Introduction:
Movimiento es vida. Humans were made to run, twist, climb, invert, and lift. The bottom line is that if you fail to do this (in good form, of course), you will pay the price down the line. There are a million excuses, most of them valid, in our modern world to not exercise, but if one values one's health and quality of life, then taking responsibility and moving are inescapable. The resources are online for free or cheap and easily accessible for those who care to look. One could amass quite the knowledge base from the Youtube fitness community alone to serve them long into their elder years. Movement acts as a gatekeeper to higher living; a sort of magic bullet capable of lifting mood, improving self esteem, boosting productivity, lowering healthcare costs, increasing life expectancy, and increasing the quality of the very life we live.
Why Move:
Indulge in this primitive gift, and reap the benefits every day. It is hard to describe every positive aspect an exercise regimen will lend someone, not because the effects of exercise are not well documented, but because there are so many. I will attempt to highlight the ones that are important to most people. First, it makes you pretty. Let's be honest, the vast majority of young people are in the gym to work on there looks. There is nothing wrong with this approach, however it does miss all the other potential benefits of movement in a quest for looks. For example, regular weight lifting can reduce the risk of developing and dying from cancer, due to reduced insulin levels in the body (Ruiz & et al, 2009) (Hardee & et al, 2014). Running acts as a natural antidepressant that can actually have longer lasting effects, while not as quick to set in, than some antidepressant medications. Vigorous exercise (Morris & et al, 1980) and even simple, regular walking can reduce the risk of heart disease significantly (Manson, 1999). Interestingly enough, regular running is the most effective in the fight against heart disease, when compared to resistance training and rowing (Tanasescu, 2002). There is also the aspect of the self discipline and dedication learned while keeping yourself on task in an exercise regimen or during those lonely, long workouts.
Obesity:
Obesity is defined as a BMI* (Body Mass Index - a basic ratio of height to weight) of 30 or greater, and can lead to a number of health ailments, such as depression, hypertension, type 2 diabetes, coronary heart disease, stroke, osteoarthritis, cancer, sleep apnea (Pi-sunyer & et al, 1998). Overweight is defined as a BMI of 25-29.9 and can lead to similar health conditions. We are painfully aware of the fact that Americans, and, in fact, the developed world as a whole, are becoming fatter. Ad nauseum, health nuts and doctors bombard the public with suggestions to slim American waistlines. There has been some backlash to this approach, with some suggesting that this over-emphasis on weight causes body image issues (Murr, 2014) or that genetics alone determine if an individual will be obese or not, although there is not much evidence to support this claim. There is concern, however, that obesity harms more than the individual. Employers may lose money to sick days and unproductivity and health care costs related to obesity may be as much as 190 billion dollars (Opposing Viewpoints Online Collection, 2014), although these numbers are controversial. Many commercial products have cashed in on this fat fearing fad, making money off of the public's ignorance. Although it pains me to simplify a complex issue in such a way, all the average Joe needs to think about is calories in versus calories out.
*For information on how BMI is calculated, in both the empirical system and the metric system, click here.
Government intervention, as described in WHO's strategy, may be necessary in order to initiate a cultural change. Such actions as using taxation to steer Americans towards eating salads rather than junk food, working with big companies to provide incentives for employees to stay healthy, implementing more educations on how the body works and how to stay healthy in seminars and schools, and severe tax alleviations for small time farmers. (WHO, 2004)
Psychology:
The modern world is plagued with mental health issues. Anxiety, depression, and horrible self esteem contribute to a diminished quality of life in the developed world. With new and old studies on the effect of exercise on the brain, we might creep ever closer to understanding why the most privileged people on the planet suffer these issues. How strange it seems that working muscles can profoundly impact your mental health, mood, and even your life philosophy. However odd, it now seems that consistent exercise reorganizes the way the brain processes stress, reducing chronic anxiety (Kelly, 2013), endurance running has acute and long lasting effects, lifting mood and relieving depression (Bjornebekk, 2005), and those who consistently work out tend to have lower psychological discomfort (shyness, hopelessness, and loneliness) (Page & Tucker, 1994). Designed as mobile creatures, humans function best when on the move, when exercising. Problem arise only, aside from injury, when people fail to indulge in motion. Problems that, surprisingly enough, manifest beyond the musculoskeletal system (although there are a myriad of issues there as well) to affect our mental function and conscience. How strange that one primal step can be the solution to very modern problems.
