Functional fitness is training your body through everyday activities, such as squatting, bending, pulling, pushing, climbing, and walking. The older you get, the more you learn that health isn’t just about your appearance, or your diet.

It’s about how well you physically go about your daily life.

Functional Fitness

Functional fitness trains the muscles you rely on every day, not just in the gym. Functional fitness is simple. It focuses on basic, useful movements like squats, steps, pushing, pulling.

These exercises improve strength, balance, and flexibility. More importantly, they help you stay functional and independent. If you live with a disability, or a chronic condition, or the effects of ageing, functional fitness can make a big difference. It’s not about pushing yourself to extremes – it's about being able to move safely and steadily, without straining yourself.

What the body does

The body talks to us, it gives us clues. It lets us know when something isn’t right. Functional fitness helps us to listen and respond. It’s about building strength where it counts. If you’ve faced challenges, physical or otherwise, you’ll know the value of meeting your body's needs and that is what counts.

Why do functional fitness?

Because it helps you stay mobile;
Because it supports everyday life;
Because we all need to move well at any age, but particularly as we age. (Source: nerdfitnesscom)

Ilana Estelle is a mental health and wellbeing advocate who combines educational insight with her personal experience of living with physical, mental, and emotional disabilities. She holds diplomas in Counselling, Diet and Nutrition, Nutritional Therapy, Psychotherapy and Counselling, and Stress Management. Through her writing, Ilana supports others in navigating their emotional, mental, and physical health challenges. In addition to writing for The CP Diary, her work has appeared in healthy lifestyle magazines. Ilana is also the author of three books: Cerebral Palsy: A Story – Finding the Calm After the Storm, Spirituality, Healing and Me, and Survival: The Covid Years – Time for Change.

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