What is a Modern Athlete?

The term “athlete” needs an update. It no longer describes those only involved in team and individual sports.

I believe an athlete may fit many additional descriptions:

An athlete may be an enthusiast of personal fitness, whether that be strength training, running, cycling, swimming, yoga, Pilates, bootcamps, and HIIT workouts…

An athlete may depend upon physical activity through their lifestyle, whether that be in recreation in the great outdoors or employment that requires physical effort…

And of course, an athlete may simply want a life filled with “play” — if you’ve got young kids or grandkids, you know. 😉

Being an athlete goes beyond just being physical…it’s a state of mind.

If your body’s physical abilities are important to your enjoyment of the life you want, then they’re important to you. Simple as that.

So if you want to perform better in those activities because it leads to greater enjoyment for you…

Well then, in my opinion you should be treated like an athlete.

Yes, there will be variations in the intensity of your chosen activity as compared to others you know, and further variations compared to a professional athlete’s intensity. That’s easy to see.

I just don’t believe that these variations should matter.

Why? We’re athletes not because we share common physical traits. We’re athletes because we share a common mindset…

We care deeply about our bodies performing at a higher level, and doing so consistently without having to sit out for periods of time because of aches and pains.

I’m an athlete, too. Just as you are.

I’ve used my body on several levels. Organized competitive sports. Organized recreational sports. Personal fitness. Outdoors adventures and recreation. Keeping up with kids. And attempting to move well now that I’m past my prime.

I think you can relate to that, especially if you’re in your 30’s, 40’s, or 50’s (or beyond).

But our success in living the active life we want depends on our approach. A modern athlete sees the value in how their body’s performance is developed and progressed.

“Modern” provides an important distinction:

We’re not settling for the status quo just because it has existed for years. We’re evolved.

And as such, we recognize the importance of ensuring a foundation of movement quality that supports our growth of performance and skill-based activities.

While performance activities such as enhancing strength, flexility, power, endurance, and other “measurables” are important (and fun!) — we realize that these aren’t the first activities to focus upon when we find ourselves in pain or injured.

We don’t get distracted by gadgets or gizmos or shiny new technology that don’t enhance our body’s ability to learn efficient movement.

I would say, as modern athletes, we see the bigger picture and seek to fix the Real Problem.

We know our foundation of movement control is the key to our active lifestyles.