Gargžda sports club “Divina Femina” is 20 years old!

“Proper movement is often the best medicine and prevention against various ailments”, – founder, trainer, physiotherapist Asta LUKAUSKIENĖ of the sports club “Divina Femina”, which has been operating in Gargždai for 20 years, is convinced. On the occasion of her anniversary birthday, we talked with her about how the sports club has changed over the years and what are the most common myths about sports that still haunt the gang.

Stands out for its holistic approach
– Asta, 20 years have passed since the founding of the Divina Femina club. What has changed in that time?
– To be honest, I didn’t even count the years. But one client asked – and I wondered. I remembered that I had saved the first advertisement in the “Bangas” newspaper, which was printed exactly in October 2003. So I tracked it down accordingly. I’m glad that my husband encouraged me to start this activity, otherwise I might still be stuck.
Aerobics was “on the wave” at that time, and there were mostly such types of training. I founded the club myself and worked alone for six years, then with another coach, but after some time our vision and vision of the club no longer coincided and I decided to work alone again. The nature of the training also changed: there were more and more calmer trainings, such as pilates, calanetics, and breathing exercises. Of course, there are also intense strength trainings – these are TRX belt training, zumba. After all, the human body needs everything: intensity, stretching, and strength training. The more and varied movement, the better.
– You have also changed the premises: you are currently working in spacious premises on J. Basanavičiaus str. 4?
– Yes, I am very happy that clients can exercise in a spacious way. About six years ago, I fully refined the vision of the Divina Femina sports club. We not only do sports here, but I also offer events to my clients. For example, dietician Viktorija Uzielė came, and there was also an olive oil tasting conducted by Ineta Sukackienė, “Niam niam namai”. On the occasion of the sports club’s birthday, an afro drum show was held with Jotvil Švirin. It was an active activity, which was joined by the club members themselves. A ballroom dance class was also held. We not only play sports, but also learn and improve together. After all, a beautiful person is one whose muscles are not only trained, but whose insides are also harmonious. I am a supporter of a holistic approach.

Pills won’t fix the cause
– At the moment, a healthy lifestyle is fashionable. But is it true that many people still choose pills instead of exercising?
– Yes, many people, when something hurts, immediately choose a pill. However, one does not think about the fact that sometimes just moving can solve one’s problems, for example by correcting one’s posture. Then back and neck pains can disappear. Movement can sometimes help us avoid stomach acidity and heartburn. Breathing exercises have a huge effect as well. But, of course, the movement must be regular. It is popular to solve one’s problems not only with medication, but also with surgical operations. Abdominoplasty has become especially popular. Visually, a person changes, but the causes of problems remain.
Of course, it is necessary to remember that prevention is always better than cure. To be healthy, you need to exercise regularly, not wait until the situation is difficult. The name of our club is Divina Femina, which translates to Divine Woman. Each of my clients is divine, perfect, unique. There are no others here. A divine woman is one for whom both outer and inner beauty, balance, are important. Such representatives of the fair sex take care of themselves, find time for themselves, pay conscious attention, do not eat anything.
– There are those who tempt you with various advice, saying that you can lose weight very quickly and enjoy a perfect figure. Such talk is not out of touch with reality?
– It happens that a person sets out to follow a diet plan, do intense sports and achieve his goals in a very short time. However, this is an illusion, it is too much stress for the body. It is not even recommended to start intensive sports and follow a strict diet at the same time. It is necessary to achieve all goals in small steps, after all, it is not for nothing that they say that beauty is also work. If we suddenly give the body a huge load, the body will start a rejection reaction, motivation will disappear… You need to get used to sports gradually, develop the habit of doing sports. In addition, our diet, sleep, and general psychological health are also important for our well-being. Everything starts with thoughts, if your mind is not in order, it will be difficult to say goodbye to extra pounds.

It is important to do it correctly
– Are you not only a sports coach, but also a physiotherapist?
– Yes, individual physiotherapist consultations and exercises take place in the club. I focus on postural problems and also help with recovery from injuries. I also accept people with breathing problems. Sometimes it is the posture that causes neck and back pain. By applying the right exercises, the situation changes. Before physiotherapy, I completed a lot of courses myself, but it was physiotherapy studies that helped me summarize and connect everything. There are many good exercises, but they are not suitable for everyone. Before starting sports or doing sports on your own, it is especially important to consult with a specialist, whether the movement is appropriate and necessary for a person, will not harm, and will take into account any diagnosis or disorder established for him. You need to learn how to perform exercises correctly with a specialist and only then do sports on your own.
It happens that a person doing some exercise can only harm himself even more, so I constantly walk around the hall and tap my finger during training – it is my priority that the exercises are adapted to everyone and performed correctly. By the way, there are those who do not dare to join a sports club already in the middle of the season. So I want to reassure you and boldly invite you – the exercises are adapted individually according to each person’s level of preparation. Some even joke that the hardest exercise is to start working out.
– Do seniors also play sports in your club?
– I am implementing two projects, according to which I can accept senior citizens. Movement therapy and balance training are especially important for them. All the exercises help them avoid various cases of falling and tipping over. They are then less likely to visit health care facilities frequently. These activities are free for seniors, as they take place according to projects financed by the Klaipėda District Municipality and the State Public Health Promotion Fund. It would be nice if this funding did not stop or decrease, because the need for these exercises is also shown by the number of seniors attending, there are currently 70 of them!

Agne ADOMAITĖ
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