake up early before work when everyone is sleeping to study. Sometimes you also need to be smarter and more time economical with your exercise and training.

This brings me to the subject of the piece: functional training.

You must be wondering, well what exactly is functional training?

According to Heinrich, Butcher and Poston (2018), “high-intensity functional training (HIFT) is an exercise modality that emphasizes functional, multi-joint movements that can be modified to any fitness level and elicit greater muscle recruitment than more traditional exercise.”

Imagine you are on a time budget. You don’t have 2 hours to spend in the gym. You have other things to do. But you know you need to exercise, and you want to maximize the short amount of time you have. I discovered functional training partly by chance, and then partly by research. I thought, “What if I incorporate more than one exercise into a movement?”

Our bodies are not designed to just lift and pull. They are also designed to twist, reach, and duck. Our bodies are fascinating machines.

I also got this thought thinking about maximizing my time in the gym, and also after having a good hard think about my experiences and journey in the fitness industry.

When I was in my 20s, I did something I call ‘ego lifting’. I lifted with my ego, not with my back.

I wanted to lift more than my friends. Maybe it’s a 20s thing, but a bunch of young males trying to out-alpha one another can be intoxicating at the time.

Unfortunately, as with everything in life, you reap what you sow.

Now that I am older, my lower back hurts at times, my knee hurts in the cold, and my left shoulder feels like it has pins in it. Now I have to be more careful, more sensible, and more strategic. Now I know my limits. I don’t have anything to prove. But now I also know that I have to change and adapt my training.

So now I do more core work, cardiovascular work, and stretching.

And I also do functional training.

I found that with functional training, I would be able to hit major muscle groups in a short amount of time, really work up a sweat, and be able to see results not just physically in terms of aesthetics, but functionally as well.

About two months ago we went to Wales and climbed Snowdonia. It was grueling, but we managed to get to the top. When you are pulling yourself up over big rocks, walking at a sharp incline on rocky paths, and having to also have the endurance to keep up with the physical demands, you acknowledge that lifting something, again and again, may make you stronger, but it won’t help you in a situation like this.

I found that with several weeks of functional training I was able to not only become stronger and functional in my day-to-day life, but I was also able to do a short and effective workout and have time to study and meet my other life demands. I realized that I didn’t have to give up fitness because I was so busy: I just had to be smarter about my fitness.  

Functional training, even at a moderate intensity, may help to improve health markers such as cardiovascular health, metabolic health, and cognitive function (Ben-Zeev & Okun, 2021).

Even at a lower level of intensity, functional exercises have been shown to benefit the elderly population by helping to promote mobility (Whitehurst et al, 2005). Even at a lower intensity, it can be seen that there are some benefits to forms of functional training being incorporated into one’s exercise routine.

We shouldn’t have to give up the things we like, just because we have less time.

It all comes down to maximizing the time that you have.

Wake up a bit earlier when the house is quiet.

Exercise in 40 minutes as opposed to an hour and a half, and still feel like you have done something good.

Plus, when you think smart and are able to conquer your mountain, the victory will taste even sweeter.

For anyone who would like to know a bit more about functional training, I have included some videos below.

Please note: I am not your GP or physician. It is always better to be checked out first by a medical professional before undertaking a fitness routine.

Video 1

What is functional training?

Video 2

Functional exercises for improving lower back and core

Video 3

Total body workout with a sandbag

(I like the energy of the trainer in this last video)

Thank you for taking the time to read my blog, and if you know of anyone who may benefit from / appreciate the blog, please recommend it to them as well. And if you are feeling low and struggling with your mental health, please know that during this difficult time of the pandemic, there is still help out there and help available. Talk to your GP. Freephone Samaritans 116 123.

There is help out there. You are not alone.

Remember: it’s a journey. It will take time. Have patience in the process. You will get there. Until then, stay happy, stay healthy, and have a lovely time wherever you are on the planet.

And remember: love yourself. And others.

Greg

References:

                         Ben-Zeev T, Okun E. (2021). High-Intensity Functional Training: Molecular Mechanisms and Benefits. NeuroMolecular Medicine. 23, pp.335-338. [Online]. Available at: https://doi.org/10.1007/s12017-020-08638-8 [Accessed 15 October 2022].

                         Feito Y, Heinrich KM, Butcher SJ, Carlos Poston WS. (2018). High-Intensity Functional Training (HIFT): Definition and Research Implications for Improved Fitness. Sports. 76(6),  [Online]. Available at: https://doi.org/10.3390/sports6030076  [Accessed 15 October 2022].

                         Whitehurst MA, Johnson BL, Parker CM, Brown LE, Ford AM. (2005). The Benefits of a functional exercise circuit for older adults. Journal of Strength and Conditioning Research. 19(3), pp.647-651.

A bit about the author:

I am a guy who is just over 40 and is sharing a journey of wellness and well-being. I am also a mental health professional with a wealth of years of experience in supporting individuals who have challenging mental illnesses and personality disorders. 

Prior to my current professional role, I spent several years supporting members of the community as a fitness professional, assisting individuals with weight loss and health improvement programs.

I completed a PGDip in Mental Health Nursing in 2013, and an MSc in Advanced Practice in 2016 in which I looked at improving nurses’ level of engagement with patients with challenging personality disorders. 

In 2018 I successfully undertook Clinical reasoning in Physical Assessments course, and in 2020 I commenced further training in Nurse Prescribing to train toward becoming an Advanced Nurse Practitioner and will be looking forward to supporting those in the community with mental health support and medicinal support.

In 2015 I also undertook a Mentorship for practice (BSc Hons) course and have been supporting future nurses with their training and development. I have also recently supported a Healthcare Assistant Staff toward training in and successfully passing and achieving a Foundation Degree in Mental Health Nursing.

In my current role, I am a person looking to support the physical and mental health and well-being of the individual. Don’t think of me as a motivational coach or speaker. Think of me more as a wellness guide, as I use my mental health training and experience to suggest and advise ways to enhance your wellness and well-being. If you are struggling with your mental health though, please seek advice from a medical professional such as your GP.

I believe that it is a journey. It is a process. It will take time. But we will get there.

Remember: it’s a journey. It will take time. Have patience in the process. You will get there. Until then, stay happy, stay healthy, and have a lovely time wherever you are on the planet.

And remember: love yourself. And others.