Why You Hate Weight Loss and How to LOVE it

We've all seen it - the dramatic body transformations, and the promising news that you can get into bikini ready shape within just a few weeks.  A magic pill, or a powder that promises to change you at the cellular level (which is true... if you want your cells to look like Frankenstein at the microscopic level), a crazy workout regime that is not only tougher and more sadistic that anything else - but also designed by an ex Navy Seal!  The good news is, there are thousands of ways to lose weight.  So why are you so unmotivated?  Why do you feel sick inside when you see "motivating" pictures?  Why is it, that you feel (on the surface) that you should lose weight, but yet there is this deep driving emotion within you that wants to tell people to just shut the eff up, and let you live your life...

The truth is, it's NOT you.  The truth is, it IS you. But here's the good news, your body is pretty dang smart.  Smarter than you, smarter than anyone, and that sick feeling you get?  That would be your gut, also known as your "second brain" touting that it knows better than clever marketers who know how to speak to your main brain, with flashy images specifically designed to drive sales.

Here is the better news, weight loss doesn't have to suck.  Actually, it's a ton of fun.  Like REALLY fun.  Don't believe me?  Alright, I'll explain myself.

1) Your body is designed to SURVIVE

2) Your body is designed to ADAPT

So, all that extra fat you have packed on?  Your body is thinking it's A-OKAY!  It's like, excess food storage.  Your body is capable of storing more fat than it could ever possibly use or ever need.  Don't be mad at your body though - don't you do the same thing?  Check out your closet for instance.  Can you find anything you never use or wear, but it's just nice to know it's there if you need it?

Your body is a super smart organic machine, that adapts to it's environment.  So if you sit a lot, or don't move a lot, there is no need for you to be lean.  A lean body wouldn't be efficient, nor necessary.  What's more, if you are extremely active, what kind of tasks are you doing?  Are you picking up the house?  Caring for children? Training for a Marathon?  You see, the body knows that it needs to adapt to the kinds of functions we are doing most of the time, so that it can function more efficiently.

So with that in mind, understand that weight loss management, is lifestyle management.  If you want to lose weight, permanently, then you need to give your body the feedback it needs to survive and thrive.  Which is why you get that gut reaction when marketers are trying to tell you how if you just buy it, then your body will obey.  Your body knows it's a lie, and it WILL NOT obey.  And thankfully that is the case, because people are so quick to destroy themselves for the silliest things.

Yeah so this is my son Zen.  He's VERY comfortable in his own skin.  In fact he tells me on a regular basis that he is really buff, and shows me how strong his muscles are.  I find his appreciation for his body, and confidence inspiring.  And those cheeks of his are deliciously cute.  Wouldn't it be nice if we all saw ourselves in this way?  

On to the fun part.  So if your body isn't going to just shred fat if you cut out certain food groups, and kill yourself at the gym, then what do you do?  You might say, you hate being overweight.  Well, your body actually hates being over weight too.  But there is a reason for your body storing fat, and that reason is a complex case by case scenario.  You need to treat weight loss as you would a sickness or ailment.  Your body is sick, therefore it's compensating by storing fat because all that excess energy is being used in different ways.  Sick people need to reevaluate their lifestyle - what exactly is going wrong?  How do we need to deal with it?  Take an allergy for instance, if every time you ate berries you broke out in itchy nasty hives, then you would want to avoid berries.  If every time you ate Doritos chips, you had a sudden and massive urge to eat the whole bag... well then... you can bet you have "trigger" to consume massive amounts of empty calories because your body is likely starved for some nutrition.  So it's best if you avoid triggers that are detrimental to your health, comfort, and appearance.

The breakdown in 6 Amazingly FUN steps:

1) Remove all "Trigger" foods from your house.  You don't need them!  Unless you want to be super uncomfortable all the time.  This will likely be all your processed food that has been created in a lab and engineered to make your brain go into zombie chomp mode.

