I often think of the controversial “art” exhibits that tour the world of the plastinated (Dr.Gunther von Hagens) cadavers. With so many muscles all interlaced and draped over each other, it is obvious what the human form is made to do.
Move.
On every plane, in every way imaginable. That is why Health Tip #7 is Move It!
I just completed a weekend with the great people at Ph360 learning about personalized health. It is no surprise to anyone that every body is different. All we have to do is look around to see that. Tall, short, big, little. But the Ph360 program takes that a step further. (okay, so 10,000 steps further)
The short version? How you move your body. When you move your body. What you do to recover from moving your body. And a bazillion other factors….matter.
It all matters.
You know those pictures that start in outer space looking at planet earth and zoom in closer and closer and closer until they pinpoint just one person…one body going about everyday life? That, my friends is Ph360. They start big and zero in until they pinpoint your body and everything about it. Its amazing stuff.
Okay….getting back to our subject….
To reach optimal health, everything matters.
Today? What matters most? Movement.
Not so long ago, I watched an excerpt of a talk given by Phillip Beach, DO. This little piece focused on how our ancestors who didn’t have chairs and beds and racecars sat on the ground, slept on the ground and didn’t strap into their Corbeau seats to go to the grocery store.
Okay, so he actually didn’t talk about racecars at all, but he did talk about that other stuff. The best part? He talked about how the human body moves by power generated by the torso, amplified and directed by the limbs and carefully calibrated by the extremities.
Aahhh…
Just sit and ponder that for a moment.
Think about your toes gripping the ground as you change direction, mid-run.
It’s beautiful.
And so is the human form in motion.
Just like our brains, we tap into a fraction of our body’s abilities. Athletes? Now they come the closest, however records are being broken all the time. What does that say? It says that even the best of the best are merely tapping into a larger fraction of our potential.
Mind blowing.
Think about what the future holds! How vast is human potential?
Now look down….How amazing is that body of yours? And it wants to move.
So, today…how about answering that cry? Move more. And maybe even differently.
If you run, try spin or dance or swimming. If you dance try hiking. If you walk on the treadmill, walk outside on the porch….and keep going. If you sit on the couch, try sitting on the floor.
What? Sitting is movement?
Yes!
(Back to Phillip Beach DO). It sounds strange, because sitting is sitting…but it’s not. Think about the muscles you use to get down to the floor. And up? More than sitting in a chair. How about the muscles you use once you are there? More.
So sit. Use it…or lose a basic human talent.
The point is? Pick a new way to move your body that interests you and try it. If that sucks, try something else. This kinda ties in with Health Tip #1 because if we increase the number of ways we move our bodies, we increase our ability to adapt. Grow your body, grow your brain.
Try a little bit today!
Happy Health Tip #7!