
Movement
The bottom line is that the body was meant to move. The quality of your movement matters, as does your intention. Movement is more than just exercise. Movement helps to move blood and lymph fluid; it helps regulate your nervous system and even helps de-stress. Movement assists in digestion and moving your colon for regular bowel movements. Movement oxygenates your cells through increased respiration. It’s an absolute must to overall wellness.
Movement is a part of living. To simply maintain the human frame in modern day society, one must deliberately move. I think of our ancestors. Their movement ensured survival. In pursuit of nourishment, in retreat of danger, in search of something better- to sustain, they moved. It created strong humans to have to work to survive and this society is the direct opposite of what we were designed for. With that in mind, we must move with intention- realizing we have a lot to make up for, to shoot for being strong and resilient over any specific image and move your body.
Muscle is what burns calories- but humans must work to make muscle in this society where our job is often being sedentary. Counteracting that inactivity- when our ancestors utilized every daylight hour to sustain themselves, leaves us weaker than they were. It stands to reason; we might not withstand what our ancestors did. Our current society, housed in urban micro-settings, fosters humans that are soft and burn easily. Seed oils clog the arteries and react on a cellular level creating something that reacts negatively in the sun. In the instant coffees isn’t cream but hydrogenated oils masquerading as nuts milks. Fake lighting flickers at an imperceptible speed creating a reaction within your brain that mimics excessive sensory input. It can make you feel tired or anxious. All these elements are working against you. You can’t change where you work, perhaps- but on your break, get outside and move your body. That unnatural setting has a consequence you’ll only see once you’re suffering from it. The solution is movement. Make sure it’s figured in.
Back to our ancestors- do you think many of them were lazy? Do you think they’d have survived had they been? Laziness seems harsh- and it is. No matter your physical ability, (barring complete paralysis) you can have movement in your life. I’m sure you know many people who are lazy but manage to get by, however laziness is a fatal character flaw to humans, because fundamentally- the body requires action. Its systems were designed around movement, and I’m not being figurative. An often-overlooked drainage pathway, Lymph, requires physical movement to move. Being that it is like the sewer system of your body, a place where cellular waste is deposited, it’s important that it move. Lymph fluid drains into your blood which is then filtered by your kidneys and liver. Lymph exists right below the surface of the skin, and can be physically manipulated with light, stroking movements with your hand or a soft brush as well. Lymph’s importance in our drainage processes can’t be emphasized enough and that why I stress important this one is to check of your wellness list.
There is another process in movement which is beneficial when healing called transmuting. Transmuting is when you use movement to channel energy. This energy can be from something traumatic or something you need to grieve. It can be from anything really. To transmute the energy associated with a painful memory- you might recall events that you associate with this memory. You let yourself feel the energy, the sadness, the anger- whatever it might be, and then you breathe and move. I start with deep-belly breathing for several minutes. I let my mind roll over the event as though I’m there again. And then I flow. I might do yoga, stretch, dance- but moving is key. I’ll let the memory come and the energy surface. From there, I let it flow through. Sometimes I cry, or scream or simply remain silent but the movement helps release what is stored so that you might be rid of the negative energy/emotions that are stuck with the memory. This is particularly useful to those who dissociate as a coping mechanism. The body remembers and even though the event is put out of mind- it is always in the body. Stuck energy may create dis-ease within the body. I choose to move and transmute that energy so it might not be a burden on my body to carry.
These are just a summary of some of the ways and reasons movement of your body is so important. I could probably come up with reasons indefinitely if given the chance- but realize that there are few good reasons not to move. It’s up to you to make sure this element of your health is covered- it is essential in the healing process and necessary for overall health and wellness.
Movement Ideas:
Walking
Yoga
Pilates
Dancing
Rebounding
Jumping jacks
Jump-roping
Lift weights
Cycling
Walk/jog
Stretching
Swimming
Hiking
Sports
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