How to Move:
Now before you jump off your couch and hurl yourself into a bout of burpees, I recommend hanging out a little while longer. I need to plug the usual disclaimer of "consult your physician before you start a new workout program," only, adding a little homework as well. Years of spending the day in a chair (most likely) has taken its toll on your body (Trimarchi, 2014), and rehabilitation and postural corrections must be made before vigorous exercise. From injury or immobility, adhesion can form in your tissues, causing restrictions and impediments to muscle function and range of motion (Rothstein, n.d.). Adhesions are essentially scar tissue and compressed tissues that act as a "glue," preventing the skin, fascia, tendons, muscle tissue, and ligaments from sliding by each other in full ranges of motion. These problems will need to be addressed. Take responsibility for your health and do not simply take your physician's world as gospel (that's a lot of power to give someone). A healthy, basic understanding of the musculoskeletal system has never failed anyone; some books to purchase would be "The Pain Free Program," "Becoming A Supple Leopard," and "Advances In Functional Training." These books have slightly different perspectives, but generally break down human movement and how one should position themselves to avoid injury. A step above "don't lift with your back," after reading these books you will be able to instruct someone on exactly how to position each joint. This is essential to one's health and comfort while exercising; if one fails to position themselves properly then injury is imminent and all those fancy benefits of exercise are for not. Here are the basics of proper movement, although these are huge simplifications and I still strongly recommend performing your own research so that you may customize positioning cues to fit your needs.
The Pelvis -
The pelvis should be even; imagine it as a bowl filled to the brim with water. It is a cardinal sin to spill this water (when standing static, that is), therefore the the pelvis should not tilt when standing still. You might need a buddy to help you make sure your pelvis is on right... no, seriously, any competent athletic trainer should be able to check for this in seconds.
The Spine -
The spine should be directly over the pelvis, with a very soft "s" curve. The lower back should curve toward the front of the body very slightly and the upper back should curve slightly away from the body. If either curve is severe, or inverted, back pain is almost definitely imminent. The spine should hold the rib cage so that, if it too were a bowl of water, the rib cage and pelvis would be aligned and not spill any water. During movement, this parallel nature should be maintained as best as possible. In other words, when you bend to pick something up, both the rib cage bowl and the pelvis bowl should pour out their water at the same rate, the same angle.
The Legs -
When standing, a decent arch should be formed on the inside of the feet, with knees forward. Toes should point forward in almost all movements, and knees should stay over feet or outside of feet (away from each other). When knees "fall in" or go towards each other (often coupled with flat feet) shearing forces are placed on the ACL. Stay away from this position.
The Head and Shoulders -
Remember when grandma would yell at you to "sit up straight and put your shoulders back?" Turns out she was right, one should keep their shoulders pulled back so that one's scapulas are flush with one back (no "winging") and run almost parallel to their spine, in static posture. Scapular "winging" should not occur in any movement. Neck should be held high, so that the head is positioned over the shoulders (do not let your head protrude forward) and chin tucked slightly. (Starrett, 2013) (Boyle, 2010) (Carey, 2005) (Cook, n.d.).
I'm sure some of you have screwed up your mugs at the foreign, seemingly unnatural and strict criteria for movement provided above. Fear not. Although you may have a lot of work to do, these guidelines are in no way unacheivable, and failure to pursue them ensures injury and pain down the road. When misaligned, the body allocates unfair amounts of stress to other body parts. This failure of distribution, called compensation, eventually injures the poor, overloaded body part, selected in your body's quest for stability, due to its inability to heal as fast as it is damaged (Carey, 2005). The intriguing principle of compensation is that there may be pain in your foot due to a hip problem, or in your hand due to a pelvic tilt. The interconnectivity of the human anatomy lead to these musculoskeletal issues. A lot of the time it is best to simply focus on engraining proper mechanics, and the injured site will heal itself, as less stress is placed on it. The mystery behind the functional training fad dissipates: exercising compound movements, involving all those stabilizer muscles, prevents injury (if dont properly) and ensures a longer athletic career (Boyle, 2010).
