The body will become better at whatever you do, or don’t do. You don’t move? The body will make you better at NOT moving. If you move, your body will allow more movement.
— Ido Portal
Have you ever noticed the less you move the harder it becomes to move? This is why I have the rule that I cannot go three days in a row without doing a proper movement session. Not only does the lack of movement stiffen the joints and muscles but it also affects our internal organs and even our stress levels. Movement is an essential part of life. We were made to move.
The problem I see is that our bodies were made to push, pull, jump, climb, walk, run, and after 1000’s of years our bodies have never changed. But what has changed then for us to see so many different issues with our bodies ability to move and also the rise in chronic diseases that are more prevalent now than before? Simply, our environment.
We have created an environment where we are now not needing to use our bodies physically much at all. “In less than two generations, physical activity has dropped by 20% in the U.K. and 32% in the U.S. In China, the drop is 45% in less than one generation. Vehicles, machines and technology now do our moving for us. What we do in our leisure time doesn’t come close to making up for what we’ve lost” – designedtomove.org
A human in the 21st century now asks why they have to move? We have the luxury of not needing to gather our meals, hunt, walk to get water, build everything on our own, walk miles to get anywhere. It has now become the “normal” not to move as much.
Why do we need to move, if we don’t really need to gather our food anymore, walk to get our water, walk miles and miles to go to work or home? Just like I mentioned before just because our environment changed doesn’t mean our bodies have adapted to it. Our bodies are exactly the same and because we were made to move, it is essential that we do move. Just look at the list below for all the reasons why we need to move for our body’s health;
Strong joint and bone health
To avoid discomfort and injuries – what we don’t use we lose. Remember that! Feeling discomfort in certain areas of the body, can be from a lack of movement.
Assists with bowel movement
The movement of blood, nutrients, oxygen and cellular energy is dependent on external movement.
Cardiovascular function
Muscle development
Hormones and every other system in the body
Sleep and sleep quality
Body weight maintenance
Prevention of disease
Stress reduction – movement helps decrease the levels of depression, anxiety and improve self esteem
Body Density
Immune Function
Prevention of chronic disease
Do we see now why movement is so important? Perhaps you have moved less lately, and you may notice one or two of these things on the list. The answer could be as simple as moving more. Movement is a part of our lives and the more often we create movement in the body the better our bodies will function.
All we have to do is think about how we feel after exercise. A lot of physical changes you are unable to see straight away but the mental changes you can feel are almost instant. Exercise releases our feel good hormones ‘endorphins’ helping us to lift our mood, reduce our stress levels, give us that ‘glow’, increase our cognitive function and gives us clarity. I think it can be easy to fall into just feeling average and expecting that. I want to challenge you to feel better than average and feel the difference a good sweat session can do for you. Remember when we fill our own cup up we are able to give more to those around us.
I believe movement should not be switched on and off according to whether we feel like it or not. Movement is like brushing our teeth it’s not about the instant gratification we get from brushing them but the consistency of brushing them allows us to prevent dental issues and increase our dental hygiene which in turn affects our health positively.
Movement throughout the day can be done creatively for example parking your car further away from the shop’s entrance, taking the longer route on your way to the bus stop, getting off a station early from work, getting up that 30 minutes earlier to exercise or to go for a walk, ending your day by going for a walk, switching out your TV watching with an exercise session or doing both at the same time, getting up throughout your day for short 5 minute walk breaks, walking and talking on the phone, joining a community that inspires you and motivates you to keep moving.
What movement do you plan on doing this week? I am loving our Virtual training because it has allowed so many of us to keep movement as part of our routine during these uncertain times, it’s motivating, and it focuses on ALL modalities of our health and fitness. Strength, cardio, flexibility and mobility. We have always believed in creating optimal lifestyles for our clients and when we follow a structure that is well-balanced for our bodies and focuses on all modalities of fitness, we reap the rewards. Everyone should feel like they are able to do it, and that’s another reason why I love our Virtual training community it is catered for everyone at all levels. You won’t feel as if you are being left behind and the extra accountability, motivation and support is what keeps us going on the days we just don’t feel like doing it.
If you have not already tried our Virtual community, I want to offer you a 14-day trial click here to learn more about the offer here https://realfitnesspt.lpages.co/virtual-training-14-day-challenge-rft-members/
Looking forward to seeing you part of the community soon,
Vicky – co-founder of Real Fitness Training