2) Start eating amazingly delicious, wholesome food.  Wholesome real food is the good stuff.  Avoid the middle of the grocery store.  Instead, go to the produce section, and relish in all the colors, textures, and flavors that exist there.  Smell stuff, and buy things FRESH!  Pretty much the outskirt of the grocery store is where you need to spend your time.  Produce, Meats, Dairy, and Grains.  The middle of the store food is all created in a lab.  Whereas the outskirts of the store is where all the good stuff is grown and raised.  Buy organic, and grass fed.  You deserve the good stuff.  After all, it's your one body, that you'll have in this life.  You only get ONE!  If you were to only receive one car/vehicle for your entire life, how would you treat it?  That's right.  You would give it all the right fuel, get regular oil changes, and do everything you can to keep it clean, tidy, and in good running condition.  Do the same, and more, for your ONE precious body.

3) Take some time to think about how you like/want to move your body.  Do you feel badass when you hit things?  Do you miss hula hooping?  Do you just want to get down at the club or something?  Do you want to just monkey around on stuff, and jump off of things?  It's my belief that all humans are born innate athletes.  Our bodies WANT to move.  Our bodies NEED to move.  So explore that side of yourself.  It's fun and empowering.

4) Get moving!  It's always best to go to a class with an instructor that you really connect with, and who really inspires you.  Remember this is a beautiful journey to health, and part of that is making tons of friends along the way.  Before you know it, you'll have "family", people you can rely on, to help you out, to bring you up when you're down, and be a positive support network for you.

Check out this playful ball of happiness right here!  Oh yeah!!

5) Be mindful about your wellness...your spirituality and connection between mind and body.  Take up a craft of some kind, perhaps color, draw, or write.  Creative expression is important, therapeutic, and can calm emotional distress.  Expression is a form of communication, and if you're not comfortable talking about your feelings, express them in other forms through art, literature, music, drama, and the like...

6) Play and Stuff... That's right!  Getting healthy is multi-faceted, and requires you to have fun and celebrate life.  Celebrate your victories, and make beautiful memories!  Your weight loss journey is meant to be full of adventure, challenges, victories, problem solving, laughter, frustration, joy, and everything in between.  If your journey is smooth sailing the entire way, with nothing interesting, then what a boring trip that would be. Document your progress, take record of the beauty in your life!  Remember to be present, and don't ever give up.      

How to go about achieving all of the above:

Check out our classes at www.freeflowacademy.com.  Or if you are not in our area, drop us an email at freeflowacademy@gmail.com and we can arrange personal coaching online.  We take the "full body" approach, and can help you achieve your fitness goals.

Train Hard Play Safe!
- Miss Elle

Like Fire 2016 Workshop and Performance Schedule Saturday January 16th 9am – 10pm

