What’s Wrong with Our Relationship with Exercising?

Derek Beres on Big Think reflects on the book Movement Matters and makes a few philosophical observations as to how our relationship with movement has changed thanks to sedentary occupations and urbanization. He starts by giving the example of how we have outsourced the job of our postural muscles to our chairs.

“This phenomenon extends beyond furniture. What we eat, how we connect, what we wear, how we travel—all sources of movement that we have removed ourselves from. Our economic system relies on movement, yet profoundly unequal contributions make for a skewed relationship to the environment.”

“Our cultural relationship to movement is backwards: we champion (and financially reward) sedentary occupations at banks and think tanks while scowling at physical labor. The basic message is that if you have to use your body to earn your daily bread, you’re not worth much bread.”

“Just as we would not need anti-inflammatory drugs, statins, and surgeries if not for poor diets, our bodies would dramatically change if we moved more naturally and put that movement to constructive use. Our relationship to our bodies would change, as would how we understand and treat nature:

Movement should be something that you’re doing all of the time for yourself. That is the natural relationship of a human to movement. It’s like saying that breakfast is medicine for starvation. It’s not medicine; it’s just food. You’re supposed to be eating; it’s a biological requirement. The same holds true for movement.”

The full article can be read here.

We are all guilty of this modern day phenomenon. We created our website with the intention of inspiring you to lead a more active lifestyle and provide you with resources that may assist this goal. If you are considering making adjustments to your lifestyle, take a look at: http://workout.lk/ and let us know how we can help.