ABM: Always Be Moving

The human body was not designed for prolonged periods of sedentariness. In fact, HR will tell office workers to take frequent breaks, stretch, and move to combat sedentary related occupational health and safety issues. Interestingly, when you barely move all day, have you ever noticed that it actually makes you feel tired? There is a correlation between sedentary behaviour and chronic diseases. Our modern society is prone to live sedentary lifestyles, and always seeks to make our lives easier by using technology that requires us to expend the least amount of effort.

Door dash, and Click and Collect have made it possible to have food delivered to your door, or have someone else do your grocery shopping for you. Pre-prepared meals that you simply have to heat up have eliminated the need for cooking as well. Dishwashers wash our dishes after we have finished with them. Escalators and elevators have eliminated the neeed for walking or taking stairs. Most people will sit on a bus, train, or in their personal vehicle on their way to and from work, where they will then sit in an office chair for eight hours. After work, most North Americans will spend the majority of their evenings sitting, either at a kitchen table or in their living rooms. Now, unless you work a manual labour job, the rest of the population will spend an overwhelming majority of their day sitting down, and exerting the least amount of effort possible in their daily activities. Then, at the end of the day, most people will sleep from six to eight hours. In fact, the average North American is probably seated and/or lying down for 75-80% of their day. When you add that on top of that food that is typically high caloric and served in large portion sizes, the end results are dire. Obesity and chronic diseases are at an all time high. Mental health issues are at an all time high. I would even argue that if you control for economic conditions, stress is at an all time high. Dopamine addiction - addiction to your favourite app, device, or screen - is at an all time high. Was the human body really designed for this lifestyle? No, it was not. The human body by design was meant to move.

I get it, exercise or working out is a taboo word to a lot of people. The sheer thought of placing physical demands on the body are daunting enough, coupled with busy schedules and feeling exhausted all the time make exercise the least fun sounding thing - truth is, I get it because I've experienced it. But, let me ask a question. Do you get oil changes and rotate the tires on your car? Most likley you do. Preventative maintenance on your vehicle saves you money and time down the road. Do you brush your teeth? Most likely yes. Nobody wants smelly breath, and we brush to combat cavities - again to save money, time, and pain down the road. Do you make sure your kids are fed and clothed? Do you make sure your bills are paid? Again, most people do. The fact is we make sure everything else in our life is functional, operational, or running as smooth as possible, but many of us neglect our own selves. The one thing that we have to make sure everything else is taken care of gets put to the wayside - our own health. But the reality is, when our health goes, our quality of life, length of life, and functionality decrease. Pain and discomfort increase, as does various medical expenses like assisted living devices and in-home PSW care. The ability to enjoy a trip with the family now is not the same as it would be post-chronic disease. But, most of us tend to way the odds of anything serious happending to us, versus what is convenient for us now in the moment. Most of us think the odds are in our favour, and medical issues only happen to other people. But nothing could be further from the truth. In fact, most people on their deathbed wish for only two things: more time and better health. Time is something you don't have control over, but health is something you can control.

If you look at babies - human or animal - you will see that they all have a will to live and survive. No newborn creature comes out of its mother, or hatches, and immediately gives up on life. Even babies that have a physical disabilty try to thrive and compensate the best they can. Have you ever seen a three-legged dog? They still carry on running and playing, and trying to enjoy life. The point is we are all born with a will to thrive, strive, and live to our fullest. But somewhere along the way, most adult North Americans seem to have given up at life. They go about their daily routines, clock in and clock out of work, pay their bills, and then sit for hours on end being passivly entertained with food, drink, and screens. If you walk around your own neighbourhood at night, notice how many people are in their living rooms with the t.v. going from dinner time to bed time. If you walk around your neighbourhood on garbage or recycling day, you can see the average diet of our society - high sugar, high fat, high calorie, and processed foods dominate. But, this is where physical health and mental health intersect.

When you’re not healthy or in shape, and when you’re chronically stressed by life, your mental health suffers. It’s interesting that 100 years ago, what was considered obese drastically differs from what is considered the average body type today. Lately on social media there is a push to normalize "dad bods", where the accumulation of fat around the midsection is seen as normative, and even "sexy". Truth is, dad bods are paternal obesity. A century ago, not many people were overweight. Modern life with its complexities and conveniences have made humans unhealthier and heavier overall. Coinciding with this is that mental health epidemics are also on the rise. Granted, diagnosis was different 100 years ago, but it seems that they did not have the rates of mood disorders that we see today, even when population size is controlled for. It seems that one thing that stays constant with increased mental health and chronic diseases, is that being sedentary also increases positively with this. The greatest preventative medicine is movement, however this is the thing that most people are doing the least. Realistically, there is not even a great divide to accessing fitness: if you have feet, you can walk, run or jump. If you’re mobility impaired, you may still be able to walk, roll, or do other things. If you’re mobile and have access to a floor you can move. The only people who can’t exercise are the ones confined to beds, but even then, if they have the ability to move somewhat, then even they can do stretching, or assist with repositioning themselves. In fact, if bed ridden people are not repositioned they develop bed sores - further proof that the body was designed to move. Just like babies, where there is an innate instinct to move and thrive, adults too can still do things to optimize their life - the biggest thing that happens with adults is that we largely just give up, and chose comfort and convenience over thriving. This does not only pertain to physical activity, but even mental endeavours as well - most adults stop learning, stop trying to achieve more or build their lives more, and focus on riding their life out until retirement. Financially, most people want to yield the greatest profit with the least risk and least investment. We purchase property, make investments, and purchase highly collectable items that will yield a profit down the road. We contribute to retirement savings, or educational funds for our children. However, too little of us invest in our own health. Thirty minutes a day of purposeful movement or activity is the only investment it takes - the greatest reward with the least amount of upfront capital - to having a more richer life, both physically and mentally.

Sharks are a species of animal that die if they stop moving. Even at rest, water has to flow over their gills for them to breathe. A motto I’ve tried to adopt is to always be moving. Try to move as much as you can during the day, or exercise if you are able to. Limit your sedentariness. Mentally, always be working towards something, even if it’s playing chess, reading books, or doing crosswords. Stagnation is an enemy of health, mental wellness, and progress. Your physical and mental health is largely in your hands. You have the ability to prevent chronic disease and reduce symptoms of many mental health conditions, simply by moving more. Do what your bodies were designed to do, and give them a chance to thrive. When you're older, look back on your life thinking you’ve done everything you could have to to live your best life possible. I bet most of us would say we wished we took better care of our health and our bodies, and spent time with friends and family, versus think we should have eaten more foods, watched more television, or got more rest in. Move more now, so you don't regret it later.