Goal Statement
My goal as a physical educator is to teach individuals of all ages to be more comfortable with their bodies and the way they move. I want to reconnect people with their sense of play and adventure, putting them in the perfect place where they're just uncomfortable enough, because that's the magic window of opportunity where growth happens.
Illustration of philosophy
According to the CDC, "in the United States, the percentage of children and adolescents affected by obesity has more than tripled since the 1970s" and that, "nearly 1 in 5 school age children and young people (6 to 19 years) in the United States has obesity" (CDC, n.d.). While factors like genetics can't be overlooked, environmental factors such as diet and exercise are much bigger indicators of fitness and BMI. With a smorgasbord of electronic distractions such as smart phones, personal electronic devices, video games, social media, etc., There's all the more reason to be inactive. The world is getting far too comfortable, and it's affecting the public's health negatively.
It's not much better with Adults: "The prevalence of obesity was 39.8% and affected about 93.3 million of US adults in 2015~2016" (CDC, n.d.). most of my adult clients are or have been overweight themselves. I myself was overweight until around the age of 18, where I found Parkour, which changed my life.
It's unacceptable in my mind that in the wealthiest country in the world, with all the resources that are available, that so many people are killing themselves with their diets and activity habits, or lack thereof.
Parkour and Obstacle based fitness is a unique approach to fitness in a number of different ways:
- it's fun!: Parkour is very much like a child playing on a playground, but for adults! Parkour helps reconnect my clients to their sense of play, and things that are fun are typically more motivating, incentivizing clients to stick to the program, both literally and figuratively.
- It uses the body's own weight as resistance, and trains natural movement chains and patterns: Parkour is functional fitness at it's finest. Through obstacle based fitness, individuals learn practical skills. Also, because it uses the body's own weight, it can be scaled up or down very easily to be easier or harder for the practitioner.
- It's accessible: comfortable clothes, a good pair shoes, and a couple interesting environmental elements is all that's needed for Parkour. it can be practiced anywhere with anything and anyone with a little imagination.
Below is some footage of myself and some of clients, both young and old, practicing exercises and skills that I've taught them at the Maine Warrior Gym:
Resources used:
CDC, n.d. Adult Obesity Facts. Retrieved from: https://www.cdc.gov/obesity/data/adult.html
CDC, n.d. Childhood Obesity Facts. Retrieved from: https://www.cdc.gov/healthyschools/obesity/facts.htm
for a better understanding of my philosophies in practice, here's a great article on the subject:
