Some people don’t have the ability to move naturally. Movement is not something that comes naturally to everyone. We are conditioned to expect hardship and suffering.
This is because our DNA tells us that we should save our energy so that we can go out and find a pizza. This is unlikely, unless there’s a zombie apocalypse.
“We just want the freedom to move for many decades, not type 2 diabetes and not to die from pneumonia at 85 after breaking a hip or falling.”
We all know that movement has a positive effect on our health. However, our chronic disease rates have not been affected by the current guidelines telling people to move more. What should we do instead of moving more?
Science is my passion. There is a lot of crap out there in research. But, there are some basic principles that I believe will help us keep our heads above water for as long as we can.
This is not the place for you if you are more concerned about preparing for the zombie apocalypse. However, if this is your thing, I won’t stop you.
The rest of us don’t care about how many marathons we’ve run or how big our snatch are. We want to continue moving for many decades, not develop type 2 diabetes and then die from pneumonia at 85.
Let me introduce you, because everyone loves a pyramid.
The Great Upside-Down Movement Pyramid
Perhaps the name needs to be changed. It works best upside down.
The Base: Sit Fewer
This base is important because, no matter how hard you exercise, you lose most of your benefits if you sit down all day. This finding has been repeated many times.
” The risk of dying increases when you spend more time sitting than seven to eight hours a day, regardless of how many exercise you do.”
This graph is a meta-analysis. It shows the results of many studies. You can see the average line – the thick black one. The risk of dying increases if you spend more time sitting than seven to eight hours per day.
Next: Continue Walking
This is the boring part that everyone skips. Brisk walking, which is walking like you’re late to work, is the most well-studied form of exercise. It is the foundation of the 150 minutes of weekly physical activity.
It’s possible to walk for as little as 15 minutes to get to work or to lunch. This can reduce your risk of developing cardiovascular disease and metabolic diseases.
“It doesn’t really matter what you do. Lift weights. Swing kettlebells. Do yoga. Move your bodyweight in the park. Climb a tree. Give your children a piggyback.”
Next: Get rid of stuff
This is often called “resistance-training” and it’s done on weight machines at the gym. Any type of resistance training is beneficial to long-term health.
There are many protocols that have been used by researchers. This suggests that it doesn’t really matter what you do. Lift weights. Swing kettlebells. Do yoga. Move your bodyweight in the park. Climb a tree. Give your children a piggyback. Give your kids a piggyback.