Barefoot Running:
Now, any serious, general fitness regimen would be incomplete without distance running. But, before strapping on those $150 motion control Nike feats of engineering and groaning through a three mile jog, consider the beauty and simplicity of barefoot and minimalist running. About 200 million years ago, homo erectus developed large brains (the likes of which would require dense caloric intake to upkeep), therefore they were eating dead animals. However, the first sharp edged weapons did not appear until about 200 thousand years ago (McDougall, 2009). So, for nearly 200 million years, human ancestors were killing animals without weapons. The leading theory for how this took place is persistence hunting, a technique that only one tribe on earth still uses (BBC, 2009). This literally means you run the animal to death - a feat accomplished in bare or minimally covered feet. It wasn't until the 1970s that the Nike empire was born, bringing a slew of cushioned footwear along with it. Slowly, as Nike's ingenious marketing took effect, cushioned, raised heel shoes became the norm for modern running. The premise backing this rise being that the use of such complex shoes would reduce the risk of injury and improve performance. It would seem to make sense - that cushion should reduce the amount of shock on the joints and the raised heel should place runner's feet into a forward position. If the premise is proven correct, then this huge industry has a grand purpose. The troubling thing is that the premise has not been proven correct. There is no evidence to support the claim that running in fancy shoes will reduce one's risk of injury, and there is even a good deal of evidence to the contrary (McDougall, 2009) (Starrett, 2014). How did this happen? Surely a billion dollar industry cannot be founded on shaky ground. Well, some of it started with William Bowerman's book "Jogging", in which he suggests a rearfoot strike (heel strike) and longer stride while running. Similar misconceptions about the need for sturdy shoes cropped up during the same time and, sadly, their popularity precipitated the manifestation of modern, injury-ridden running.
In cross country circles, which Born to Run has made quite a stir, my mid-run conversations tend to go something like this:
Fellow Runner: "Yeah, I picked up the book over the summer and couldn't put it down."
Me: "Really, what did you think?"
Fellow Runner: "Oh, it was fantastic! Such a great read."
Me: *looks down to be greeted by the latest in motion control and poor running mechanics.*
It is at this point when I seriously wonder if people listened to McDougall or bothered to do any follow-up research... or even read the book. Certainly more effort can be exhorted than a run or two in "weird" footwear before reverting back to near Tempurpedic soles, but this is not to say one should simply throw the Nike shoes to the trash and burst out on a 50 miler - the transition to barefoot running needs to be done with care to avoid injury. Most likely it will involve lots of mobility work, arch and ankle strengthening and running form correction (Lieberman & et al, 2010). A forefoot or midfoot strike is required to absorb the shock of each step. The body should lean slightly forward and the knees drive up and down (note that the foot should not extend far in front of the body, but rather weight should be transferred to the leg when the foot is directly beneath the body) (Starrett, 2014). Check out these videos to help understand the nature of good running form: here.
Conclusion:
"If we could give every individual the right amount of nourishment and exercise, not too little and not too much, we would have found the safest way to health." -Hippocrates
Working out may be difficult to start, but once the ball is rolling it is even harder to stop. For any health nut, any average Joe, any stay at home mom, anyone, really, movement is the key. Humans are creatures meant for much greater splendor and sublime creation than feats of contortion on a cushioned couch in front of the latest sitcom. For that matter, humans are meant for much more than a run around the block, drowned out by Taylor Swift's new album, and, to quote McDougall, "motivated solely by size six jeans." Part of movement culture and the message I am trying to spread, is to enjoy being able to move, lift, and sprint. It is not a curse or a torture, but a magnificent gift that must be utilized or lost. And it will be a bad day when it is lost. So, I urge you, take care of your physique, your mind, your being; move.
