An otherwise lazy Sunday afternoon turned into an eye-opener thanks to my children inviting me to play with them. There were climbing, hanging, crouching, and sliding activities. A child’s play soon turned out to be the most challenging play for the mom. I have always been proud of my ability to do structured fitness work but 30 min into these movements I was completely exhausted much to my surprise.
A deeper thought made me realize how much I had cast myself into repetitive movements denying myself the movement variety. It had slowly made the movement maps in my brain fuzzy with disuse. That’s why I found the natural movements so unnatural. We are designed to move and move task-oriented. That’s what would engage our brains else after a few times we function on autopilot. Thus we compromise innate fitness for aesthetic fitness.
So how to move naturally in the urban world? I am listing a few things which have helped me and hoping to add to this
1. Move with a purpose.. a walk to get groceries or walk the dog.
2. Ditch the tracking apps. Those numbers don’t mean anything to our brains.
3. Slowly transition to floor sitting
4. Try to wear your pants with minimal support.
5. Stack your pots and pans on the lowest rack. You will be able to add more squats to your day.
6. Use a squatty potty
7. Play on the floor with your children.
8. Accept that any change would be difficult in the beginning so be kind to yourself.
HAPPY UNCASTING