Paul Dudley White
Nature dictates how each animal should move and we humans are no different. Our bodies have evolved over thousands of years to enable us to move swiftly and fluidly over all sorts of terrain for miles and miles without problem. So why is it that so many of us feel weak or have aches and pains that restrict us from doing even the most basic of movements!?
As a human, there are 10 fundamental natural movement skills that we should be able to perform, as practiced by the late Georges Hebert and his modern day successor Erwan Le Corre, founder of MovNat.
Unfortunately, our environment is no longer one which promotes movement and allows for the development of muscles that supported our ancestors ability to move for hours on end without complaint! From our earliest years we are taught to sit in chairs, in cars, slouch on sofas, hunch over computers, and stare at TV screens. Our sporting activities may include computer games and watching the football at the weekend. We dress our feet in big heavy shoes or high heels that take away any connection to the ground, disconnecting us from the sensory pads in our feet that should feedback to our brains what is going down below on so our bodies can adjust accordingly.
Compare this sedantary way of life to that of our hunter gatherer ancestors. They were more than likely on the move for most of the hours of the day and perhaps spent their evenings sat in squat position socialising after a long day of activity. They may have worn thin soles on their feet to protect them from the sharpest rocks or thorns, but they never lost connection to the earth. Their bodies could not afford the injuries, aches and pains that we suffer today, they survived by stalking their prey and gathering items for daily life.
These days we think it's enough to walk up the stairs or take the dog for a wee, when in fact, regular movement is a fundamental part of our survival.
We might think that as we no longer need to gather our firewood or hunt our food, we no longer need to possess the skills our ancestors held. But if we lose our physical abilities and strength we also compromise our immune systems, digestive systems, hormonal balance and a whole host of other abilities we should possess.
Movement is still a fundamental part of the essence of being human, and without movement our health will suffer. Fitness training is not just about looking good and having great muscle definition to show off at the bar on a Friday night, it is a fundamental requirement for lifelong health and vitality!
PuraVida fitness coaches work to help you rediscover what it is to be fit, lean, agile and back in touch with your body. Keeping you healthy, and looking great to boot!
We are living in an era that sees us de-evolving as a species, hunched backs and weakened immune systems that can't keep up with the modern world environment. It's time to reclaim our place on the evolutionary path!