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Your Body is Designed to Move

The human body was designed to move and works best when it’s active. We were not designed to sit in a chair or lay on a sofa, rapid technology has chipped away at our physical activity. Vehicles and machines now move for us and we work in jobs where we don’t need to move very much.

As a nation, the impact of our sedentary lifestyle is problematic. Almost one in three adults in the UK are estimated to be overweight so we need to start building activity into our everyday lives. For many people exercise is an additional option, its something that has to be planned into a busy day. In less than two generations, physical activity has dropped in the UK by 20%

Keep moving

There are a great number of benefits in keeping moving every day. Heart health, mood health, improved circulation, burns calories and raises metabolism. Muscles 2277447 1920The list is endless and it’s key to move, as our bodies were not designed for lazy living they were designed to move. The human body is made up of 360 joints and over 700 muscles and our vascular and nervous system depend on movement to function. If I sit for too long my back and hips begin to ache and my body tells me I need to get up and move. When think back to our grandparents they were on the move every day. They walked to the shops, washed their own clothes, rode a bicycle and worked in the garden. Without realising they were working out every day!

What can you do?

Sit less on a chair! You may think I’m crazy but try sitting on the floor. Just think of how many muscles we have to use to go from sitting on the floor to standing. Standing desks and active workstations are becoming more popular in the workplace but for many of us, we probably don’t have the option of a luxury treadmill workstation. I did purchase a core stability stool which I love! I switch between that and my old faithful deskAdult Black And White Black And White 440581 chair, my office is at the bottom of my garden so a trip to the loo is a run up the path to the house. Try standing when making a phone call, have a stretch, take a break every 30 mins and just move.

For many overweight people getting moving and exercising can be a real challenge. Excess weight stresses the joints and it also affects proper movement which can lead to a whole host of other health problems. No matter what size you are moving the body and exercise is healthy for everyone. But more importantly, exercise can improve the way your body functions throughout the day. You’ll find your body will feel better as you move through daily activities, plus your mood and your confidence level are likely to get a boost as well.

Whatever you do it has to move YOU

Adults need to play just as much as children, so whatever activity you choose make sure its fun. Dance, run, play a sport, once you feel how good it is you’ll wonder why it took you so long. Walk faster, take a stroll around the park. Get some music on whilst you’re doing some housework and jig about whilst cleaning. Make it a habit to move more every day as every little bit of movement helps towards improving your health.Val Vesa 624638 Unsplash