Movement Is A Vital Sign
When you stop and think about how much manual labour it took to reach this point in our civilization, you might agree that we must come from a heritage of movement. The reason the characteristics of strength, creativity, wisdom and courage are so revered is because they are the underpinning of all we do.
In today’s automated world we often forget that manual labour is the driving force of man’s creations. You were built to move and create. Yet the statistics about our health and movement skill as a society to not honour our heritage. Heart disease, respiratory issues, blood challenges are out of control.
Why do you say movement is a vital sign?
Traditional health vital signs include things like pulse, respiration rate, blood pressure etc. For fitness vital measures might include push ups or sit and reach. Although these methods of measurement are valid as snapshots of where you are now compared to any other time, what they measure effects, not causes.
To manipulate or improve your vital signs measurements you must move. Movement is the cause that affects all vital signs. Therefore movement is your true vital sign or better yet the quality, ability and range of your movement is your true vital sign.
What is good movement?
Based on the above hypothesis, good movement is movement that positively affects your vital signs. This is the fact that leads to confusion because depending on where you are on the health and fitness spectrum, any movement can have a positive effect on your vitals sign. That is why we must modify the definition to include the character of Quality.
The proper criteria to use to decide what is quality movement (good vs and not as good), lies in understanding how our neurobiological development, evolutionary movement requirements and physiological health needs work together. These three frames will help you see more clearly what the body needs. The following sections present a framework for understanding the movements our bodies require.
As an overall guide for modeling movement quality we lean on the Law of Mastery; we look to learn from those practicing mastery in their movements. This allows us to build our movement definitions on expertise and proven systems that already exist. There is nothing new to create, we just need to learn and practice the facts as they exist.
There are three big categories of movement we must do. These movement categories form the root of our independence and individuality as human beings. How you move through the world is in large part due to who you are. And, how you move helps you contribute powerfully to culture and society. These are the patterns we need to access to do things, create things, and recover from life.
Movement Category #1 - Spine Shapes and Skills
Almost everything of true significance to your body is contained in your torso. Sure your arms and legs are important, but you can live without them; the organs, not so much. The bones in your spine critically affect breathing, posture, digestion, and the circulation of blood and other fluids are necessary for bodily functions.
Spine shapes are the foundation of excellent health and pain free movement. You must learn to strengthen and lengthen your spine. Improving your posture and spine shapes, seated patterns, standing patterns, twisting, one leg standing patterns is fundamental to being a Good Mover
Movement Category #2 - Foundational Strength Patterns
It has been said that the purpose of our arms and legs is to get things for the brain. As Ironic as this might sound, the idea clarifies the nature of our limbs and how to view them objectively. They are tools, levers, springs, pulleys and clasps to be used to acquire, distribute and move ourselves and external objects.
The basic movements of strength can be boiled down to a few fundamental actions; plank, push, pull, squat, lunge and rotate. Each of these movements has an ideal structure and a set of coordinated muscle actions required to happen for the movements to be done well.
Combined with the spine shapes, these form the foundations of our strength and independence as humans. We must experience these shapes and skills in the body with frequency to remain healthy, vibrant, mobile, and energized.
Movement Category #3 - Evolutionary Skills and Talents
Even though there is some overlap in the movement categories the groupings still shed light on the character differences between these types of actions; specifically in how they pertain to how they are used by humans.
Evolutionary movements are used by everyone. We can all throw and catch a ball or hit a tree with a stick or jump over a puddle...but there are levels to all actions. Not everyone can throw a football, hit a softball or do a leaping arabesque. And yet, from an evolutionary movement perspective, these are all pairs of the same movement type.
The second aspect of evolutionary skill is our mindset or level of attention to the quality of the movement. Evolutionary movements are only done because you want to. You must squat/lunge to get out of bed, use the bathroom but you can go to the grocery store instead of throwing a spear or planting a garden.
Evolutionary skills are complex actions firstly requiring a solid foundation in the first two movement categories. Additionally, you are required to do evolutionary actions with intensity and concentration because improvement only comes with precision.
The body is a wonderfully complex machine and there are things about it we will never really understand. Your body was given solely to you, to be the commander and caretaker and the lessons and intention in these pages is to share wisdom that will make your path brighter.
The problem I am attempting to solve is to fill in the gaps in your movement by offering simplified frames to help you maximize actions and intentions. I want to share with you exactly which shapes to practice and how to practice them. We want you to experience the feelings of strength and accomplishment in the shapes and skills we teach.
If we obey the natural laws of movement and approach our practices with the law of mastery, we are rewarded with the gifts of mastery. Your best body is one that is adorned with the gifts of grace, patience, determination, stamina, strength, and focus. These characteristics give you the ability to do exactly what you want, when you want to do it.
Quality of movement is the measure of good movement and our most important movements support our human evolutionary advantages. Some movements support health by improving internal circulation. Others support fitness abilities by strengthening common patterns of action.
The decision as to which shapes and movements are important was decided by nature and evolution. Repetition is the mother of mastery, your habits form your character...you know this fact, now you need an effective approach to apply to this your movements.