5 Pillars of Health - Movement (Pillar 3)

This marks the third installment of our series on the 5 Pillars of Health, and today we're diving into the importance of movement!

But before we delve into that, let's quickly recap the other pillars: sleep, nutrition, stress management, and community.

Pillar 1: Sleep - Sleep is your superhero.  You don't have to spend a penny to start improving your sleep tonight! Put down your phone and Go-To-Bed!

Pillar 2: Nutrition  - Fuel your body with what make you feel your best

Pillar 3: Movement - Movement is medicine...more on that below

Pillar 4: Stress Management - Stress is the silent killer

Pillar 5: Community - Spoiler alert...this is my favorite pillar

Now, let's talk about movement. It's often said that "movement is medicine," and that's exactly why I founded The Mobile Athlete.  When we talk about movement, we're not just referring to intense exercise. It can encompass anything from standing and walking to dancing and high intensity weight training. If you're part of the TMA community, you likely have a sport or activity that you're passionate about, whether it's running, cycling, tennis, golf, pickleball, CrossFit, or something else. And guess what? It all counts as movement!

Movement is the foundation of everything you do. It has a profound impact on every system in your body, promoting overall health and well-being. Sadly, according to the CDC, only 25% of adults and 20% of high school students meet the recommended activity levels. Even worse, a staggering 25% of Americans are completely inactive, leading to a tenth of premature deaths in the US. This lack of physical activity increases the risk of heart disease, diabetes, hypertension, cancer, and many other ailments. Inadequate exercise levels also contribute to $117 billion in annual healthcare costs.

Incorporating more movement into your daily routine can work wonders for your health, wellness, and longevity. After all, humans are designed to move. By adding a variety of enjoyable activities to your day, you can tap into your body's natural abilities, keep health issues at bay, and truly embrace life.

The health benefits of movement are truly remarkable. Think of it as a powerful medicine that significantly reduces your risk of chronic diseases, improves cognitive function, and helps you build strong muscles and bones. The best part is that you have the power to write your own prescription.

Daily activity offers an affordable and effective way to enhance your overall well-being. When you don't get enough exercise, negative effects ripple through your brain and body. You burn fewer calories, resulting in a loss of muscle mass, strength, and stamina. Your bones may weaken due to decreased mineral content. Your immune system and metabolism suffer disruptions, and your hormonal balance is thrown off. Leading a sedentary lifestyle can accelerate your path to an early demise.

The good news is that engaging in any physical activity that gets your body moving is the perfect remedy for a sedentary lifestyle. Even taking just one thousand extra steps a day can decrease your risk of mortality by up to 28%. While most health organizations recommend at least 150 minutes of moderate exercise per week, aiming for higher levels is even better. People who exercise 300 to 600 minutes per week (averages to 45-85 minutes a day) have a 26% to 31% lower risk of all-cause mortality.

Consider movement and exercise as essential to life as sleeping and eating. Embracing an active lifestyle improves your overall well-being and offers countless benefits.

Here are even more reasons to develop a movement habit that you can stick to:

• Major and minor diseases and health conditions: Regular exercise can aid in preventing or managing various diseases and health concerns. It enhances insulin sensitivity, blood pressure, heart health, lung function, body composition, and cholesterol levels, helping combat major illnesses and ensuring a longer, healthier life.
• Mood and Energy: Physical activity has been proven to uplift your mood, alleviating feelings of anxiety, depression, and chronic stress. The increased blood circulation and release of brain chemicals during exercise can invigorate you, boost self-esteem, fight mental fatigue and mood disorders, and build confidence and energy.
• Sleep: Exercise enhances your sleep in many ways, including through body temperature changes, energy depletion, relaxation, and other mechanisms. It should be a top priority when improving your sleep hygiene.
• Weight and metabolism: Regular exercise increases energy expenditure, leading to weight reduction. By simply increasing non-exercise movement throughout the day, you can effectively manage your weight and enhance non-exercise activity thermogenesis. Physical activity aids in efficiently converting food into energy while shedding excess fat. Plus, you continue to burn calories even after you've finished exercising. The formula is simple: move more and burn more calories.
• Muscles, joints, and bones: All types of exercises play a pivotal role in building and maintaining strong muscles, joints, and bones. Your body is meant to move, and neglecting movement can lead to breakdown and dysfunction. Regular exercise enhances movement efficiency and quality, helping prevent falls, osteoporosis, and age-related muscle decline, offering notable health and longevity benefits.
• Memory and cognition: Exercise boosts brain health and combats cognitive decline. By increasing blood flow to the brain and modulating brain chemicals, physical activity enhances memory, focus, mood, and overall cognition, making it a powerful ally against dementia and aging.
• Quality and quantity of life: Exercise enhances both health span and lifespan. It invigorates your overall well-being through various physiological, social, emotional, and mental mechanisms. Your ability to carry out daily tasks and enjoy life to the fullest is directly related to how well you move. Exercise can help you find purpose, build community, and thoroughly enjoy life.

In addition to the mentioned benefits, movement offers an array of other advantages, such as enhanced pain tolerance, hormonal balance, immunity, skin health, sex life, circulation, stamina, productivity, and social well-being. Embrace movement and experience its transformative impact on your life.

You might be surprise, but even as a fitness forward physical therapist, I sometimes find that I don't get enough movement through out the day! I often remind myself to add more movement into my routine. 

If you are looking to continue improving your movement habits, here are a few tips:

1. Walk more: Walking is often underrated, but it's a fantastic form of non-exercise based movement. Aim for 10,000 steps a day, which is a great benchmark for overall health. Your phone or watch can help you track your steps. Try taking longer walks with your dog, going for a stroll during lunch breaks (preferably outside), or even walking your kids to school instead of driving. You'll be amazed at how much better you feel with a little extra walking.

2. Consider a standing desk: Standing has been shown to improve attention, posture, and even calorie output. If possible, try incorporating more standing into your work day. Many employers are willing to provide standing desks, so it's worth exploring this option. By reducing the amount of time you spend sitting, you'll significantly improve your overall health.

3. Focus on strength: Being strong has numerous benefits and makes everyday tasks much easier. Think about lifting something heavy and awkward, like a bag of mulch. If you're not strong enough, it can quickly become exhausting and potentially lead to muscle strains. By prioritizing strength training, such as deadlifting your body weight, you'll find that even challenging tasks become more manageable. Remember, strength is never a weakness.

4. Move well and move often: Make it a daily habit to engage in some form of movement. This could include going for a long walk, going for a run, working out, or practicing yoga. Variety is key, so don't be afraid to mix up your routines and try different disciplines. For instance, if you typically go to a CrossFit gym, consider attending a yoga class once a week. If you're a runner, swap out a run for a strength training session occasionally. By exposing yourself to a range of movements, your body will thank you with improved overall health.

Remember, motion is lotion! Keeping your body moving is often the best solution to many issues we encounter. So let's prioritize movement and unlock the incredible benefits it has to offer.

You'll often hear us say "motion is lotion" around the clinic because movement is most often the answer for many of the Athletes we work with. Too often we hear the phrase “I just need R.I.C.E. after my injury.” (R.I.C.E = Rest. Ice. Compression. Elevation.) or “My back hurts I just need to lay down.” These answers are almost always never the answer AND you will rarely ever (mostly never) hear anyone from TMA recommend that methodology. 

Getting moving! 

Doc Shawn

PS. If you are in pain, have an injury or just want to be healthier and move better for longer, then we should have a talk.  We help people get out of pain and back to the high-performance pain-free life they deserve because life is more enjoyable when you can do the things you love with the people you love, pain-free.  Schedule a time to talk today.