January 9, 2012

By David Blyweiss, M.D.

In This Issue:

• We are made to move…and how
• What stress in your mind is doing to your body
• Why protecting your mobility should be your #1 priority

Move Your Body, Relax Your Mind

This third issue of my special New Year’s Resolution Report is about movement for your mind and body…

Notice I didn’t say exercise.

First of all, I’m pretty sure one more person telling you how important it is to exercise wouldn’t be particularly helpful. And know that if you feel resistant to the idea of exercise, you are far from alone.

This is because developing the habit of exercise is completely unnatural. We weren’t made to exercise, we were made to move.

Which is why the resolution I’m suggesting you undertake for 2012 is to simply eat right, gently move your body, and sleep 8 hours. And in today’s issue, I’ll expand the definition of movement just a little further… move your mind, body and bowels.

In my last issue, You Are What You Eat, I recommended a diet plan that will optimize your body’s energy and ability to function properly. Today, I’m adding recommendations for the types of movement you need to keep everything circulating properly through your system.

Good food goes in, toxins and waste are flushed out. Stress goes in, and releases easily through the breath. Energy is constantly coursing through you, like electricity through a socket. These are the signs of a healthy, happy body.

The best part? It’s so much easier to incorporate gentle movement into your life than it is to exercise. See for yourself…

When the dawn of modern conveniences began – let’s say roughly from introduction of the Model-T forward – it seemed like an incredible era of ingenuity and advancement. In many ways, it still does. What humans are able to do with a little brain power and economic motivation is truly remarkable.

Who would have guessed then that many of these miracles of invention would plant the seeds for chronic illness and physical decline?

Think about it. Today, most people drive everywhere… take elevators and escalators instead of stairs… and are under constant stress from the expectation of increased productivity that has come with our expanded technological capacity.

But our mental and physical systems aren’t changing and adapting quite so fast. While our inventive minds are creating new ways to sit still and accomplish mind-oriented tasks, we are losing our mobility, our ability to focus, and the energy generated from moving according to our body’s innate design.

In our DNA, we remain hunter-gatherers.

When we ran, it was to escape a saber-tooth tiger, not pass time on a treadmill. And the chase didn’t last for 45 minutes. It lasted for 30 seconds to a minute – 5 minutes at most – before it was over, one way or another.

We walked everywhere. To the river or well for water, planting and working in the fields, canvassing for medicinal herbs and berries. And at the end of long, physically active days, we danced and played music around a fire. Told stories and laughed. Or even, gasp, sat quietly together. Then slept… from roughly sundown to sunrise.

I’m not suggesting it is either practical or desirable to return to such a lifestyle – especially the tiger chases. But I am saying that mimicking this kind of all-day gentle movement – punctuated by a few short bursts of exertion a day – is the optimal way to stay in shape.

This is where inviting a buddy to join you really helps. It is much more interesting to take a walk for 30 minutes in the morning and the evening if you have company. Someone to push you out the door on days you might not want to, and vice versa. You can also ride a bike, either outside in nice weather or indoors on a stationary bike in inclement weather.

Whichever you choose, don’t forget to insert 30-60 second bursts of faster walking, running or pedaling.

Statistics certainly indicate that we are living longer lives, but we are losing our mobility much too soon. We are losing muscle, crumbling under frail bones, getting out of breath too easily, and buckling under the stress of carrying around too much excess weight.

Gently moving your body throughout the day may not sound like a revolution… until you try it. Walk for 30 minutes, twice a day. Take the stairs instead of the elevator. Park in the furthest spot at the mall, not the closest.

When movement becomes part of your life, along with eating right and sleeping eight hours a night, you’ll see and feel a change… you’ll provoke an ancient revolution that will return your body to the way it was meant to be, according to your very DNA.

The inherent stress of a more convenient – but busier – life is more than your body is equipped to handle. Just like that short, fast burst of a tiger chase, your body is genetically programmed for short, sudden bursts of stress.

Long-term chronic stress produces more cortisol than your system can handle, and the effects can be quite dire. Your blood pressure rises. Your blood sugar levels increase. Unhealthy fat builds up in your abdomen. Your digestion is hindered. Your bone formation stops.

Turns out stress isn’t all in your head, after all. It’s in your adrenal glands. Unchecked, it can do some serious damage.

So as part of your 2012 resolution, pick a daily practice that gives your cortisol production a break. These include: yoga, prayer, meditation, diaphragmatic breathing or any other relaxation technique that appeals to you. No, you don’t need to wear stretch pants, make guttural sounds or burn incense… unless you want to. You can keep it simple and even integrate it into your daily routine in the shower or bathroom if that’s the only time you can manage.

Here’s one exercise I do several times a day for an instant cortisol break:

4-5-6 Breathing

• Breathe in through your nose for a count of 4
• Hold your breath for a count of 5
• Breathe out through pursed lips for a count of 6
• Repeat breathing pattern 3-5 times in one session
• Repeat session 3-5 times a day

Try it right now. You’ll feel your body relax instantly. You can even set your phone or watch to remind you to take a 4-5-6 Breathing break at several-hour intervals throughout the day.

Resources:

Jeffrey Smith, Genetically Modified Soy Linked to Sterility, Infant Mortality in Hamsters, The Huffington Post, April 20, 2010

USDA, Profiling Food Consumption in America, Chapter 2, Agriculture Fact Book, http://www.usda.gov/factbook/chapter2.pdf