How do you design functional training tasks that mimic real-world scenarios?

For example, one of the best ways to train when improving posture is to stretch tight areas like the hip flexors and chest and strengthen weaker areas like the back and glutes. Functional training and postural awareness will not only help improve posture, but will also improve your everyday movement and mobility, keeping you cognizant of how you move through your everyday chores.

Those are all great questions to ask. Having asked them and realised what your answers are it may well be easier to find someone who is a coach in the areas of your needs, than to try and figure it all out yourself. A coach will have specific knowledge and training helping people in certain sports or with individual goals, as well as (hopefully) years of success in helping people achieve and hit those targets.

One thing I learned is a that resistance band and your body are all you need to work effectively and efficiently. A resistance band is convenient and easy to use. You can use them at home, at your work desk, on vacation. You can get a complete workout virtually anywhere.

Many people are put off training because they think that they need to go to a gym and work out with weird/new fangled equipment in front of strangers, while not knowing exactly what to do. Your body is a great piece of training equipment and you take it everywhere you go! Using bodyweight exercises can be a brilliant way to build strength, mobility and function, and you don't need much room or a specific area to use your body.

There are a lot of words in that paragraph that may not make sense to people who have not done much training before. Lateral? Rotational? There are lots of free ideas on the internet for training programmes, but are they suitable for you. Do they take into account where you are in your training journey, how long you have been training, any injuries, what you like doing, are not sure about, don't like doing, and many more tangibles? This is where a coach can help you. Together you can devise a training programme that is suitable for you, your body and your time constraints.

Adding to what’s already been stated, barring any movement deficits, injuries or medical conditions, a well-rounded, functional training program should consist of locomotion, pulling, pushing, squatting, anti-rotating/rotating and forward bending.

The best ways to get started is to start with a simple easy program. Chose programming that fits your schedule and lifestyle. The better it fits into your schedule, the more likely you are to stick to it. Also make sure the movements are easy for you to perform, but also challenging you. Then once you have found your some moves that work for you, you will want to add different moves or increase the amount of reps or sets. Increasing your variation or rep range is using the method of progressive overload. Using progressive overload will get you amazing fitness gains.

I really enjoy creating a timed workout, where I challenge myself to finish a workout in a certain amount of time. I use it as my own little fitness benchmark. I will train to beat my time and retest myself on the same workout every six to eight weeks.

One of the easiest ways to monitor your progress is to take progress photos every couple of months. Change takes time, and it happens incrementally so it isn't always easy to see happening. Sometimes you can feel it as clothes might not fit they way they used to, but a progress photo gives great insight into how your body is changing. As for sets, reps, weights and all of the other ways of monitoring your progress, these are important, and can give you a sense of purpose in your fitness journey as you notice the improvements. Celebrating the wins, no matter how small (one extra rep is a win!) is important as it will spur you on with a sense of achievement.

Unless you are an experienced gym goer or have been training for some while, I think this should be the first step and not the fifth one. A coach can devise a programme specifically for you, instead of something generic found on the internet. Joining a class or group can certainly help you and motivate you. Similarly finding a "gym buddy" or "workout partner" can add in a layer of accountability and motivation you might lack on your own.

Find something you like that pushes you. Something you know you will stick with. Keep in mind that some workout formats you try out might take a few weeks to get used to, you must give it a chance. But once you find what you want stick with it track your progress, whether it is by feel, taking selfies or a workout journal. Then get yourself a group, trainer or coach to help push you even more.

Functional training will help maintain and improve your health through out all stages of life. As we age, we lose muscle, effecting balance and range of motion. When you live a healthy lifestyle and train, you can be better able to get through your daily activities through your later years in life.

This step is vital. Unless you are a masochist, you are not going to continue doing something that you don't find enjoyable or get a sense of achievement from. The programme you are following has to set at the right level. Too hard and you will get discouraged; too easy and you will get bored. Exercise and training can definitely (and is proven scientifically) to reduce stress, anxiety and depression as well as boost mood, self-confidence, energy, etc. It does, however, have to be at a level and take place within a time frame that does not add stress, anxiety, etc.

Hopefully you've found the insights useful. If you would like to know more about training and how it can be helpful, or you are not sure where to start, then please ask. :)