Time Slot		Wellness	Movement	Bodywork/similar	Performance	Other	KIDS
9am-10am		Disabled vets/special needs private parkour hour	Disabled vets/special needs private parkour hour Aerial Silks Workshop - Jess Waters	XXXX	Aerial Silks  - Jess Waters (at 9:50am)	Registration/Doors Open @ 8:30am/Silent Auction and Activities Begin @ 9am	Mindfulness coloring - FF Staff Christina Vasile
9am-9:50am		Yoga - Holly Baade (The Joyful Warrior)	Yoga - Holly Baade (The Joyful Warrior)	XXXX	XXXX	XXXX	Mindfulness coloring - FF Staff - Christina Vasile
10-11		XXXX	Sami’s circuit	XXXX	XXXX	XXXX	Sami’s Circuit
11-12		Vegan Cooking - Angelique Miller	XXXX	Stress on the Nervous System as it relates to Athletic Performance - Joshua Longo DC	XXXX	XXXX	Rope Climbing, Pull ups and Tumble fun - Coach Chris
12-1		XXXX	Open Gym	XXXX	Belly Dance Performance – Susan H.  Aerial Silks Performances – Stephanie Haber, Christina Vasile Staff Performance – Lee Deimos Armored Weapons Combat Demo - Doug Pryor, John Pryor, Lon Beyer	LUNCH, angelique/kitchari	eat, open gym, shows
1-2		Intro to Ayruveda Workshop - Bret Mason	Belly Dance Workshop - Susan H.	Structural Stability and Alignment Workshop - E3 Handgrips/body systems	XXXX	XXXX	Lava Tag – Coach Chris Amtguard workshop - Battle Games!! (Start at 1:30pm)
2-230		XXXX	BJJ - Infinite Jujitsu	Massage and Acupressure Techniques for Natural Pain Management - Sunni Koll	XXXX	XXXX	Amtguard workshop - Battle Games!!
230-330		Healing Common Ailments with Essential Oils - Michelle	BJJ - Infinite Jujitsu  (ends at 3pm) Open Mat until 3:30pm	Massage and Acupressure Techniques for Natural Pain Management - Sunni Koll (ends at 3pm)	XXXX	Improv wrkshp - Black Top Comedy	Obstacle Relay Races – FF Staff
330-430		Detoxing & Minimizing Oxidative Stress - Brooke Thompson & Erin Lohmeyer	Hand Balancing Workshop – Nate Davies	XXXX	XXXX	Injury Prevention in Parkour - Colton Fuller	Foam Pit Tricks – FF Staff - Coach Chris
430-530		Injury Repair/Rehabilitation (Back, Hips, Knees, Shoulder) - Pam Jensen	Parkour - Corey .	XXXX	XXXX	Survival workshop-earthwalker Food Truck Arrives 5pm	Conquering the Warped Wall! – FF Staff
530-630		Natural Healing Remedies (Pain/Infection/Survival Management with Ancient Chinese Techniques - Gua Sa & Blood Letting - Lon Beyer	open gym	XXXX	XXXX	Poi/Fire Safety workshop - Anastasia E	open gym
530-6		XXXX	XXXX	XXXX	Jeff Adorador Solo Musical Performance- plays during set up	XXXX	XXXX
6-10pm			open gym			Silent Auction ends @ 8:30pm	open gym

PERFORMANCE SCHEDULE

6:30pm – 8:30pm	Performances in Order of Appearance
	Armored Weapons Combat - John Pryor & Lon Beyer
	Belly Dance - Susan H. Lyra - Katie Nicole Parkour  - Josh Waters and Crew Aerial Silks - Hannah Perkins & Clara Alexander
	Ballet Feats of Strength - Sarah Cabigas & Landon Barrow
	Acro yoga - Reno and Sariah
8:30pm	Fire Dance - Anastasia Evergreen and Lee Deimos

Unlimited Class Memberships are Almost Gone

We understand that there will be a host of people that are going to be really upset when they hear this news.  They just missed the boat... For those who have been with us since the beginning, they can feel relieved that they got in early.  Here's the thing.  Our facility is only so large, and we are already the largest Parkour Gym on the West Coast.  Here is the other thing... there are only so many qualified coaches in our given field, and in order to keep the quality of instruction on an outstanding scale and SAFE, we need our people to be focused on a smaller handful of committed clients.

When it comes to elite level athletics, we cannot have the same business model as a regular gym franchise - which can usually boasts low prices, a variety of trendy movement classes, and a steam room.  What we do is very different, and very specialized.  Most gyms are in the business of helping people lose weight.  We can certainly help you there.  What we do will DEFINITELY help you lose weight.  But aside from that, we are in the business of creating some of the strongest, fittest beings on the planet.  And we can start you as young as 3 years old.  

It's not everyone's goal to be in the top 10% of strongest, fittest beings on the planet.  If anything, most people would rather just be thin, and fit into their clothes.  And that's okay!  We understand we serve a very small percentage of the population, and we're okay with that.

Parkour, Freerunning, Aerial Arts, and the types of Tumbling and Martial Disciplines we offer are very unique and are within pioneering fitness fields.  We have come to the point where we feel we understand our market.  We know who you are.  You aren't satisfied with appearances.  You need mountains to climb, rivers to swim across, and a challenge worth your time and effort.

So we're moving that direction for YOU.  Thank you for sticking with us and giving us the opportunity to serve you in the greatest capacity possible.

Just to clarify FAQ's:

1) What if I already have an Unlimited Membership? Will I lose it?
A:  Absolutely not!  You got in early, you get to keep it!  Hurray!  But if you drop your membership, we will not be able to reinstate the unlimited status.

2) Are any current members going to have to pay more for their membership?
A:  Nope!  Your bill will stay the same.  If you decide to drop, then you will be subject to new membership prices/terms that will be released early 2016.

3) Hey I'm new!  I'm wanting to signup for an Unlimited Membership.  Can I do that?
A:  We have 25 left that we are willing to sell.  After that, they are gone for good.

4) Why exactly are you not selling Unlimited Memberships anymore?  It's such a great deal, and seems like such a shame to get rid of it.
A:  Thats the thing... It IS a GREAT deal!  But GREAT deals are not meant to be for anyone.  They are reserved for the firstlings of the flock, the first people who saw it, the first people that got in through the doors.  It doesn't mean you won't get a great deal too.  You came in later, so you pay more, BUT you didn't have to go through some of the growing pains of our business!  So it evens out in the end.

5) Do you think you'll ever bring it back?  Ever?
A:  No.  We have carefully, meticulously, strategically planned out this move.  We wouldn't have announced this if we didn't have a long term plan in place.  Progressing our students and our clientele to the highest capacity possibly is always the goal, and every move we make is to honor and maintain the integrity of the institution.  Which means having the highest quality instruction on the market, and proven methodology to progress and inspire our clientele.

6) What about the TRIBE membership?  Is that being discontinued?
A:  No.  This will remain our ONLY unlimited membership.  We will actually be adding more classes under the TRIBE, and it will also remain the most amazing and affordable strength and conditioning membership available on the market.  Our $20 pricing will be changing to $50/month and will include open gym.  This is not going into effect until early 2016 and will be announced within the coming months.

FFACT Parkour Instructor Certification

Ever wonder how people like Coach Nate Davies achieve their level of expertise?  Do you also wonder how they are able to pass that knowledge on to others and make a living doing so?  FFACT is our Parkour Instructor Certification program, and I'm here to tell you about it.

When we first opened Free Flow Academy one of our missions was to find and develop some of the most qualified and experienced Parkour coaches in the world.  Our certification requires practitioners to have trained a minimum of 2 years, and have completed at a minimum, our 3 day intensive Parkour Certification, which involves a physical and written test, and a complete progression breakdown of every skill taught and approved in our Parkour classes.  

In a nutshell:  The Free Flow Academy Certified Trainer program is devoted to Movement Science Excellence.  Our program is designed to instill a strong foundation in human anatomy, body mechanics, safety protocols, kinetic patterning, and progression breakdown while maintaining the values and history of Parkour. 

To better serve your questions we put together this FAQ list - which can also be found on our Certification website HERE:

What is FFACT?

FFACT is an acronym for Free Flow Academy Certified Trainer.  Free Flow Academy is the original Parkour gym in California, and is the largest Parkour gym on the West Coast.  Our academy started out much like any other, we were a group of athletes, who needed a place to train and cultivate our talents.  After opening our doors, our classes expanded, and over the course of time, we needed a systematic and proven approach to train other qualified professionals.  Our clientele is extremely important to us, and as trainers, our highest priority is to keep our clients safe.  We take prospective coaches to the next level and teach them to incorporate proven and effective methodology that is backed by Science.  Our team of professionals consist of biomechanists, researchers, developers, creative artists, youth and adult programmers, and entertainers.  All of which play an important role in creating safe, effective, and entertaining settings that optimize the clientele learning experience. Proper implementation of skill progressions are an important part of being a coach, and are meticulously covered during the certification process.  Things that will be covered are skill progressions, human anatomy, terminology, building confidence in your students, history, philosophy, conditioning exercises and programming, and much more. 

