Maria Pearson Coaching

07/10/2026

Next up in our foundation movements is the pull.

Pull movements are all about building strength through your back, arms, shoulders, and posterior chain. Some great examples include:

- Seated rows
- Pull-ups
- Biceps curls
- Hammer curls
- Deadlifts

These movements target key muscles including your lats, rhomboids, trapezius, rear deltoids, biceps, and posterior chain, helping you build a strong, balanced upper body.

Pulling moves in every day life include carrying groceries, pulling a rake or pulling weeds in the garden, opening doors, and starting a lawnmower.

Why add pulling movements to your workouts?

They can help improve upper-body strength, posture, shoulder stability, and overall muscle balance, while helping you build a strong physique.

And remember, balance is key.

Just as we train our pushing movements, we need to train our pulling movements too. A good balance between push and pull exercises can help support healthy shoulder mechanics, better posture, and reduce the risk of muscle imbalances.

So get ready to pull, lift, and get stronger.

05/10/2026

Beaming in from Papamoa 🌞

This October, we’re focusing on the 7 foundation movements.

Send me your ideas for exercises/moves.

03/10/2026

The first foundation movement is the push.

In your workouts, this movement can be done through:

- press ups (wall, bench, floor)
- band boxing
- inchworm
- leg press
- static wall press
- dumbbell pushouts
- slam ball throws/slams

Why should we include pushing movements in our workouts?

Pushing movements are an important part of a balanced workout and can help build strength that carries over into everyday life.

Many pushing exercises mimic movements we use in daily life, like pushing a heavy door open, moving furniture, pushing a shopping trolley, getting up from the floor, or pushing your grandchild on the swings.

Training these movements can help us feel more capable and prepared for everyday tasks.

Pushing exercises target some of the body's major muscle groups, including the chest, arms, and shoulders.

They also challenge the core, glutes, and lower back to work together to train overall body stability, balance, and control.

You don't need to be able to do a full push-up or lift heavy weights to benefit from pushing movements.

Start at a level that feels right for you, focus on good technique, and gradually build your strength.

Every repetition is an opportunity to get a little stronger, move a little better, and build confidence in what your body can do.

What pushing moves do you do in your workouts?

30/09/2026

Today is International Day of Older Persons.

The day is a chance to highlight the important role older people play in our communities and recognise that the insights, skills, and contributions of older people are valuable at every age in every workplace.

The theme for this year is ‘The Age of Longevity: Rethinking Systems for Longer Lives”.

When I think of longevity, it's about how can we make our days healthy and active.

Where we can get the most out of our life and experiences with a well-equipped body and mind for as long as we can.

30/09/2026

Stop trying to become the person you were 20 or 30 years ago.

You’re not that person anymore and you’re not supposed to be.

Your body has changed. Your life has changed. Your priorities have changed.

And along the way, you’ve gained something you didn’t have back then: experience, wisdom, resilience, and perspective.

At 60, the goal isn’t to look or perform like you did at 20.

The goal is to become stronger, fitter, more capable, and more confident for the life you have now and the decades ahead.

Don’t fight your body. Work with it.

- Love it
- Train it
- Nourish it
- Respect it
- Challenge it
- Be grateful for it

Make the most of the incredible body you have today.

You don’t need to turn back the clock. You just need to keep moving forward.

And have fun while you're doing it!

28/09/2026

This October at Maria Pearson Coaching, we’re getting back to the basics. We're looking at the movements that matter for life.

As we get older, we want to keep doing the things we love: getting up and down off the floor, carrying things, reaching, bending, twisting, squatting, and moving with confidence.

The key? We need to train these movements!

Throughout October, we’ll focus on these 7 foundation movements:

- Push
- Pull
- Squat
- Lunge
- Rotate/twist
- Hinge forward and sideways
- Get down and up from the floor

These are movements we want to keep doing for as long as possible. The best way to maintain them is to practise them regularly and build strength around them.

They build and prepare your body to handle real-world physical demands as well as being real-life, everyday actions.

Throughout October, we’ll take a closer look at these movements and share simple exercises you can practise at home or in the gym.

We need to build strength for the long game, so we can keep moving, doing and enjoying life for years to come.

October is all about training for the life you want to keep living. Let’s get moving!

25/09/2026

You may not know this about me…

I’m proud to be an Age Concern New Zealand Dignity Champion.

To me, being a Dignity Champion is about something very simple, but incredibly important: every older person deserves to be treated with respect, kindness and dignity, and to have their voice heard.

It’s about recognising that growing older is a natural and valuable part of life. Our stories, experiences, knowledge and contributions matter.

Dignity Champions are ordinary people who stand alongside older people, helping to raise awareness of the issues that matter, challenge ageism, and encourage a more positive view of ageing.

Most importantly, it’s about creating a community where older people feel seen, valued, included and respected.

I’m honoured to be part of a nationwide community working towards a future where ageing is celebrated, not stereotyped.

Check out this link to find out more on how to become a DIgnity Champion.

Help shape a society where older people are valued, respected and heard. Add your voice to our advocacy for positive ageing

21/09/2026

There’s always something going on.

The more you talk to people, the more you realise that everyone has something going on that they’d probably rather not have to deal with.

- The car's broken down
- There’s a leak in the roof
- The internet isn’t working
- Travel plans are distrupted
- We're dealing with an injury
- There are issues with work, school, the kids

And somehow, when you think you’ve finally got everything sorted, something else pops up to take its place.

But that’s life.

We may not enjoy dealing with these things, and we certainly wouldn’t put them on our wish list, but we have to deal with them anyway.

I remember hearing about a leader in the army who, when one of his men came to him with a problem or an issue they were struggling with, would simply say, “Good.”

Not because the problem was good, but because having a problem meant the person now had an opportunity to work out how to deal with it.

And by doing that, they would become stronger, more capable, and better equipped for whatever came their way in the future.

At the time, problems aren’t particularly enjoyable. We’d much rather have a quiet day where the car starts, the roof doesn’t leak, the internet works, the kids behave, and nobody at work creates a new crisis.

But these challenges are a normal and necessary part of life.

We don’t get stronger because everything goes smoothly.

We get stronger because, when something goes wrong, we figure out what to do next, deal with it, learn from it, and keep moving forward.

When the next problem comes along, maybe take a moment and say “good. What are we going to learn from this one?”

19/09/2026

The crawling position has a range of options for movements that you can do.

You could get into:
- downward dog
- bear hold
- bear squats
- crawl on the spot
- mountain climbers
- donkey kicks
- high plank

The crawling position helps us become familiar and comfortable with getting onto our hands and toes.

The knees are lifted up off the ground, so it takes shoulder and arm strength, as well as core, leg and foot strength.

We also need stability and control.

It’s a great way to get comfortable supporting your body weight through your arms and feet.

Give it a try!

Send a message to learn more