Since 2013, I have fulfilled a commitment I made to myself to begin every day with some type of movement practice. What that looks like varies: it could be anything from ten minutes of gentle stretching to a 3-hour hardcore workout.
The point is to start my day with movement.
When I first started this practice, many people asked me what I was training for.
They wondered if I was training for a marathon or other competition, or if I was aiming for a certain number of days.
My answer was always the same:
I’m training for life.
On one level, there’s the reality for women that we lose muscle mass as we age and our bones are more at risk for degenerative conditions like osteoporosis. A regular program of lifting heavy weights isn’t just about building a good physique; it’s an essential requirement to maintain bone density and muscle mass.
Aerobic exercise is crucial for heart function and stamina.
For me, exercise is also a crucial factor in my cognitive functioning. It provides the dopamine that my brain needs in order to focus.
But beyond the impact on longevity and attention is an obvious factor that is often overlooked:
Life itself is a physical practice.
This past week, I helped my brother as he moved into a new house. I used a step stool to help me step up onto the kitchen counter so I could clean off the tops of the cabinets. To get down, I had to balance and do a single leg step down.
I hadn’t expected to do that, but as it happened I had just practiced them that morning in the gym.
Then I spent a long time squatting as I organized his tupperware drawer.
Unpacking involved moving boxes and furniture, reaching overhead, pushing, pulling, and carrying.
Moving to a new home might not be an every day activity, but movement in all forms is.
At the grocery store, to get a jar of peanut butter I must squat down to the bottom shelf. I carry my groceries to the car. I place them in the car and lift them out of the car.
When I travel, I must lift my luggage to place it in the overhead bin.
I walk up and down stairs, I go from sitting to standing and back to sitting.
Cooking dinner requires time on my feet.
Even if you have a more sedentary lifestyle or a more cognitive-based job, you use your body in your work.
If you write, you are using your body as you sit at your desk and type on your keyboard. Driving a car uses your body.
We use our bodies in everything we do.
Life is a physical practice. If you don’t train for it, your body won’t be able to support your performance. And that will not be an enjoyable experience.
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