Is FFACT recognized in other other parts of the world?

Free Flow Academy is recognized world wide within the Parkour community.  In addition, Free Flow Academy and many FFACT Instructors work directly with California State agencies, implementing Physical Education programming throughout dozens of districts.  

How do I use FFACT to land jobs as a Parkour Instructor?

Many gyms all over the world are incorporating Parkour into their programming.  Gymnastic gyms, rockclimbing, martial arts, crossfit, primal fitness, circus arts, and many other types of gyms have already brought Parkour programming in some form or another into their business model.  If they haven't already, then they will. However, over the course of the last few years particularly 2012-2015, many gyms have shut down their Parkour programs and/or have renamed them under other forms such as "Urban Gym".  This is due to liability issues and insurance companies not allowing Parkour to be taught at facilities that are not properly equipped or staffed. Having a FFACT Cert gives you legitimacy as a coach, and reference to draw from when you are questioned about your qualifications.  Furthermore, the knowledge you obtain from our Certification course will give you the tools you need to properly implement a safe and successful Parkour program at any gym.  Simply do a search on your local gyms and find out what kind of programming they offer.  If they do not have a Parkour program, perhaps you can bring one to table. We give you the tools to do that.  Starting a program at a gym is a great way to segue into opening your own Parkour gym.  

How long is the Certification?

The Certification is 3 days long 9am - 5pm each day.  Plan on bringing plenty of food, snacks, and water. 

What should I wear to the Certification?

You should wear comfortable workout attire, as the Certification includes a written AND physical test.  Wearing low soled exercise shows such as feiyues are also helpful.

How much money can I make as a Parkour Instructor?

Our Certified instructors make anywhere from $15 - $35/hour, depending on the class/size/budget of the program.  Privates usually range from $40 - $120/hour depending on level of experience and expertise.  This amount varies depending on what gym you are working for, but for a full class (6-8 students) instructors generally report an average of $20/hour, or per class.   

What is included in my Certification?

Skill Progression Key Ring, entry into our Certified Coaches database, Official Certification, 3 day intensive with physical and written test.

How do I work for Free Flow Academy?

Our hiring process involves Certification, plus one of the following - 3 month apprenticeship, or 2 month internship.  Apprenticeship's are for prospective coaches who desire to Coach within a program or department that currently exists.  Internships are for prospective coaches who desire to start a new program or department that does not currently exist.  In order to enroll in either program, you must have a minimum of 2 years experience in that particular discipline.  You must be a current member of the gym in order to enroll in our apprenticeship program, unless your qualifications are a B.S. in Movement Sciences or you have a certification or educational level that is equivalent.  

How do I start my own Parkour Gym?

Starting your own Parkour Gym is an incredibly rewarding experience, but can also come with some steep challenges.  We're here to support you on your journey.  Our Level I Certification does not cover the basics of starting your own Parkour Gym.  This is covered in Level III, and like all things, before considering taking on such a large undertaking, you'll want to have a strong foundation.  We believe in setting you up for success, and something like starting a business is a long term investment.  Being informed, and understanding market trends, Google analytics, market research within your area, knowing and understanding compliance laws at the Federal, State, and County level, dealing with leasing contracts or buying commercial property, obtaining insurance, managing a team of employees, marketing, accounting/bookkeeping... are just a few things that you'll need to know when starting this venture.  Our job is not to discourage you.  Our job is to keep you safe, minimize your risk of lawsuits, and set you up for a successful and sustainable future.