No Deposit, No Return
by John Pierre (printed in Health Science Fall 2004)Just like a successful savings account requires regular deposits in order to maintain a positive balance, so too does our body. To keep our body's account balance high, these deposits must be made daily to keep our account in check after withdrawals are made. Withdrawals occur as a result of our modern and industrialized life. Inactivity and a sedentary lifestyle are the most taxing to our body and contribute to a negative balance. By engaging in primal motions such as bends, twists, and squats along with daily walks, we increase our physical activity and make deposits to our personal vitality account.
The original practioners of hygiene understood the curative and healing powers of exercise and led a very physical existence. They engaged in club swinging and wand use, along with acrobatic type activity, daily walking, housework, playing games and were continually finding ways to engage the muscles and the body in physical activity. Compare that to today where our dependency on labor saving devices actually causes us harm.
Every system in our body is somehow dependent on physical activity it to function at optimal levels. Our cardiovascular system gets more efficient and includes our heart, a muscle that grows stronger with use. Our bones are activated by stress and are continually building themselves with weight bearing activity. And let's not forget, our lymphatic system is our immune system and needs movement to move the lymphatic fluid throughout the body.
The good news is one of the most impressive components to hygiene is it's simplicity. The same goes for exercise. You don't need fancy gadgets or expensive equipment - just simply move. For instance, instead of driving your car for close errands, walk. Give away your leaf blowers and riding lawn mowers and begin to do more yard work and organic gardening. Take the stairs and wash your car even if it's not dirty. One of the most effective all around physical things you can do to work the body is to clean your house. Adopt a friend from the local animal shelter and walk them daily. Your walking partner will be sure to get you out into the fresh air whether it be rain or shine.
The most beneficial action to help your body in the long run is to relinquish your remote control. Our inability to squat correlates with our lack of needing to get in and out of a chair. Next to walking, one of the most commonly lost attributes as we age is our ability to squat. If you want to get better at squatting, practice squatting in and out of your chair - with or without the TV or computer in front of you.
Vibrant foods, clean air, sunshine and loving thoughts are all forms of currency needed for a healthy account balance. The most overlooked form of currency, which may be one of the most important one of all, is physical movement. By bringing motion back into your life you will be living a complete balanced lifestyle and will be making an investment in yourself that will pay you back tenfold.