Getting Back to the Ways we were Meant to Move

Movement is life! When we are born our bodies innately have the knowledge of how to move and function. Under normal neurological circumstances, babies develop and hit milestones in a specific order. No one teaches them to roll over, sit up, crawl, or walk. These skills all develop instinctively. Each step is critical to development and future movement patterns. Every step is an important building block onto the next to help our bodies function at their best (if you want to know specifics please comment below and we can delve into that later). The age at which each phase occurs is not as important as each milestone being hit in the correct order. Otherwise there will be problems later in life.

As we get older(or if we skipped a step or learned out of order) we lose those motor patterns and develop compensations that allow for dysfunction and improper movement patterns to occur. This often leads to pain and wear and tear on our joints.

A Brazilian research study found an interesting connection between a person’s ability to sit and rise from the floor and the increased risk of dying in the next six years. This study followed 2,000 people ages 51 to 80. Each individual received a score out of 10. A point was subtracted every time they used a hand, knee or other body part for support. Within the six year period 159 people died and most of those were individuals with lower tests scores. Each point increase in a person’s test score was linked with a 21 percent reduction in their risk of death.

Movement really is life! When we lose the ability to function we lose the ability to live and it causes major risks to our health.

Reference:

Brito LBB, Ricardo DR, Araujo DSMS, et al. Ability to sit and rise from the floor as a predictor of all-cause mortality. European Journal of Cardiovascular Prevention, 2012.