Mens sana in corpore sano
This is a famous quote that I think sums up the work that I do in my Wild Geese gym with people who go to RehabCare’s HOPS centre.
The phrase, when translated from Latin, reads:
“A healthy mind in a healthy body”
And it is my belief that a healthy body is a crucial element to a healthy mind.
Many of the physical changes that occur in a body from exercise are well known. Things like improved strength, mobility and endurance.
But is that all we get from the gym?
Why is a healthy body so important for a healthy mind?
In my personal experience and well as professional experience as a coach to a huge variety of people, the adaptations that occur as a result of consistent training reach much further than simply being physically stronger and more durable.
Lets start with that though, physical durability and strength.
Durability, that’s a good word.
Think of something that is durable and you envisage tough, enduring, strong, unrelenting.
If we can help a person develop those qualities, imagine what they could achieve?
The physical strength to walk tall, stand tall and maintain a presence.
The toughness to accept their own weaknesses and to know what to do about them.
Enduring enough to take on the bad times and push on through and out the other side.
Unrelenting to stay the course, to never give in, to turn up day in, day out.
14 months in Cripple Corner, From Crutches to BJJ Gold, Seb NEVER quit
This is my goal when I work with my clients, the guys from HOPS and my regular members alike.
There are few better teachers of humble, dogged toughness and durability than a simple lump of iron and a stop watch.
And if you ever visit my gym with the guys from HOPS, that’s exactly what you’ll see.
You’ll see them square up against gravity, look it in the eye and fight it.
And in doing so, they are fighting themselves.
They are fighting the negative thoughts inside their head telling them to stop.
Telling them that they’re tired.
Telling them that they’re not strong enough.
You’ll see them fight and then you’ll see them winning.
And you’ll see them smile.
Three medal winning Kettleheads taking events oh so seriously
You’ll see a light in their eyes that might not have been there at the start of the session.
A light that says:
“I turned up and I did it”
You can’t argue against gravity, you either complete a lift or you don’t.
There’s no maybe.
It’s black and white.
You either did more than last time or you didn’t.
You either gave up or you didn’t.
And in the time that the guys from HOPS have attended my gym, I’ve seen the moments approach where they wanted to stop, wanted to quit, but they didn’t.
I’ve seen them go from struggling to walk, to performing footwork and agility drills.
I’ve seen them take on complex martial arts coordination drills and struggle.
Then improve.
Then conquer those drills.
And I’ve seen the lights come on.
A light that says:
“I did that”
No one can lift a kettlebell for you.
No one can do a push up for you.
No one can move your feet for you.
You either do it or you don’t.
And the guys from HOPS are doing it.
I want to take the opportunity to quote one of our Muay Thai fighters that has been in the gym training at the same time as the HOPS group.
This lad is young, exceptionally fit, strong, very experienced and has fought many full contact bouts in the ring.
Yet one afternoon after the HOPS group had left he came to me and asked who they were. When I explained he simply looked at me and said, “They are incredible.”
He carried on by saying, “You see us in here and we whine and moan, and then they come in and just get on with it, no complaining. What the hell do we have to complain about? I’m inspired, they’ve shown me I can do better.”
This is why I work with HOPS.
To see their progress. For others to see their progress. So they can be inspired by their progress. And so they can inspire me and my other clients to progress.
This is why I’ll happily swing a kettlebell for a mile to raise funds for them.
Click the image to make a donation
Please sponsor me and the other people who will be joining me in this challenge so that we can provide the best of services to the very worthy people who attend the RehabCare HOPS centre.
This is the link to the fundraising page, please sponsor and then share the page with your network so that they may sponsor us: