What is Functional Fitness?

So many people consider me the founder of the Functional Fitness Movement but like any concept there is bound to be shifting along the way. Functional Fitness the way I coined the term in the Late 80’s. meant Fitness that improves Posture, Joint Stability, something I called Improper Muscular Balance, lastly it improves the ability to have an overall better life. Functional Fitness had to make sense whether you were speaking to a 3 year old or a 95 year old. This was key to long term health, something that by its very nature Functional Fitness was supposed to help a human get. I have added a number of key elements and even Patented another terminology because the waters of what I coined in Functional Fitness has gotten so polluted over the years.

Exercise companies have used this term to create really dangerous and even stupid programs that destroy the deepest meaning of health by causing great damage to the human body. They preach nonsense in the name of Fitness and explain that because you can do more than the next guy or gal you are somehow more fit and therefore jump to the conclusion that you are better at living life. I consider programs like this negligent in their consideration of health and longevity by comparing one person’s strength to another. Long term it makes no sense to compete for fitness. Your fitness is a very personal thing and you need to decide how much is enough not some scoreboard or leaderboard. You need to decide when your body is taking a turn for the worse and make informed decisions. Following silly concepts like a giant game of monkey see monkey do will only work to destroy what you think fitness and health really are.

When you look at the Newest Concepts in Fitness over the past 50 years you will see all kinds of fads come and go, I know for a fact because I find myself shaking my head over and over again, year after year. Aerobics, Low Impact, High Impact, Step Aerobics, Spinning, Stair Stepping, Step Machines, Ladder Climbing Machines, Martial Arts Workouts, Boxing Workouts, Super Creative Yoga, etcetera, etcetera, etcetera. Many if not all of these have nothing to do with you. They only have to do with making money first and foremost. Do they all have benefits?, Yes but the benefits are all short term because they will destroy you if kept up for a lifetime. Exercise in my world should correct issues not create them, it should make you feel great not exhausted. Yes, it can be and should be difficult because Change is rarely easy it is almost always difficult. If you look at your current exercise routine and don’t see yourself doing it over a lifetime especially knowing some basics of wear and tear you might want to see the advice of a trained professional. It will be the best dollar you ever spent with a payoff that can last a lifetime. If you are currently taking a class or working with a professional that is not concerned with your entire life not just kicking your butt today than don’t walk; run to a better option. Hope you enjoyed this article.

Yours in Health

Sam Iannetta