Exercise vs. Movement: You may be exercising, but you’re not moving.

Humans and movement. We used to do a lot of it. Picture how much you would move if you didn’t have a car, escalators, grocery stores, TVs, telephones, strollers, water bottles, pre-made sheds from home depot, spices already ground up and bottled, washer and dryers or desk jobs.

Think of all that movement humans previously experienced on a daily basis that we now have outsourced to to other objects! While they are time saving and convenient, we’re now realizing how malnourished (of movement nutrients) our bodies have become.

The effect of sitting, or not moving the majority of our day, is now evident in how tight all the muscles going up the back of our body has become, in our gait, in our posture, in our neck with our head constantly jutting forward looking at a computer or looking down at a phone. We see people with knee pain, back pain, shoulder pain, which become bigger issues as we age like heart disease, digestive issues, pelvic floor disorder, osteoarthritis, and joint replacements. We are now seeing that our bodies are actually starving for movement!

But, I go to the gym!

Right, but think about the amount of time you spend at the gym? An hour a day equals 7 hours a week of movement and then the rest of the hours we are mostly in the same position, this is what I mean by actively sedentary. Think about what you are doing when you are not exercising? Are you sitting in a car? Sitting at a desk or standing at a counter? Sitting on the couch? Doing a repetitive motion of some sort? Our movement variety is low and we are essentially starving our cells. Just like how our cells need different food micronutrients they also need different movement micronutrients. We can’t just eat carrots all day and be healthy, we need a variety of food. It’s the same with movement.

If you go to a CrossFit class you are at least getting a constantly varied work out, but instead of considering that your movement for the day, consider exercise as just one of the types of movements. Movement isn’t just push presses, deadlifts and rowing but can also be blinking, fidgeting, walking, gazing into the distance, reaching up to change a lightbulb, squatting and even getting goosebumps.

Our hunter-gatherer ancestors moved 10x more than we do, humans evolved to move! We are starving our muscles, bones and cells…Lets begin to get a bigger variety of movements into our day and feed our cells!

Ok, so I know many of us probably need our cars.

But try looking for different ways to add movement in. Make it like a game and start to think about different ways you can add in more nutritious movement into your day!

• Walk more. 10,000 steps, or about 5 miles, is the minimum recommendation. Try parking further away or doing laps around the store before you begin shopping. There are many ways to get more walking into your day!

• Get audiobooks so the time you spend sitting and reading you can be walking and reading.

• Sit on the floor more. When we sit on the floor we naturally move around in different positions. You can even get a Japanese style table and eat on the floor!

• Think about food prep. Instead of using all those kitchen gadgets, use some muscle power. Squat down and peel your veggies instead of standing at the counter, or get a mortar and pestle and grind your own spices.

• Carry things. Instead of using a cart, carry your bags (if you don’t have too many, or enlist the whole family!) or carry your kids instead of a stroller.

• Fidget. Moving around, sitting in different positions and getting up from your desk all count as movement!

• Squat more. While brushing your teeth or waiting for copies do some squats.

• Climb and swing more. Use your arms for something other than typing!

• Distance gaze. Every half hour or so take a break from your screen and look out the window or as far away as you can. Remember the eyes have muscles too!

• Walk on more diverse terrain. We walk on flat surface all day! Roads, sidewalks, floors in houses and other buildings are all hard and flat but our feet and ankles are made for a variety of terrain.

• Work with a Restorative Exercise Specialist. Learn some corrective exercises for issues you may feel due to not moving enough (hip issues, back issues, shoulders, tights psoas, duck foot, correct posture)

Awareness is its own nutrient. Now that I’ve put these ideas in your head you will find yourself thinking about how to get up and move more!

For more information on all things movement check out the book Move Your DNA by Katy Bowman.