{"id":1397,"date":"2015-08-24T13:27:37","date_gmt":"2015-08-24T12:27:37","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/blogs.kent.ac.uk\/kentsport-news\/?p=1397"},"modified":"2015-08-24T13:27:37","modified_gmt":"2015-08-24T12:27:37","slug":"fitness-is-fun","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/blogs.kent.ac.uk\/kentsport-news\/fitness-is-fun\/","title":{"rendered":"Fitness is fun!"},"content":{"rendered":"

Kent Sport health and fitness instructor Sarah Black considers the importance of keeping the fun in fitness.<\/em><\/p>\n

Fitness is Fun? What? Who would have thought it?<\/p>\n

The industry has\u00a0changed\u00a0the perception of fitness and the way in which we view\u00a0and recognise\u00a0exercise. We have gone into a state of business growth\u00a0wars,\u00a0sales that focus on targeting revenue, influencing minds and\u00a0selling the most complex\u00a0technology gadgets to use whilst you get fit. Attempting to be the\u00a0most trend savvy individual and spending money to stay alongside the evolving times.\u00a0Pushing consumers leads them to become more egotistic than passionate about active living.<\/p>\n

Participating in exercise is\u00a0now\u00a0about wearing the latest gear, knowing the latest adapted exercises. Having\u00a0the funkiest gadget to post news about\u00a0your workout\u00a0after you\u2019ve just had it, then posting a picture of your most sexy pout or flex selfie.<\/p>\n

We create an intimidating environment for ourselves and our peers to be a\u00a0part of. How many of you walk into the free weights\u00a0room and literally back out when you see the bulging veins of biceps? Or the women strutting with weight belts on, displaying their petite torsos, tiny waists, majority of them rarely lifting over 20\u00a0kilos I will add?\u00a0\u00a0Questioning the need for the belt?\u00a0It is all about who can lift the heaviest, press the best and\u00a0boast the most? Ego has taken over fun and involvement. Looking around the gym, how many people do you see smiling, enjoying, experiencing a worthwhile time?<\/p>\n

Is it because the media has forced it in our faces? By not exercising we will face dangerous health concerns, therefore it\u00a0is more of a duty and task than a choice and decision? Or is it because we feel uncomfortable with the intensity, intimidated by your fellow peers and the social demand? Or is it because you\u00a0are\u00a0a novice and a bit confused as to what you need to do?<\/p>\n

My message is that we are all in a similar position, often striving for the same goal. Working towards the same target – contentment, satisfaction!<\/p>\n

No matter how many push\u00a0ups someone can exceed you by, it does not measure how strong they are in total fitness. Total fitness combines mind, body, health, nutrition and social fitness. If you can impress your companions with your front squat, but independently you suffer from depression even anxiety, you have not met your ultimate capabilities and you are not totally fit.<\/p>\n

I am speaking to everyone when I emphasise the importance of confidence in the fitness world, not arrogance. Display adaptability to welcome the person next to you who is struggling to grasp an exercise, instead of raising your eyebrows and making them feel embarrassed. It might\u00a0be you that needs a little\u00a0extra\u00a0help later on and karma will ensure\u00a0you’ll\u00a0be\u00a0needing\u00a0to\u00a0seek it from the person you avoided assisting previously.<\/p>\n

Back to the point of fun in fitness.\u00a0Participation\u00a0is obviously necessary, enjoyment is mandatory. What is the point of pitching up to train and already predicting that you will loathe every moment of it? Who spoilt the fun in working out? Serious faces, angry expressions, moans and groans seem to be the norm\u00a0these\u00a0days. Sensible training is crucial to beneficial gains and competitive sports challenge our skills and reward our commitments and achievements,\u00a0but\u00a0if you\u00a0don’t\u00a0leave the session and walk away happy, satisfied, even looking forward to the next training day. What good have you done? Measure your success by not only figures on scales and fitness apps. Measure your success by the distance you have covered through commitment, involvement, experience and enjoyment.<\/p>\n

As an instructor I face intimidation everyday by the\u00a0publics\u00a0expectations and behaviour. Fitness has been given a superficial label and as I look around me at all the different styles and\u00a0images I feel overwhelmed and almost lost, questioning my own status in the industry. I have qualified and studied the human body in depth, with experience under my belt, I find my confidence plunges when I see how many variations there are out there and the number of\u00a0references, that\u00a0change formats continuously.\u00a0Perhaps\u00a0im\u00a0doing it wrong? teaching it wrong, delivering it incorrectly?\u00a0No. I\u00a0am delivering it differently! That does not make it wrong, it makes it different. It makes it unique and it highlights the importance and significance of modification.<\/p>\n

We all do things\u00a0differently,\u00a0we are all affected by external factors. At the end of the day though, we are after the same thing. A good experience.<\/p>\n

As long as you are safely exercising, gaining benefits and progressing. Then who says exercise has to be serious, debilitating, intimidating?<\/p>\n

If you are suffering boredom at the gym, get a programme written for you that challenges the plateau, breaks the boredom. If you need a buddy and the social side, join a fun exercise class and take part in a club that makes you into a\u00a0group member.\u00a0Have a giggle, if you get hooked up in the TRX cables, instead of turning red with embarrassment,\u00a0laugh. No one knows everything, but your determination to enjoy will hopefully inspire the over achievers to grow a bit more, not only in the ego!<\/p>\n

For advice about how you could enhance your fitness regime have a chat with our Fitness Team at the Sports Centre or why not book in at reception for a consultation<\/a>?<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Kent Sport health and fitness instructor Sarah Black considers the importance of keeping the fun in fitness. Fitness is Fun? What? Who would have thought … Read more<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":5725,"featured_media":1400,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":[],"categories":[127083,124,23261],"tags":[39988],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.kent.ac.uk\/kentsport-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1397"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.kent.ac.uk\/kentsport-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.kent.ac.uk\/kentsport-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.kent.ac.uk\/kentsport-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/5725"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.kent.ac.uk\/kentsport-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=1397"}],"version-history":[{"count":4,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.kent.ac.uk\/kentsport-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1397\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":1402,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.kent.ac.uk\/kentsport-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1397\/revisions\/1402"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.kent.ac.uk\/kentsport-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/1400"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.kent.ac.uk\/kentsport-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=1397"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.kent.ac.uk\/kentsport-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=1397"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.kent.ac.uk\/kentsport-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=1397"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}