Functional Fitness What is It & Why is It Important?

Functional fitness is the ability to perform everyday life activities repeatedly and with ease.  Functional fitness involves working many muscles groups together in ways that mimic everyday life activities (e.g., getting up from a chair, going up a set of stairs, going down a set of stairs, bending down to pick up something, reaching for something on a high shelf, carrying your grocery bags to the car, turning over in bed, etc.).  

Functional fitness weaves together many fitness components (i.e., muscular strength, muscular endurance, cardiovascular fitness, flexibility, core stability & strength, agility, balance, and mobility).  

Functional fitness training involves doing exercises that are most similar to the activities in your daily life.  Functional fitness training helps you live your life independently and full of choices.  This becomes increasingly important as you age and is a key component of your life quality.

The fitter you are, the more activity choices you will have and the more independent you will be.