You are an animal.
You are within a couple of genomes of every other animal on the planet.
I think some are closer than others!
One of my all time favorite animals is this little lady:
She’s called Rhia and other than my wife and mother, is the most important lady in my life.
Observing Rhia, and other animals, can help us reconnect with how we are best set up to live out lives.
We’re not meant to be sat on our arses for hours at a time, tied to a desk, stuck on a train/bus/in a car, nor are we supposed to be active for only the 60 minutes that a workout lasts for.
Rhia is a Labrador, so likes to laze about and sleep a lot.
But that’s not the point I’m building here.
The point I’m rambling towards is about how she goes from the sofa to charging about like a mad thing.
Any time she’s been inactive for a period, the first thing she does is stretch her spine. And she’ll do this multiple times through the day.
Watch most beasts and you’ll see the same.
Yet we, the “higher animal”, the hum,an being, we’re told to only stabilise our spine, don’t move it.
And that’s utter nonsense.
On waking in the morning, you’ll have been pretty much stationary for several hours.
So first thing in the morning is the optimal time for some basic mobility work, such as the standard mobility set we do in our group classes, here’s a video on that from a couple of years ago (it’s a bit more in depth than the standard warm up, but pick and choose the areas you need to work)
Or there’s slightly more physical mobility practices we use at lunchtime (the skipping is optional) :
Either of these make great starts to the day. They also provide options for movement breaks through the day. And movement breaks are important.
Do your body a huge favour and add movement to your day, especially in the mornings.
5 minutes is enough.
Little and often adds up to big changes over time.
Regards
Dave Hedges www.WG-Fit.com