{"id":6683,"date":"2016-08-01T11:44:54","date_gmt":"2016-08-01T11:44:54","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/fitproblog.mysites.io\/theres-more-to-life\/"},"modified":"2023-03-10T13:58:19","modified_gmt":"2023-03-10T13:58:19","slug":"theres-more-to-life","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.fitpro.com\/blog\/theres-more-to-life\/","title":{"rendered":"There\u2019s more to life than a pert backside"},"content":{"rendered":"

Fitpro<\/em> magazine\u2019s deputy editor Aislinn Kelly <\/strong>enthuses about the fitness industry\u2019s shifting focus from pert bottoms and washboard stomachs to successfully using exercise as therapy.<\/p>\n

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More to life<\/h3>\n

It\u2019s encouraging that, as an industry, we\u2019re shifting some focus towards exercise in a therapeutic sense and \u2013 as I find when I speak to PTs and group X instructors working with clients with injury or illness \u2013 we\u2019re embracing and enjoying this aspect of the industry. I may not be a PT or group X instructor but I can imagine the sheer delight and satisfaction of seeing your client overcome physical \u2013 and mental \u2013 difficulties through exercise. A few years ago my husband and I moved in with my grandmother for a few weeks after she had a new knee fitted. You could say (she does say!) that I bullied her into doing the daily exercises given to her by the physio, but she also tells me she believes it was this that ensured her new knee was a success. Do I feel chuffed about my small part in her recovery? Of course I do!<\/em><\/p>\n

It is often my pleasure to interview the Inspirational Trainers we feature in <\/em>Fitpro magazine. A good number of our Inspirational Trainers over the last year have worked with people recovering from injury and illness, which shows the shift in our focus at <\/em>Fitpro. Our Autumn 2015 Inspirational Trainer Stephanie Wadlow, for instance, runs a cancer class, stroke classes, better balance classes, a weight-loss class, a chair aerobics class, and a re:balance exercise and advice session. Awareness has increased around the rehabilitation work Stephanie and the team are doing at Freedom Leisure and she tells me,\u00a0\u201cWe\u2019ve opened two more classes to cater for the demand and, increasingly, when I’m speaking to GPs and nurses, they understand what we can offer.\u00a0Things have taken a leap and that’s great.\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n

More recently, I spoke to Tom Higo, our Summer 2016 Inspirational Trainer. Tom told me about his work with clients with MS. \u201cMy goal with someone with MS is to make that client more independent,\u201d he says. \u201cIf you give me an elite athlete to train I might be looking at shaving a couple of seconds off their time but, with a client like this, you can make such a big impact on their life.\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n

Hearing from such committed trainers made me want to know more about the impact of exercise on those who have \u2013 or are recovering from \u2013 an illness so, in the next issue of <\/em>Fitpro magazine (autumn 2016), you can read my article profiling three group X instructors who run classes for clients rehabilitating from cancer and strokes. Take a look at this video for a sneak peek at what one of the fit pros I spoke to \u2013 Jan Sheward \u2013 is doing to help cancer patients.\u00a0<\/em><\/p>\n

Watch the video here:<\/p>\n