I always get a chuckle when I remember that the name of my business includes the word 'Alchemy'.
It conjures up images for me of Merlin the wizard, and dusty explosions coming out of medieval workshops and the like.
We originally chose it/found it thru the process of prime coffeeshop brain-jamming I was doing with my (then) business partner as we got started back in 2016.
But now days, I realize more and more often that 'alchemy' is so commonly used as a science-sounding filler-noun in the parts of the market/culture that some might identify as 'woo woo' (I hope I'm saying that right 😜).
And while I see the reasoning and importance of 'woo' in our world (I'll get to that more 👇), I also very clearly see and care about the parts of reality that 'woo' misses. Namely, that there are observable, scientific certainties; not everything is up for grabs and interpretation in the physical world.Even if our amazing human brains can think new things up…
Now don't get me wrong… any scientist worth their salt will tell you that there is far more of the universe that we don't know about or understand than that we do. Like it ain't even close (some estimates put our actual understanding of just the extent of the known physical universe to be like 1%).*
But then again, even in cases where we don't know WHY something happens exactly (like gravity), we can count on that thing HAPPENING (like with gravity).
No matter your particular world view, I'd bet that you'd agree: there's a gap between observable, scientific realities (aka the 'evidence', or 'research', or 'scientific studies') and our actual understanding about WHY things are happening.
Extended into the human body, these gaps really come into focus, maybe because we have to also contend with our own subjective sense of ourselves.
We can observe certain changes over time, but at the same time know that by measuring and observing one thing (or a few things) we are neccessarily not seeing the whole organism (aka the PERSON). We can't it all in if we are focused on a few pieces.
So us trainers—aka those (crazy?) people who believe that by moving yourself in certain, specific ways, you can actually change your physical reality by getting more coordinated, growing new tissue and expanding your endurance/capacity—are choosing to face a funny challenge that is equal parts science and magic.Or, Alchemy. 😃
And the weirdest part? that's the best that any of us trainers (or PTs, Chiro's, massages therapists, mental health therapists, etc etc etc) we can do—any of us—to help you: we can help guide you (an unknowable WHOLE) based on the specific details we DO know about the world generally (aka the evidence, grounding, and—hopefully—science). And, we can (try to) learn.
I'm curious … what does the word 'alchemy' bring up for you? Other than, ya know, The Fitness Alchemists 😉.
In your corner, Coach Will
** Image accessed at https://www.sciencehistory.org/distillations/the-language-of-alchemy