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I have been sitting in the car for about four hours now, my backside is numb, and my body is screaming MOVE! As if that is not enough, my high tech watch just told me that it is time to move. Just as I was let-ting Mike know that I needed to stop and move around a little, two fire trucks sped past us to a car that was on fire just ahead of us. Oh no, traffic just came to a halt.
Now we are moving pretty quickly, thankfully no one was hurt in the car. At the very next exit we are getting off and out of this car for a while.
Each new movement is built upon the previous neuromuscular foundation. The progression continues throughout childhood adding in cardio vascular endurance and muscular strength. This must be developed to further sustained movement into adult hood. This is the process that builds a foundation of performance for movement for the rest of our lives. This foundation helps us to be able to perform functional movements of everyday life or Activities of Daily Living (ADLs). ADLs include putting up groceries, yard work, washing the car, playing with grandchildren, cleaning the house, all the things that help us age well without injury and pain.
We were made to move. That is why God designed us with 206 bones and over 600 muscles with many ligaments and tendons to allow freedom of movement. Somewhere along the spectrum of time many people have lost what they were made to do and be. We have lost movement and sadly that has caused a host of muscular skeletal imbalances, postural deviations and chronic diseases, all because movement has come to a halt.
Physical inactivity, sitting all day at a job, starring at a computer screen for hours at a time, playing video games instead of playing outside, all have led to loss of joint mobility, decreased joint stability and loss of the movement patterns that we developed as children. Sitting for long periods of time shorten mus-cles that were meant to be used and lengthened. This can compromise posture and lead to muscle imbal-ances which leads to pain and injury
As lack of movement has compromised our muscles and joints. It has also contributed to decrease in cardiorespiratory fitness, making it difficult to do simple ADLs.
Function and fitness go hand and hand. If you want to be able to function well physically (and I would argue mentally too) you must move. Of couse, planned exercise is great, but indeed add the following hab-its to your lifestyle.
>> If you are sitting, get up every 30 minutes or so to walk around, stretch, and have mental breaks.
>> Acquire a stand up desk for work, when at home set your laptop on a counter top and stand to do your work.
>> Every time you talk on your cell phone, stand up and walk around (if possible).
>> When watching television, stand up during the commercials and move.
>> When traveling, stop every couple of hour and get out and move around.
>> Park far away and walk.
>> Catch up with your friends by inviting them to walk and talk. You don’t have to break any speed limits just move.
>> Mow your own yard, take your dog for a walk.
>> Walk stairs every time you get the chance.
See you in the gym!
Linda Stollings is owner of fitPrescriptions, a corporate wellness health coaching company. Email her at lstollings@fitprescriptions.com.
