Want To Keep Doing The Things You Love? This Body Coach Says To Focus On Functional Movement

When it comes to athletic longevity, there's one name in sports today you tend to hear: Tom Brady. While he may have won his first Super Bowl at 26, he earned his most recent ring last night at age 43, in a league with an average retirement age of 35. He must know a thing or two about healthy aging.

The term "functional movement" may sound new and complex, but the idea is actually pretty simple: that your training should include movements that are similar to those that you do every day. In the case of Brady himself, that means lots of motions that replicate the motion of throwing a football—but for the average person, it's about finding exercises that support muscle balance.

Coutts recommended these moves, which focus on "things that are easy to do but are really essential for your spine health and keeping your body symmetrical." If you're a die-hard spin class attendee or a dedicated yogi, you may repeat those activities all week and assume that's enough movement—but Coutts encourages using a simple series like this one to support your body in addition to those favorite activities.

"I always talk to clients about being careful about doing just one activity," she told mbg. "I think when you do one activity over and over again that can lead to different kinds of dysfunction, especially if you're not doing anything to work the other muscles that you need from your body."

That doesn't mean you can't do to five classes a week—but it's worth planning on including other quick trainings, in particular ones that support the muscle groups that will support your ability to continue those activities you love. "These are some core exercises," she shares. "We're always focusing on strengthening your glutes, strengthening your core—if you don't have those things, you're going to have issues with longevity."

A familiar exercise to anyone who's done a Pilates class, the glute bridge is an exercise that takes some mental focus along with physical discipline.

"We notice a lot of the times that people will compensate, they'll fire their hamstrings too much," says Coutts, "so we're really encouraging them to use their glutes more and engage their core more." Focus on engaging the correct muscles to get the most from this move.

How to do it:

For many people, a simple bodyweight squat is probably already a part of your workout routine—just make sure your form is right. Once you master the bodyweight squat, there are other exercises you can do or modifications you can make to up the difficulty.

How to do it:

A pallof press begins with a strong stance, and the key is to isolate the movement to your upper body while keeping your lower body still.

"The reason I like it is because it puts you into this kind of functional standing position that we're in all day anyway," she explains, "but it requires you to use your core, and it's dynamic because you're using upper body and lower body."

How to do it:

Don't let the funny name fool you: This move will get both your core and your glutes burning and can be a great addition to a HIIT workout.

How to do it:

While it may not look like it, this move is going to target your glutes, too. Focus on firing them when doing it to optimize your form and make sure you feel the muscles squeeze.

How to do it: