How We Move Matters
Humans were made to move. And while it’s often said that any movement or exercise is better than none, we know that the quality of our movement does matter. Sadly we don’t learn how to move optimally in high school P.E. class. It’s also unfair to expect all P.E. teachers to operate as movement specialists. Plus, games and sports are important for learning motor skills and how to work as a team with other people. But, most of us don’t learn that there is a good, better and best way of moving around this planet during our lifetimes, and this could greatly reduce movement-related issues from cropping up as we get older.
This is one of the reasons why we were drawn to the preventative healthcare field in the first place. We strive to educate people on how to move optimally and understand how their bodies work. Throughout the last 15 collective years in working with clients in the flesh and studying their movements (as well as our own), we’ve noticed that a lot of movement dysfunction can manifest as pain. When we take the steps to correct those patterns, the body is in a better state of homeostasis and can improve function and performance.
A few common observations are that we can all benefit from learning how to consciously support our bodies correctly. We can do that by gaining strength to become more balanced in our body which would make it easier to support ourselves everyday, along with bringing awareness to our bodies.
At Virtue we focus mostly on preventative healthcare by taking a proactive approach. Occasionally we need to recovery from something acute, be it illness or injury, but what we want to avoid and prevent are chronic issues.
The truth is, it requires effort to rehab from an injury or surgery. And the same is true for taking a proactive approach. The irony is, it’s work no matter which path you choose. One is effortful up front, what we call being proactive; and one is effortful later on after pain or injury, what we call being reactive. And of course it’s not as simple as being one or the other. Sometimes you are proactive and unfortunate things still happen. Nevertheless, let’s paint two scenarios to illustrate our options.
Option #1: We are proactive and learn about anatomy and biomechanics (whether by educating ourselves or working with a coach) and dedicate many hours to practicing the practical application of what we’ve learned.
Option #2: We focus on other areas of interest throughout the first half of our life and hope we don’t run into any debilitating issues, but we may face physical challenges that we are not equipped to deal with, and therefore may be forced into reactivity. And of course you still have the option of following path #1 at this time.
Which path would you choose?
Now remember, learning about anatomy and biomechanics is only one piece of the puzzle. The other is practicing. Without practice, we cannot expect from our bodies what it has not physically learned. Just because we know what squatting or running with correct technique is, does not mean we can perform them correctly.
So, what can you do today that will make a difference? Pay attention. Bring awareness to how you move. Start there. Make observations. Look inward with a curious eye.
Stay tuned for future videos about posture, optimal biomechanics, and what you can do to be proactive with your movement.
