The answer is twofold:

a) Most popular sports and exercises work a single/ few muscle groups at one time, focusing on isolated movement, strength and beautification of the body. You can blank out doing repetitive movements, not focussing on what’s happening in the rest of your body. Functional movement classes focus on integrated movement, training your brain to work with your whole body. It is mindfulness in practice, training your brain and body to work together to tell you what your body does and doesn’t need or want.

b) In many exercise programs and sports, you are likely to experience injury or strain at some point especially as you age. Adding a few functional movement classes will decrease your chance of injury and improve your form.

For example, if you’re a runner, doing regular classes will help keep your knees and ankles stable, helping you run longer and further. It will also ensure that you stretch properly and regularly, keeping your joints lubricated. Golfers can expect an improvement in their swing with greater spinal, shoulder and hip mobility… we could go on.