Have you ever thought of how the body actually works when we move? If I was asked about this question, I’d be listing down the human body systems that are involved, explaining the mechanisms required in order to execute a movement, etc… But honestly, does everyone need to know that before moving? NOPE!
The truth is your brain does not control individual muscles to move either. What your brain knows is that you have a desire to move a body part from one place to another in order to get something or to do something. This is where motor control & motor coordination comes in and we got this from early childhood movement practice.
In our early childhood, movement patterns are automatic, predictable, and genetically formed as the nervous system matures. And that leads to the construction of the natural movement patterns that we do in our daily lives such as squat, stand up, lunge, walk, rotate, roll, push, pull, etc… without second thoughts.
Unfortunately, our modern lifestyle has evolved far beyond how our ancestors lived and most people these days are stuck behind a desk-bound job, revolving around the use of technology. Thanks to the power of internet, we are getting more stimulation to the brain with the vast information available and much less stimulation to our body, which was designed to move and not be stuck in a position.
Our human body is a very fascinating entity and it is highly adaptable. This is important because we need to be able to adjust in response to different environments, change behaviors to deal with different situations, as well as to compensate for injuries in order to increase the chances of our survival.
Not only that, our body is also very efficient. If you recall learning any kinds of skills, you will realize that at the beginning of the learning stage, things are much more difficult. But as you continue on and with practice, things will be easier to the point where you no longer have to think too much, doing the said skill.
This is because when we challenge our body, be it a physical or mental skill, we stimulate plasticity. Our body will then create all the necessary interactions to build & improve on the systems that are involved to allow us to perform our desired tasks successfully. Basically it means that whatever we trained ourselves to do, we will get better & better at it, both positively & negatively.
None of our body systems work alone as they are all connected, affecting one another. This is exactly why movement is so important because movement creates flow. Whether you want to see it as blood flow, lymph flow or simply energy flow, all these flows symbolize life. There will be no life if things are stagnant.
So, the better you move, the better flow you get, and the better life you will have. Keep moving & leave it to us to help you to make quality movement simple!