Corinne Austin | Personal Training

Born to Move

In less than two generations, physical activity has dropped by between 20 & 45% across most developed nations of the world.  The ever-evolving field of technology has enabled us with more convenience, but disabled us with less reasons to move and be active.

 

What used to be a physical ‘burden’ for us is now overseen by machines, vehicles, and other modes of technology that perform said physical tasks for us.  Ironically, the advent of this ‘convenience’, and the removal of this ‘burden’ has perhaps burdened and inconvenienced us more than was ever intended, and possibly more than we could now ever undo.  Our leisure time activity, and commitments to singular smackerings or doses of exercise doesn’t come close to making up for what we’ve lost.

 

Being sedentary has become ‘normal’.  Today’s human takes for granted the luxury we have had bestowed upon us that says ‘why run?’  ‘Why jump?’  ‘Why Climb?’.  Everything these days is so much more accessible without movement.  We’ve developed a disconnect with our bodies, whereby our body is now simply just a thing we reside in, a locomotive device that transports our intelligence – not something that helps us to catch our prey, do our household chores, play, adventure, travel, and fulfil work obligations and requirements.

 

There are now gazillions more of us whom tap away on keyboards than whom perform physical tasks, and this difference continues to grow exponentially.   Thus, the relationship between us and our bodies is perishing –  we only notice our bodies when we experience a symptom, and even then we are often quick to normalise it. We are most certainly doing an injustice to our own magnificent machinery by investing our future in the synthetic and motorised replacement of what we would once perform daily ourselves.  It is a betrayal of the highest measure – one we are yet to see or feel the full extent of repercussions from.

 

But why is this so crucial?  How can limiting our physicality actually harm us that greatly?  Our bodies actually contribute to roles that extend far beyond strength, agility and endurance.  The mind and body are one –  the body is intimately involved in all our thought processes, emotions, understanding and decision-making; it is inseparable.  Our body is our brain!

 

We need to realise one critical point – and that is that exercise is optional, but movement is essential.  Exercise is a modern invention that draws on an obligation we feel we must fulfil to give us greater health.  It is often driven by pain rather than by pleasure, and something we feel we ‘should’ do rather than something we ‘want’ to do.  Exercise is also generally quite specific in nature thus lacking in skill development that’d transfer to the real world.

 

On the other side of the card is the ancient form of movement.  It’s innate and was part of our survival.  The famous quote ‘survival of the fittest’ is sure to have stemmed from this notion.  Hunting, fighting, dancing round the fire, walking, climbing, chopping, running, hammering, jumping, crawling, lifting, swimming, and just simple play.  These are all movements the human body was designed to do – but much of which many human body’s now fail to experience regularly, if at all.  Movement is far more necessary than exercise – no amount of exercise will undo the pathology of an otherwise sedentary person. However, one can go a lifetime without exercise but may have chosen to move as part of their everyday activity and lifestyle and therefore remain healthy.

 

The great news is there seems to be a slight shift in paradigms. More and more people are realising that we need more than exercise for aesthetic reasons alone, and that one hour of daily exercise is simply not enough for a health body – no matter what intensity or modality of training you are doing.  It’s becoming more about moving.  Moving well, moving often and moving happy.  It’s movement for movements sake, for the sake of being in the present and enjoying the present.  Movement should be more about making memories than it ever is about burning calories.  Movement is medicine, and it’s a liberty we must no longer take for granted.  As trying to survive without it is nothing short of a burden or inconvenient, especially in the long run.

 

 

‘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.

 

  • Corinne Austin
  • Movement Motivator and Health Coach
  • fitfixnz.co.nz