Movimiento es vida. Humans were made to run, twist, climb, invert, and lift. The bottom line is that if you fail to do this (in good form, of course), you will pay the price down the line. There are a million excuses, most of them valid, in our modern world to not exercise, but if one values one's health and quality of life, then taking responsibility and moving are inescapable. The resources are online for free or cheap and easily accessible for those who care to look. One could amass quite the knowledge base from the Youtube fitness community alone to serve them long into their elder years. Movement acts as a gatekeeper to higher living; a sort of magic bullet capable of lifting mood, improving self esteem, boosting productivity, lowering healthcare costs, increasing life expectancy, and increasing the quality of the very life we live.
Why Move:
Indulge in this primitive gift, and reap the benefits every day. It is hard to describe every positive aspect an exercise regimen will lend someone, not because the effects of exercise are not well documented, but because there are so many. I will attempt to highlight the ones that are important to most people. First, it makes you pretty. Let's be honest, the vast majority of young people are in the gym to work on there looks. There is nothing wrong with this approach, however it does miss all the other potential benefits of movement in a quest for looks. For example, regular weight lifting can reduce the risk of developing and dying from cancer, due to reduced insulin levels in the body (Ruiz & et al, 2009) (Hardee & et al, 2014). Running acts as a natural antidepressant that can actually have longer lasting effects, while not as quick to set in, than some antidepressant medications. Vigorous exercise (Morris & et al, 1980) and even simple, regular walking can reduce the risk of heart disease significantly (Manson, 1999). Interestingly enough, regular running is the most effective in the fight against heart disease, when compared to resistance training and rowing (Tanasescu, 2002). There is also the aspect of the self discipline and dedication learned while keeping yourself on task in an exercise regimen or during those lonely, long workouts.
Obesity:
Obesity is defined as a BMI* (Body Mass Index - a basic ratio of height to weight) of 30 or greater, and can lead to a number of health ailments, such as depression, hypertension, type 2 diabetes, coronary heart disease, stroke, osteoarthritis, cancer, sleep apnea (Pi-sunyer & et al, 1998). Overweight is defined as a BMI of 25-29.9 and can lead to similar health conditions. We are painfully aware of the fact that Americans, and, in fact, the developed world as a whole, are becoming fatter. Ad nauseum, health nuts and doctors bombard the public with suggestions to slim American waistlines. There has been some backlash to this approach, with some suggesting that this over-emphasis on weight causes body image issues (Murr, 2014) or that genetics alone determine if an individual will be obese or not, although there is not much evidence to support this claim. There is concern, however, that obesity harms more than the individual. Employers may lose money to sick days and unproductivity and health care costs related to obesity may be as much as 190 billion dollars (Opposing Viewpoints Online Collection, 2014), although these numbers are controversial. Many commercial products have cashed in on this fat fearing fad, making money off of the public's ignorance. Although it pains me to simplify a complex issue in such a way, all the average Joe needs to think about is calories in versus calories out.
*For information on how BMI is calculated, in both the empirical system and the metric system, click here.
Government intervention, as described in WHO's strategy, may be necessary in order to initiate a cultural change. Such actions as using taxation to steer Americans towards eating salads rather than junk food, working with big companies to provide incentives for employees to stay healthy, implementing more educations on how the body works and how to stay healthy in seminars and schools, and severe tax alleviations for small time farmers. (WHO, 2004)
Psychology:
The modern world is plagued with mental health issues. Anxiety, depression, and horrible self esteem contribute to a diminished quality of life in the developed world. With new and old studies on the effect of exercise on the brain, we might creep ever closer to understanding why the most privileged people on the planet suffer these issues. How strange it seems that working muscles can profoundly impact your mental health, mood, and even your life philosophy. However odd, it now seems that consistent exercise reorganizes the way the brain processes stress, reducing chronic anxiety (Kelly, 2013), endurance running has acute and long lasting effects, lifting mood and relieving depression (Bjornebekk, 2005), and those who consistently work out tend to have lower psychological discomfort (shyness, hopelessness, and loneliness) (Page & Tucker, 1994). Designed as mobile creatures, humans function best when on the move, when exercising. Problem arise only, aside from injury, when people fail to indulge in motion. Problems that, surprisingly enough, manifest beyond the musculoskeletal system (although there are a myriad of issues there as well) to affect our mental function and conscience. How strange that one primal step can be the solution to very modern problems.
