Keep On Movin’

When my sister and I were growing up on our grandparents’ small farm, we were very active, as are most young people. We were running in the pastures, riding horses, helping in the garden, tending to animals, and involved in school activities and sports. We were always moving our bodies.

Times have changed, and so too has the way in which we use our bodies. The Mayo Clinic reports “We’ve made sitting into an art form.” It has been discovered that the average American sits for 13 to 15 hours per day.
I was ruminating over my own lack of movement and remembered that in earlier years, if I wanted to know something I would have to go to the library and physically be about my search—I did not click on Google from my easy chair! If I was looking for entertainment, that entertainment came about through being creative and/or active in some way, such as walking to visit a friend, baking, riding my bike, or perhaps dancing to my favorite music. Television was a rare experience in my youth.

All of these memories seem foreign to how we live life today, where the greater experience is a high-tech information and entertainment universe that gives us instant access to shopping, movies, news, and so on. Such technology can keep us from moving our bodies in the way they were designed. Moving our bodies increases the potential for longevity, healthy brain function, and general overall physical and emotional health.
We sit in our chairs, eyes glazed over, scrolling from one thing to another. Unhealthy? Yes! There are consequences to sitting all day, which have been shown to be linked to many conditions, including obesity, hypertension, back pain, cancer, cardiovascular disease, and depression.

Here are a few suggestions that can help:

• Use a standing desk when possible. My brother-in-law is an artist and is at his artboard most days and some evenings. He never sits while painting and uses a standing artboard. He is 90 years of age and still going strong.
• Set a reminder to stand and move at least once per hour. Simply standing from your chair and doing a few stretches is very useful and refreshing.
• Take a walk at break time. This will refresh your mind and body.
• When shopping, park the car at a distance that is comfortable for you yet allows for a reasonably good walk.
• Use the stairs if you are safely and physically capable.
• If you are watching TV, consider walking on a treadmill at that time.
• If you are physically compromised in any way and can’t manage as much movement as we speak of here; whatever you do, even if it is only an ability to move a small part of your body, take advantage of that movement—it is still movement, and that is good.

Any movement in our body allows our muscles to release a certain signaling molecule called myokines into the bloodstream, which have been dubbed “hope molecules.” These molecules produce a communication with the immune system and cardiovascular system helping to reduce inflammation, control blood sugar, improve brain function, and burn more fat as fuel. Because these molecules have the ability to cross the blood-brain barrier, they work within the brain to help recover from stress and produce the feeling of ease, happiness, and relaxation.
It’s always a good idea to consult with your health provider to understand what forms of exercise are safe for you.