Total Fitness is an Ideal, but Can
We Make it a Reality?
By Roy Palmer
Total fitness is an ideal we all aspire to
reach. But how do we define it? How do we
know if we are going in the right direction?
To be fit means being able to do what you
need to do and to do it well. A swimmer may
not be fit to run a marathon; a squash player
could struggle to at the 100m hurdles. They
are fit for their own sport because that is
what they train for.
If you want to be fit, ask yourself
fit for what?
Fitness is relative. Relative to the
demands you place on your body. The ultimate
goal, in my view, is the ability to meet
the challenges that life throws at you.
Not just your sport, but your career,
your family and your leisure pursuits.
If you can successfully handle life and
not let your health suffer then this is
approaching the ideal.
We hear about the 3s', that is, strength,
stamina and suppleness as attributes that
determine your level of fitness, I would
like to add two more, the first is synchronisation
(coordination as we know it but it does
begin with S). You may have strength but
if the appropriate muscles are not firing
at the right time, their strength will
work against you. This may be resistance
to a movement adding to the effort required,
or worse still injury.
The other is judgement (okay I know this
one doesn't begin with S!). Your 4s' are
not worth much if you cannot make the
right decision at the appropriate time.
This may be during the course of play
or about when you train or what sort of
training you do.
Injuries can occur when wrong decisions
are made. What if you decide to train
too soon after a big event? You may have
chosen a fitness program that is unsuitable
for your sport. You may judge a shot to
be possible but injury yourself if you
have misjudged the distance. From a performance
view, you may miss your chance to take
the lead if you choose the wrong moment
to up your pace. Can your read the game
and make appropriate decisions? Are these
qualities people consider when training
for total fitness?
So your fitness to perform in your sport
and away from it relies heavily on your
ability to assess a situation and to act
upon what you see. Your actions will be
based upon your previous experiences,
but are these reliable?
One obstacle you will have to face is
habit. Habit is the hidden element in
your pursuit of total fitness. It determines
the way you move, what you feel and how
you react. Are you aware of how much habit
influences your performance?
You may be surprised at how habits may
be limiting your performance. Your reliance
on habit will also affect your judgement
because you will react without allowing
yourself to think - some call it a knee
jerk reaction. So in addition to training
your 4s'(your sport will dictate the requirements),
you also need to practice your ability
to stop and think. Athletes refer to this
as being in the moment or the here and
now. You will not usually find techniques
to train this ability in most fitness
programs.
The Alexander Technique is not a method
that many sports people consider when
looking to enhance performance, yet this
radical movement system can add a whole
new dimension to your thinking and training.
Learning the technique will help to develop
focus and awareness skills that are crucial
to peak performance. If you keep doing
the same things you will get the same
results, so why not try something different,
learn to use The Alexander Technique and
challenge yourself in an entirely new
way on your road to total fitness.
Roy Palmer is a teacher of The Alexander
Technique and has studied performance
enhancement in sport for the last 10 years.
In 2001 he published a book called 'The
Performance Paradox: Challenging the conventional
methods of sports training and exercise'
and is currently working on a new project
about The Zone. More information about
his unique approach to training can be
found at http://www.fitness-programs-for-life.com
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