Movement Is Medicine

Movement is medicine!

We've all heard the phrase before, but what does it actually mean?  

Movement is not only a challenge to our body to maintain flexibility, mobility, strength, and coordination, but it is also one of the main ways our body hydrates and nourishes itself. Everything from your muscles to your joints to your blood vessels NEED movement to function properly and repair. When you stretch, you are asking your muscles for more length and breaking up adhesions within the muscle tissues that cause restriction and potentially even pain. When you walk, you are pumping blood in your veins back up to your heart more efficiently. When you lift heavy things, you are challenging the muscles and asking for more power in the future. As you move you allow the nerves to slide and glide so they don't get restricted or impinged in the tissues, you are challenging your heart to keep up with demands and forming new neural circuits in your brain to allow you to do the same thing better next time.

Every little thing you do helps your body better prepare for the unknown challenges of tomorrow. In our office we see a little bit of everything:

• The muscle bound weight-lifter who could use a little more mobility.
• The elderly woman who has chronic neck and low back pain because the muscles that support these areas in daily life have become weak due to dis-use.
• The desk warrior who spends 8+ hours a day in the same position and wonders why the weekend chores keep breaking them down.
• The clumsy kids who trip and fall over themselves because their body and their brain are not speaking at the same pace.

We know days are long and busy, but a simple yoga flow on Youtube, a morning walk with your partner, or some bodyweight exercises can really make the difference between a hurtful tomorrow and a hopeful one.