Move Away from Easy to Move with Ease

Our bodies are meant to move. Consistently. Continuously. In varying positions. Our joints need it. Our hearts need it. Our minds need it. Our souls definitely need it. 

In American culture, however, we have a tendency to sacrifice movement for the sake of ease, efficiency, and speed. We have quick access to food, machines that wash our clothes/dishes, and rooms that ensure we can just lock ourselves away instead of dealing with discomfort in differences and confrontation. 

This feels safe. This feels necessary. This feels desirable. 

The problem is, the more we allow modern technology to take over, the more we signal to our brains that we don’t need to be able to move in those ways. That we don’t need to be able to connect, or to think in those ways. 

The brain is efficient, and it isn’t going to waste calories (energy) on maintaining parts of ourselves that we don’t use consistently.

What if today you challenge yourself to move a little more? 

• Carry the basket at the grocery store instead of wheeling the cart? 

• Pick up the toys with our toes today & allow our feet to be as dexterous as they are designed to be? 

• Rearrange our kitchens so that, instead of things being easier to grab, they create a movement challenge for us every time we cook? 

• Give our kids that “one more time” and throw them into the air over and over again (if your body is able, of course)? 

• Carry our kids instead of putting them in the stroller?

• Get up to turn on music instead of asking “Alexa” to do it?

• Get on the ground and dive into imaginative play with our kids? Act like a camel, act like a crab, crawl like a baby?

• Find a new way to move our bodies as we walk to the other room, or roll out of bed?

Maybe if we remind ourselves to move more in our day, we will actually save time. Maybe we won’t have to squeeze in that extra 30 minutes of Yoga class. Maybe we won’t need to book that trip to the doctor. Maybe we will slowly, but surely, remind our brains and bodies how beautifully we can move. 

Disclaimer: Do not move into areas of pain, or perform movements that put you at risk of injury. Move more and in more ways, but do not force yourself into positions that your body has not yet consistently and progressively learned to do. Trust your intuition and the advice of your healthcare provider.

For more help on moving with ease, comment or reach out at Kimberly@FemmeNatale.com.