Functional fitness, it's a term that has been around for a bit so you've likely heard of it. Functional fitness is a type of training with a focus on movements that mimic ADL (activities of daily living). Movements like squats, overhead presses, bending movements (deadlifts), pulling movements (pullups), and pushing movements (bench press).
You may ask why these types of movements are so important. The simple answer is, as we age our bodies will see a decline in the range of movement, strength, and stability. Unfortunately, the need to squat to use the bathroom, reach overhead to get items out of the cabinet, pull ourselves up from seated positions, bend over to pick up grandbabies or dropped objects, or even push a shopping cart around does not diminish as we age.
Most of us can recall watching as an elderly family member struggles across the room in their walker. Training for functional fitness helps to prevent these issues later on. So as you can see, the benefits of functional fitness have the ability to last a lifetime. It's likely you're already incorporating some of these movements in your workout and haven't realized it or their significance. If not, it's easy to add them in! In the next few weeks, I'll be showing several ways to include functional movements into your workout on instagram. Of course, if you need any help creating a workout plan that works for you let me know!