It’s hard to believe we are already into another New Year.

Time to get going on those resolutions and goals. Many people have a variety of objectives they want to achieve, including eating better and exercising more and the New Year is a great time to take charge of your health. It is also a good opportunity to get creative and vow to move more in the New Year to create a healthier life-style.

Movement is something we all can work on. Our ancestors were constantly on the move. That’s because movement was a requirement to function and live. To get around, they had to walk. In addition, our ancestors had to use their bodies to hunt and gather food. They also had to labor to achieve simple things we all take for granted. Our society today has changed tremendously since pre-historic times. While technology and industry have brought us many advancements and innovations, it also has caused us to become much more sedentary, making us vulnerable to illness and disease. Our bodies were meant to move and not sit for hours on end. Unfortunately, non-movement has become the norm for many people.

Author, Katy Bowman, in her book, Move Your DNA Restore Your Health Through Natural Movement, compares “our current state of non-movement to being like a zoo animal in a caged environment. Specifically, she gives an example of an orca whale kept in captivity. If you didn’t know, whales in captivity tend to have a collapsed dorsal fin, which rarely happens in the ocean where they move and swim freely in their own natural environment.”¹ We too, have abnormalities and various issues created by not living, as were designed to live (walking, standing, running and moving about all day long). Sure—many people try and incorporate exercise in their day, but for optimal wellness and healthcare, we need to move more throughout the entire day. In fact, Joan Vernikos, in her book, Designed to Move, tells us we should, “STAND UP at least once every 30 minutes for better health.”² That may sound easy, but many people sit for hours at a time, without getting up, which is extremely hard on the body.

Movement And Exercise—What’s The Difference?

We all need to make a conscious effort to get up and move more. In my book, Wholey Cow A Simple Guide To Eating And Living, I mention that taking care of your body includes not only eating the right foods, but also activity and exercise. There are a variety of ways to add exercise and physical activity to your life. Many people try to incorporate some sort of exercise in their day, such as walking, biking, playing tennis or yoga to stay fit. While this is good, exercise is different than moving and not enough, according to some experts. In fact, “we can be active and sedentary. If we workout in the morning and then go to work and sit in front of a computer the rest of the day, our body suffers.”³ To prevent stiffness, joint pain, cramping and other ailments, you need to use your body more. While movement includes exercise, it goes beyond exercising alone. Movement is action and can take many forms including: standing, stretching, raking, pulling weeds and more.

Ways To Move More

There many ways you can move more in a day. Do a little brain-storming and get creative and curious about it. See how many different ways you can come up with to move more throughout your day. Following are a few ideas to help get you started.

• Do some stretches at your desk, while typing or in between projects
• Take frequent water breaks
• Get up from your desk and walk around the office or building
• Do more multi-tasking (e.g. Do a little dancing and singing, while you prepare dinner.)
• Do some stretches, while reading or browsing Facebook, or some other social media
• Break your walking routine up. (e.g. Take 2 shorter walks in a day, or 3 if you can fit one in at lunch-time.)
• Go to a playground and swing or climb some monkey bars
• Pick up the house daily. (e.g. sweep, dust, or vacuum a room)

Thanks for reading!

Barb

Source:

¹“Search | Optimize with Brian Johnson.” Optimize – Your Potential. Actualized., www.optimize.me/search/Move+your+DNA/philosophers-notes.

²“Designed to Move | Optimize with Brian Johnson.” Optimize – Your Potential. Actualized., www.optimize.me/philosophers-notes/designed-to-move-joan-vernikos/.

³“Search | Optimize with Brian Johnson.” Optimize – Your Potential. Actualized., www.optimize.me/search/Move+your+DNA/philosophers-notes.

⁴Bowman, Katy. Move Your DNA: Restore Your Health through Natural Movement. Propriometrics Press, 2017.