A strange title from someone who works in the gym, but hear me out. Alongside many epidemics in the world, people's inability to move freely (without pain) is an increasing concern. The amount of people I see (including myself) that struggle to stand, squat, get up off the floor, walk, run or even move (without pain) is alarming. These days we are finding that people are exercising more than ever, so surely this means that we should be getting healthier!
Today there is a gym culture where what you wear and how you look during your workout is more important than the actual workout, pushing yourself until breaking point is applauded, lifting heavy is encouraged, not being able to walk after leg day is a success or if you're not sweating profusely, you're not training hard enough! Just go on social media and all you see are bodybuilders pushing past their limits, cross fitters are performing technical exercises incorrectly, attractive people wearing next to no clothes and workouts that can only be described as highly dangerous. Here I was thinking the gym was a place to get healthy.....!
People will argue that 'movement' is 'exercise' and a lot of people would be correct... well kind of.
Movement is so much more than exercise - movement is living.
The human body has many purposes, yet survival is the most important. Without movement we cannot survive. So my question is, why are we punishing ourselves in the gym and not just moving around?
I would like you to think back to the caveman era and imagine a caveman running away from an animal and stopping to say "Sorry mate, I can't run anymore, my legs are screwed from my leg session yesterday" - it just wouldn't happen, I know its a little far fetched so let's relate to today. Try sitting on the loo after an intense leg day, bend over to pick something up with a sore lower back or stand up after sitting for multiple hours, it really isn't a pleasant experience. So why is this a regular occurrence in society today?
A possible explanation for this could be that our natural ability to adapt and thrive to our living surroundings has become compromised because of our increasing need to be comfortable. I mean how many of us are guilty of driving when we could have walked to where we wanted to get to or sat in a chair instead of the floor because it's easier? The Irony behind this is that our lifestyle habits/choices are helping to ruin our natural movement patterns, leading to unnecessary injuries, trips to doctors, physiotherapists, chiropractors and osteopaths that cost a small fortune and suppress our lifestyle choices, eventually crippling our lives.
I always tell my clients that their body is a representation of their lifestyle; meaning if you have tight ankles, hip mobility issues and/or an immobile spine caused from a sedentary environment, then not exercising enough is the least of your worries.
"The pattern of disease or injury that affects any group of people is never a matter of chance. It is invariably the expression of stresses and strains to which they are exposed, a response to everything in their environment and behaviour", Calvin Wells; Bones, Bodies and Disease.
Movement, just like nutrition (another fundamental aspect of survival), needs variation that has to be done regularly throughout the day and of good quality. For example, if I only ate organic kale with free range chicken 3 times a day, every day for the rest of my life, would that be considered as healthy? Or how about eating my daily requirements of calories in one sitting, am I healthy then? NO, so why do we think that only working out 45 minutes a day 3 to 5 times a week with poor movement patterns is enough?! Not only that, half of the movements performed in commercial gyms are usually performed on seated machines, as if sitting for most of the day isn't enough.
After numerous years of agonizing injuries causing me to walk around like a penguin, my philosophy on how I exercise has taken a dramatic turn. My focus has shifted to improving the movement of as many joints as possible, putting my body in unique positions and being more mindful with my movements. In order to do this I moved from the more traditional approach you see in a gym, to only using myself as resistance, rolling around the floor like an animal and switching from wearing my beloved training shoes to being barefoot. At first I was skeptical but this has been the best decision of my life. My ability to move freely has improved, the pain that I once endured is slowly subsiding and my body is feeling amazing.
My emphasis is now on exploring new movements, healing damaged areas, allowing myself to de-stress and most importantly enjoy myself. I challenge anyone who is reading this to sit on the floor and get up without using their hands as many different ways as possible, hang off a bar without your feet on the floor and crawl/roll around the floor without a care in the world, I guarantee your body will appreciate it.
Healthy regards