How to Move:
Now before you jump off your couch and hurl yourself into a bout of burpees, I recommend hanging out a little while longer. I need to plug the usual disclaimer of "consult your physician before you start a new workout program," only, adding a little homework as well. Years of spending the day in a chair (most likely) has taken its toll on your body (Trimarchi, 2014), and rehabilitation and postural corrections must be made before vigorous exercise. From injury or immobility, adhesion can form in your tissues, causing restrictions and impediments to muscle function and range of motion (Rothstein, n.d.). Adhesions are essentially scar tissue and compressed tissues that act as a "glue," preventing the skin, fascia, tendons, muscle tissue, and ligaments from sliding by each other in full ranges of motion. These problems will need to be addressed. Take responsibility for your health and do not simply take your physician's world as gospel (that's a lot of power to give someone). A healthy, basic understanding of the musculoskeletal system has never failed anyone; some books to purchase would be "The Pain Free Program," "Becoming A Supple Leopard," and "Advances In Functional Training." These books have slightly different perspectives, but generally break down human movement and how one should position themselves to avoid injury. A step above "don't lift with your back," after reading these books you will be able to instruct someone on exactly how to position each joint. This is essential to one's health and comfort while exercising; if one fails to position themselves properly then injury is imminent and all those fancy benefits of exercise are for not. Here are the basics of proper movement, although these are huge simplifications and I still strongly recommend performing your own research so that you may customize positioning cues to fit your needs.
The Pelvis -
The pelvis should be even; imagine it as a bowl filled to the brim with water. It is a cardinal sin to spill this water (when standing static, that is), therefore the the pelvis should not tilt when standing still. You might need a buddy to help you make sure your pelvis is on right... no, seriously, any competent athletic trainer should be able to check for this in seconds.
The Spine -
The spine should be directly over the pelvis, with a very soft "s" curve. The lower back should curve toward the front of the body very slightly and the upper back should curve slightly away from the body. If either curve is severe, or inverted, back pain is almost definitely imminent. The spine should hold the rib cage so that, if it too were a bowl of water, the rib cage and pelvis would be aligned and not spill any water. During movement, this parallel nature should be maintained as best as possible. In other words, when you bend to pick something up, both the rib cage bowl and the pelvis bowl should pour out their water at the same rate, the same angle.
The Legs -
When standing, a decent arch should be formed on the inside of the feet, with knees forward. Toes should point forward in almost all movements, and knees should stay over feet or outside of feet (away from each other). When knees "fall in" or go towards each other (often coupled with flat feet) shearing forces are placed on the ACL. Stay away from this position.
The Head and Shoulders -
Remember when grandma would yell at you to "sit up straight and put your shoulders back?" Turns out she was right, one should keep their shoulders pulled back so that one's scapulas are flush with one back (no "winging") and run almost parallel to their spine, in static posture. Scapular "winging" should not occur in any movement. Neck should be held high, so that the head is positioned over the shoulders (do not let your head protrude forward) and chin tucked slightly. (Starrett, 2013) (Boyle, 2010) (Carey, 2005) (Cook, n.d.).
I'm sure some of you have screwed up your mugs at the foreign, seemingly unnatural and strict criteria for movement provided above. Fear not. Although you may have a lot of work to do, these guidelines are in no way unacheivable, and failure to pursue them ensures injury and pain down the road. When misaligned, the body allocates unfair amounts of stress to other body parts. This failure of distribution, called compensation, eventually injures the poor, overloaded body part, selected in your body's quest for stability, due to its inability to heal as fast as it is damaged (Carey, 2005). The intriguing principle of compensation is that there may be pain in your foot due to a hip problem, or in your hand due to a pelvic tilt. The interconnectivity of the human anatomy lead to these musculoskeletal issues. A lot of the time it is best to simply focus on engraining proper mechanics, and the injured site will heal itself, as less stress is placed on it. The mystery behind the functional training fad dissipates: exercising compound movements, involving all those stabilizer muscles, prevents injury (if dont properly) and ensures a longer athletic career (Boyle, 2010).
