Do you have a life that allows you to dance, shadow-box, fool around, and generally act childlike? Here’s how you can tell!
When’s the last time you……….
Got down on the floor?
Hung by your hands?
Crawled on your hands and knees?
Threw a ball overhand?
Threw a ball underhand?
Climbed a tree?
Bore weight over your head?
Reached behind you, left and right?
Whirled your arms at the shoulder sockets?
Shoveled?
Climbed over a fence?
Climbed under a fence?
Stretched on tiptoes?
Raked leaves or grass clippings?
Pushed a heavy object?
Pulled a heavy object?
Swung a bat with both hands?
Swung a stick or racket with one hand?
Carried more than ten pounds in each hand?
Lifted more than twenty pounds with both hands off the floor?
Delivered a forceful blow with your arm and hand?
Held both arms up and out to the sides?
Put both hands on top of your head?
Balanced on one foot?
Balanced on one foot while off the ground (atop a stump, stool, or bench)?
Walked up a flight of stairs?
Took more than one step at a time (ascending and descending)?
Danced?
If you go through the list and answer each question directly——not with “it’s been a while” but with the actual length of time—-I think you’ll be shocked.
There will be some activities you haven’t done in years, and not because they are difficult, dangerous, or physically taxing.
For instance, few people reach over their heads more than a couple of times a year, let alone bear any weight in that position. Yet all of us have a mechanism for doing that.
But what happens to the mechanism when we don’t use it? The function is lost and your movement map shrinks and shrinks.
That may not seem like such a big deal. After all, if you don’t need to extend your arms over your head, there’s no point to having that function, is there?
Well, I’d say there’s a huge point when considering any loss of function and decreasing your movement map. You want to maintain or improve your movement map all throughout your life.
Okay, enough preaching for this month 🙂 Just a reminder to take a look at this list, do an honest assessment on yourself, and please, if you’re not happy with how you’re moving and aging, contact me!
Working together we can get you acting like a child again, and I mean that in the very best ways!
shelli
P.S. If you found this information helpful, don’t keep it to yourself! Share the links and message with friends and colleagues who might benefit from it too. Thanks for being a part of this community!
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