FIT + FEARLESS: July Foundations Session Recap
Today, we wrapped up our very first Fit & Fearless Foundations class series — and wow, what a four-week journey it was.
Together, we dipped our toes (and knees, and elbows!) into the world of adaptive martial arts with a Healthy Aging spin on fall landing and recovery skills. We learned beginner Muay Thai skills, jabbed and kicked the heavy bags, practiced grappling with Coach Dave, and most importantly, we tackled one of the most essential life skills: how to safely up and down from the floor. Each week, we focused on a new skill: falling backwards, forwards, and laterally, all while building strength, confidence, and body awareness.
At the end of our final class, we asked everyone to shout out one word that captured how they felt about the experience. We heard Proud! Confident. Intense. Empowered. Educated…and Ouch! (We never said this was going to be easy!)
But Coach Dave and I? We both quickly said IMPRESSED - and that doesn’t even begin to cover it.
Lessons Learned
As with all firsts, there were some humbling, and hilarious, first round lessons:
Lesson 1: Turn OFF the fall alerts on your Apple Watch. Unless you want an EMT surprise visit mid-backward-roll.
Lesson 2: Teaching ten people to fall is not the same as teaching one. We learned quickly how to break movements down into smaller, more accessible components, and we’re already refining our methods for September to make the next round even better.
But beyond logistics, what Dave and I left with was a deep sense of awe and appreciation for this group. Every single person walked into that first class with some level of fear or hesitation. But they showed up. They did hard things. They did scary things. They let themselves fall - and each time, they got back up! Every single participant walked out stronger and more confident in their ability to fall safely and recover effectively. In a word? They got FEARLESS!
Why Fit & Fearless?
Falls happen. In fact, 1 in 4 adults over 65 falls each year - and while many falls are preventable through a combination of exercise, behavioral choices and environmental modifications, many falls just simply aren’t. And for the falls we can’t stop? That’s where fall landing skills come in.
In this class, we focus on two key goals when it comes to falling:
Goal 1: Change the Position
Avoid landing on high-risk areas (head, spine, hip, outstretched arms).
Goal 2: Change the Force
Use techniques to spread the impact — rolling, redistributing, and softening the fall to reduce injury risk.
How the Program Works
We progress week by week, starting with education and movement basics and working our way into our adaptive martial arts and fall landing practice.
Each week, we focus on a different skill: floor recovery, backwards falling, forwards falling and lateral falling.
We provide guidance and adaptations to meet all fitness levels and encourage you to honor your pace, ask questions, and modify as needed.
Most importantly, this class isn’t just about falling - it’s about changing the way we think about falling. Instead of viewing it as a scary event that “just happens,” we begin to see it as something we can prepare for, influence, and even control. It’s about building the kind of confidence where the ground no longer feels threatening - it becomes familiar, manageable, and within your ability to navigate. And when we fear the ground less, research shows our balance confidence improves - which, in turn, can actually reduce our risk of falling in the first place (#mindblown)!
Ready to Get Fit & Fearless?
Our next round of Fit & Fearless begins this September, and we can’t wait to take everything we learned in July to make this session even more influential.
If you're ready to:
Build strength and confidence
Learn practical skills to reduce your fall risk - and your risk of injury from falls
Master how to fall safely - and get back up with control
And do it all in a fun, supportive environment...
Then join us at Fit and Fearless!
Registration is now open for our September session. Click the link below to reserve your spot —space is limited, and this class fills up fast. Confidence doesn’t come from avoiding falls - it comes from knowing you can handle them.
