Movement should be a Priority. Not an extracurricular activity.

I have the pleasure of talking to A LOT of parents.  It's always fascinating to me to get to know different people, their ideals, their life, their background... People are colorful, diverse, interesting.  I had a pretty cool talk, with a really cool mom today, who brings her 4 kids to Free Flow, and is currently pregnant with her 5th.  Go Mommy!  And what impressed me is that she's anxious to get out on the Parkour course after she has the baby, and get back into shape.  I find that we have some pretty amazing families - who are active, involved, and let me just put it bluntly... they have their PRIORITIES straight.

Whoa, did I so boldly declare that if you come to Free Flow you have your priorities straight?  Yeah... I did.  Here's why: MOVEMENT should be a priority in people's lives.  Not just some extracurricular activity that you do to get bonus points.  Movement drives our health.  It's as important as eating and drinking.  Your body NEEDS movement.  Furthermore, movement drives you to eat better ranges of fuel.  Your body cannot move at it's optimum if you eat crap.  Furthermore, MOVEMENT and HEALTH is far more important than grades, accolades, and everything else that gets far more credit than it deserves.  Wow... Now I'm getting real over here.  A parent who thinks grades aren't a priority... WOW... WOOOWWWW!!!!!  This is getting waaaayyyy too crazy over here!  But just think about it for a moment Generation X'ers and fellow Millenials.  Your health, and knowing how to use your body - this INCREDIBLE machine, SHOULD be a priority.  Because everything is nothing, without your health.  Do what you need to do to stay healthy - EAT WELL, MOVE, ENJOY THE JOURNEY.  Instill those habits early on, and don't lose them.  If you lost them, get back on track.  Your life depends on it.

Now that we are clear that Movement IS a priority, let's talk basics here.  Structure.  Your body is made up of bones and flesh.  Your bones need to be in alignment in order for your body to function optimally.  Meaning, there needs to be a basic understanding of postural alignment, good habits instilled early on.  Babies often have great posture.  But over time, too much sitting causes them to slouch, and to stand poorly.  By the time we're adults we walk, stand, and sit like utter crap.  So we need to constantly realign ourselves and fix/fine tune our posture and structure. Then their is muscle engagement.  We need to train our bodies to use muscles, to build upon them, and to gain new ones to perform more tasks.  We can train muscle memory to do ALL TYPES of things.  Then their is basic body mechanics.  A good rule of thumb:  If it hurts, it's probably not good for you.  But remember, there are good hurts, and bad hurts.  Just like in life, hurts can make you stronger, or leave life long scars.  We want the hurts that make you stronger.  Not injured, traumatized, and disillusioned.  Once we have a basic understanding of our own body, and how it moves and functions, we can introduce manipulatives, and even learn to work with the mechanics of another person's body.  Basics are so important, and are really all you NEED.  At Free Flow we'll encourage you to get what you NEED, but also go on and fulfill your potential.  Because the journey of fulfilling your potential is indeed... fulfilling. 

Anna Fisher - The first mother in space.  We encourage you to boldly go where no one has gone before. 

Anyone can take a class.  When I say anyone... I mean ANYONE.  Think you're too old for tumbling class?  Think again.  Check out our adult tumbling class filled with seasoned mom's who are sending their kiddos off to college.  Not preschool.  COLLEGE.  And let me put the record straight.  These mom's came to us with no fitness background at all whatsoever.  They just decided, as they entered mid-life, to take up tumbling, kung fu, parkour, and a number of other things for that matter.  Or check out one of our Saturday adult classes with our pal Travis.  He is a cancer survivor, and is also blind.  He sort of rocks at Parkour.  I'm not kidding.  The dude is a beast.  So excuses aside...

In order for Free Flow Academy to really progress, we need to change the way people think.  The general mass is still brainwashed, and still focused on the importance of WINNING!  Or perhaps having the "Commercially Appealing body" Or perhaps focused on getting their kid to "Toughen up" and overcome the competition.  I can attest, as a member of the human race, that the world actually doesn't need more people doing all those things.  What we do need is more understanding, compassionate, happy, innovative and collaborative individuals.  We need people to be HEALTHY.  Let's let medals and trophies have their place.  Let's let letter grades and accolades take off their crown.  Let's focus on the tangible reality, that you live in your body every day.  And you will live in your body every day until you die.  So take care of your body.  Move.  Play.  Live.  That should be a priority.