This Health Notion is All About the Motion

Mom says, "Wake up sleepy head! Time to get yourself out of bed."

Child says, “NOOOOO, I don’t want to MOOOOVE!”

Have you ever heard a child say this? No? Children still follow their instincts, and the human instinct is to move. Even when we are not moving, our bodies are in motion – the heart beats, the belly digests, the breath breathes itself. Movement is life. If you think about it, everything alive is growing - even if you are growing older. So it is only natural that to LIVE is to MOVE. But how do you move when there is pain, stiffness, and struggle? Move softly but keep going. Move gently, but keep flowing. Move what you can and keep growing - even if you are growing older.

From Dawn to Dusk

As natural as the sun moving across the sky, humans move. The real trick comes from maintaining movement when difficult or even impossible. Disease, injury, or aging can take its toll. Arthritis inflames joints and builds bony spurs making movement painful. Cardiovascular diseases cause limbs to feel weighted, and low energy levels make exercise feel like a battle. Cerebral disease like stroke or nerve damage anywhere causes paralysis. As natural as the sun moves, the body will experience movement challenges. Aging isn’t the only reason either. If you are lucky enough to have not even stub a toe, you may experience even more trouble making the necessary adjustments to maintain your health. Adjusting movement is better than no movement at all.

It is easy for doctors to recommend movement as a non-pharmaceutical approach to health maintenance. Could they do it with your pain? For some people, just hearing the word ‘exercise’ elevates pain or even emotional distress! So, what’s a body to do? Just find the appropriate exercise for you! Any movement is better than no movement at all.

Move to Your Own Groove

For instance, seated Tai Chi benefits depression, heart rate, and social connections. Mixed with medication, Parkinson’s disease patients experience improved balance and mobility. Yoga improves balance and mobility and has many other benefits to skin diseases, injury recovery, and chemotherapy-induced neuropathy. So, when the doctor says that you need to move more, share your difficulties and ask for guidance? If you find you still need help, Hopeful Healing can guide you toward the evidence-based best practice for your disease or injury process.

Always check with your physician before beginning any holistic or exercise programming.