Movement Matters: Movement is More Important Than Exercise!

Say what?! Yes, you read that correctly. We have been told for many years about exercise being crucial to health, raising that heart rate for so many minutes per week and pushing our bodies harder over time. I don’t know about you, but when I think of exercise, I start to get that daunting feeling inside, imagining taking up jogging every day or joining a gym, only to pay for a membership and find reasons not to go. Formal exercise has its place; however, non-exercise activities can be considered more crucial than formal exercise habits for maintaining a healthier mind, body and spirit. I will explain the how and why.

These non-exercise activities increase health and vitality, help us avoid diabetes and many other chronic illnesses, enhance energy levels, speed up our metabolism, and even prolong our lives. What’s crazy about it is what we consider a non-exercise activity! Try washing your car instead of using the drive-through. Climbing stairs instead of using the lift. Walking to the store instead of driving (or walking at all). Sweep the leaves in place of a loud blower, and even squatting to pick up a fallen object from the ground. Or the ball your dog brought to your feet.

Let’s take it further and consider gardening, riding our bikes to our friends for dinner parties, mowing the lawn, or even taking our trash out to the bin! Once upon a time, this was daily life. Unfortunately, we have increased our creature comforts for our convenience to support jobs in offices where we are seated for extended periods. Now, we need to look at our lives and be truthful about how much natural movement we experience.

Movement helps our bodies be in their optimum form. We are built for it!

Humans have evolved to require daily physical activity; consequently, movement does not make our bodies work more so much as it makes them work better. Any exercise is good as long as your body is being used. Just speak to your healthcare provider about your personal needs first.

The recommended daily movement to maintain your health is 3 minutes every 30-60 minutes in the day. Natural non-exercise activities help generate organic, clean, renewable, sustainable energy in your body. You will release healthy, happy endorphins, and your stress will subside. These movements may even help us take a moment to relax from our daily grind, connect with friends, create community, and help move our emotions through our bodies as well. A walk in the forest, eyes wide open, taking in the experience with all of your senses can be a truly transforming experience. Plus, after strenuous work mowing that lawn, I bet you sleep deep that night. When we stop for too long, hide away in our homes and become still, our physical and mental world starts to deteriorate.

If muscles are not used, disuse (physiologic) atrophy kicks in because our bodies aren’t in the habit of feeding what isn’t required. Our bodies consider it a waste of energy! Your muscles will begin to break down, decreasing their size and strength, before your bone density begins to also weaken and your lung volume reduces. After 3-5 weeks of bed rest, almost half the average strength of a muscle is lost. We become more at risk for diabetes, heart disease, coronary artery disease, heart attack, and high blood pressure. We also know that our thoughts affect our bodies; however, we forget that these bodies can also affect our thoughts. We need movement to help us with our brain’s natural production and distribution of hormones, which is essential for our mental health and well-being.

There are enjoyable ways to bring movement into your life, which may not even be obvious to you! So, I’ve formulated a list to help inspire you to get out there, be active and make moving your gorgeous body a priority in your daily routine.

Challenge yourself! Work through this list over the next six months and see how good you feel… I bet it will be fabulous.

10 Totally Radical ways to get out and MOVE IT! MOVE IT!

Hula Hoop (you are never too old, and gosh it brings back memories!)
Master the art of Yoga
Play tag with your children or your friends
Ride your bike
Host a dance party (disco night, anyone???)
Master a skipping rope routine
Play frisbee in the park (you could even ask a stranger to join in)
Go hiking
Try a new sport; like ice skating, fencing or martial arts
Go PAINT BALLING with friends!

Leila Verban, Our Expert

Web

Leila Verban is a creative writer and a qualified Yoga teacher who is the sole owner of Earth Side Yoga. Situated at the base of the Eungella Range, she continues to evolve her practice and refine her skills to incorporate counselling, meditation, energy healing and positive manifestation.