How many of us are working hard at the gym, eating right, and being diligent with our health? We read more and more in the news about how diet influences the way we feel and function. The right fuel keeps the body moving better and makes us feel better. Is that enough? Of course not. We know our bodies need a combination of diet and movement. Our bodies crave the movement that exercise can offer as well as the movement we do everyday. We were born to move! Exercise evolved to get us moving more when our bodies had fewer physical demands with industrialized living. With lack of movement came more disease. Hence, we saw the birth of exercise. Exercise was meant to prevent disease but it morphed into something that doesn’t always help up to restore our bodies’ natural movements.
Would any old diet be enough to keep us healthy? Why should any old movement or exercise suffice? We should treat movement and exercise like we treat our diet. The right movement can make us feel better just like the right food. Some foods taste great but aren’t good for us. Some things are fine in moderation but there are basic staples we need to keep in our diet. If we overindulge in one type of food or ignore certain dietary needs, our bodies suffer.
Consider movement the same way. For example, sitting is ok but too much can get the body in trouble. Then add to that, our exercise preferences. We all have them just like we have food preferences. If we tend to do the same exercise or eat the same foods, we might be ignoring other body needs. The combination of our daily activity and exercise choice may or may not well balanced. This can leave the body feeling less than its best despite our best intentions.
Just like weight, blood tests, and blood pressure indicate whether our diet is sufficient, there are tests that Rebalance physical therapists can do to check if your regular activities support optimal body movement. One test is called the Functional Movement Screen or FMS. At Rebalance, we can run you through this test to gauge your movement health. You don’t have to be in pain for us to help you. You are working hard to try to keep yourself feeling good and going strong. Let’s take your health one step further! We are going to be offering 5 of these screens during the next month. Call us if you have questions or to make an appointment for a complementary movement screen!
