Despite our extra time at home during the pandemic, the latest research still suggests we want to improve our fitness. A recent study with the Imperial College suggested that half of us want to focus on improving our fitness and diet in a post pandemic society.
So where should we start? It’s easy to want to dive into the most popular workouts of the moment. HIIT, CrossFit, and Military Fitness have their place. The internet offers us a thousand options of trainers offering to “sculpt our bodies” and “zap fat” and for us to be their latest transformation. No pain, no gain, right? Sometimes, it feels like finding Swellness (fitness and wellness) will be brutal.
Our bodies will be busted by “Leg Day” and then the next “Monthly Challenge.” Am I just 31 days from a new me? But, what if finding our “best self” was simply about looking after ourselves in the best way for us, everyday?
When I founded Swell Fitness, it was driven by a feeling inside that there had to be a better way to workout. That finding the new me was already inside and that I didn’t need to push myself “to failure” to gain what I was looking for.
Fitness is, at the end of the day, specific. If you want to run a marathon, you must get specifically fit to run continuously for 26.2 miles without injury. If you want to be the world’s best table tennis player - kudos to my fellow Welsh countryman, Joshua Stacey, for winning GOLD at the Commonwealth! – I am sure he would be able to cite the incredible hours of practice he’s put in over the past four years after winning Bronze at the last games in Australia.
So, we must ask, what is SWELLNESS and why is it important? It’s a unique thing for everyone. For me, for sure, part of my motivation is always being strong and flexible after injuries from a motorcycle accident; I was one of the lucky few to ever walk again after the injuries I suffered at the age of 23. I am forever grateful they healed, but the scar tissue, nerve damage and loss of muscle leaves me needing to find ways to be both flexible, and protect them with muscular strength, every day.
This is how I discovered Calisthenics. My research led me to a range of movements which matched my physiotherapy and rehabilitation training needs for strength, fitness and flexibility. I was living in my studio flat, trying to find my path as an inventor at the time, so its benefits of being body weight focused, helped me dodge the ever-increasing gym fees of city life.
If we really look at why we want to be fit and healthy, most of the time I’m guessing it’s not becnt to be a fitness model. The world needs some, of course, but if, like me, you have passed that moment in your life when you are seeking just superficial fitness, then Calisthenics is worth a look. You will quickly find online there is a happy side effect of strong physiques and some awe-inspiring feats of Urban Calisthenics but, for me, its ability to keep me strong to pursue the adventures of my dreams was what kept me coming back.
If you look at how we need to keep fit to lead an awesome life, Calisthenics has moves to help that. Our zoom doom of office lives and that hunch over our laptops are a far cry from how our great-grandparents lead their lives.
Our recent ancestors worked the land, did physically demanding jobs, spent more time catching the Sun’s vitamin D than our indoor world of work offers. Despite the construct of our working world, our dreams and leisure pursuits leave us craving for a life more like theirs – to be out in the open, to explore our forests, to travel, to experience all the adventures the world has to offer, to run after our kids on the beach.
Most of us need to be fit for this, for as long a life as possible, not to enter the cross-fit Euros, but simply to thrive. Only you know your reason and route to Swellness. I have found that Calisthenics with my SWELL FIT BAG, holds the moves that keep me strong, help me have a fun workout, feel flexible and encourage me as I feel and see progress every week and month.
If you look on our SWELL-Tube, you will find my amazing mate Hami Hill showing off some of his favourite Calisthenic moves with the SWELL FIT BAG. We’d love to see yours via #swellfit or @swellfitness_uk.
Our swellbeings@swellfitness.co.uk would also love to see them and are here for any questions you might have on your way to Swellness.