Barefoot Running:
Now, any serious, general fitness regimen would be incomplete without distance running. But, before strapping on those $150 motion control Nike feats of engineering and groaning through a three mile jog, consider the beauty and simplicity of barefoot and minimalist running. About 200 million years ago, homo erectus developed large brains (the likes of which would require dense caloric intake to upkeep), therefore they were eating dead animals. However, the first sharp edged weapons did not appear until about 200 thousand years ago (McDougall, 2009). So, for nearly 200 million years, human ancestors were killing animals without weapons. The leading theory for how this took place is persistence hunting, a technique that only one tribe on earth still uses (BBC, 2009). This literally means you run the animal to death - a feat accomplished in bare or minimally covered feet. It wasn't until the 1970s that the Nike empire was born, bringing a slew of cushioned footwear along with it. Slowly, as Nike's ingenious marketing took effect, cushioned, raised heel shoes became the norm for modern running. The premise backing this rise being that the use of such complex shoes would reduce the risk of injury and improve performance. It would seem to make sense - that cushion should reduce the amount of shock on the joints and the raised heel should place runner's feet into a forward position. If the premise is proven correct, then this huge industry has a grand purpose. The troubling thing is that the premise has not been proven correct. There is no evidence to support the claim that running in fancy shoes will reduce one's risk of injury, and there is even a good deal of evidence to the contrary (McDougall, 2009) (Starrett, 2014). How did this happen? Surely a billion dollar industry cannot be founded on shaky ground. Well, some of it started with William Bowerman's book "Jogging", in which he suggests a rearfoot strike (heel strike) and longer stride while running. Similar misconceptions about the need for sturdy shoes cropped up during the same time and, sadly, their popularity precipitated the manifestation of modern, injury-ridden running.
In cross country circles, which Born to Run has made quite a stir, my mid-run conversations tend to go something like this:
Fellow Runner: "Yeah, I picked up the book over the summer and couldn't put it down."
Me: "Really, what did you think?"
Fellow Runner: "Oh, it was fantastic! Such a great read."
Me: *looks down to be greeted by the latest in motion control and poor running mechanics.*
It is at this point when I seriously wonder if people listened to McDougall or bothered to do any follow-up research... or even read the book. Certainly more effort can be exhorted than a run or two in "weird" footwear before reverting back to near Tempurpedic soles, but this is not to say one should simply throw the Nike shoes to the trash and burst out on a 50 miler - the transition to barefoot running needs to be done with care to avoid injury. Most likely it will involve lots of mobility work, arch and ankle strengthening and running form correction (Lieberman & et al, 2010). A forefoot or midfoot strike is required to absorb the shock of each step. The body should lean slightly forward and the knees drive up and down (note that the foot should not extend far in front of the body, but rather weight should be transferred to the leg when the foot is directly beneath the body) (Starrett, 2014). Check out these videos to help understand the nature of good running form: here.
Conclusion:
"If we could give every individual the right amount of nourishment and exercise, not too little and not too much, we would have found the safest way to health." -Hippocrates
Working out may be difficult to start, but once the ball is rolling it is even harder to stop. For any health nut, any average Joe, any stay at home mom, anyone, really, movement is the key. Humans are creatures meant for much greater splendor and sublime creation than feats of contortion on a cushioned couch in front of the latest sitcom. For that matter, humans are meant for much more than a run around the block, drowned out by Taylor Swift's new album, and, to quote McDougall, "motivated solely by size six jeans." Part of movement culture and the message I am trying to spread, is to enjoy being able to move, lift, and sprint. It is not a curse or a torture, but a magnificent gift that must be utilized or lost. And it will be a bad day when it is lost. So, I urge you, take care of your physique, your mind, your being; move.