How I Fell In Love With Exercise, and You Can Use This to Improve Overall Fitness

I was one of those kids that  loved playing football. I slept with a soccerball, I watched all my idols play their games, I trained often and had dreams of playing for a big time team.

I’ve long since left my footballing career behind, but I still love to have a run and play as often as possible. This season I’ve been lucky enough to have time to play in a friendly lunchtime corporate league in the city.

Exercise Must Be Fun

A few weeks back I scored the best goal and it took me straight back to a time when I was 12 years old and I scored a similar goal. It made me feel really uplifted, excited, and it made me want to keep playing. For the rest of that week I found myself outside at lunchtime with the ball, training, dribbling, performing speed drills, having  shots at goal, and working on my skills. I’m not sure exactly how long I was out there for. It could’ve been 45 minutes, it could’ve been an hour and a half, to tell the truth I wasn’t even looking at the time. I would just play until I was puffed out, sweaty, and ready to go home. I was the Neymar of the friendly lunchtime competition and I was loving it.

Exercise Should be Interesting, Relevant and Different

If you’ve seen me training in the gym, you’ve probably noticed me doing what some people have referred to as ‘monkey business’. As a student of capoeira I learn new dynamic stretches and exercises in class and from instructional videos all the time, and I love incorporating these into my (and my client’s) sessions. It keeps my training interesting, relevant, and different. It’s exciting! And it keeps me motivated to keep training because not only is it exciting,  it helps me improve my technique for the activity that I love.

Now I don’t expect you all to become pro footballers or capoeiristas. And sure, there are specific exercises that we prescribe for you in the gym that are directly in line with your health or rehabilitation goals but the point I’m trying to make here is if we can make your exercise experience into something where you can express yourself in a positive way, something that is fun and good for you at the same time, something that you will love to do, then let us know! I want your sessions to be as fulfilling as possible so that you love your training as much as I do!

See you in the gym!

Author:

Michael Bloch

B Sc and Cert IV Personal Trainer