When you think about how often you stand on one leg you might immediately think ‘not very often at all’ but of course with every single step you take you are for a spilt second standing on one leg.
It’s an interesting thought process when you begin to realise that you spend more of your life standing on one leg than two. The simple fact is that we don’t focus anywhere near enough on optimising our natural movement in order to walk better and function more optimally in our day to day lives.
In the commercial health and fitness industry there’s a constant evolving lifecycle for the latest workout, the latest new piece of equipment or the latest ‘must get to’ goal, but what if you were to first concentrate on being able to put your socks on while standing on one leg and without the need to sit down? What if you could walk for miles on end free of aches and pains and what if you could completely eradicate hip or back pain from your life for good? Many who have experienced these problems know what a devastating effect not being able to do the things that you physically want to can have on quality of life and I’d go as far to say that many people are extremely sceptical at the beginning of their journey when I’ve told them exactly how much capacity their body has for change. All of my clients have been astonished at what they have been able to achieve when they physically and mentally changed the rules of what they think exercise should be to a focus on improving their natural movement and ability to move freely.
Once you arrive at that place where your body is tuned into terrain and surroundings you suddenly become aware that what matters the most is to prolong the feeling of being able to move in any way you want to with minimal limitations and zero pain. When you then begin to set yourself new and more challenging goals you’ll suddenly have a much greater appreciation for the prep work you made. Things like being able to take part in an exercise class while being able to perform each and every exercise with correct form and no discomfort or being able to know what to do to protect your joints while exercising will make a life of physical activity much more enjoyable, more rewarding and will give you the ability to get so much more enjoyment from exercise in whichever form you choose to perform it.
