If the fall itself doesn’t break us, at some point we’ll lack the strength and mobility required to get back up again.
In older years, it’s highly likely that many of us will fall over. This leads to a plethora of crippling reactions further down the chain. We stare at digital screens for hours every day bringing the position of the heavy object that is our head forwards. The ability to maintain a strong and stable midsection, which protects the lower back and transmits forces throughout the body is no longer required. The brain learns that there’s no need to maintain neural pathways with the biggest and most powerful muscles so our butts go to sleep. The arches collapse, ligaments stiffen and the feet become concrete blocks perfectly adapted to living in a shoe at the end of an inactive leg.
The foam or rubber soles eliminate all valuable sensory input. We force our feet to live in tight shoe prisons so there’s no need for the bones to splay and absorb. The powerhouses that should be our hands and all the structures that are neurologically connected become weak. The human body is the great adaptor and will acclimate to any stimulus that is regularly applied. Sometimes we fall over and tumbling to break the fall and getting back up again without difficulty should be part of the process. We should be able to push and pull on things in all directions and sometimes throw or catch them. Many times per day we should be able to bend over from any position, pick things up (of various loads) and carry them without risk of injury. We can even use our entire body to climb for food, build a shelter or escape from danger. The fluidity of actions and movements at all joints throughout the entire body are highly dependent on the sensory feedback from foot contact. Our feet are perfectly adapted to react instantaneously to the ground beneath each step. This facilitates the ability to sprint explosively over very short distances when required for the sake of feeding or avoiding danger. We should be able to walk long distances where swinging arms and upright head posture are key components for efficiency, awareness and injury prevention. We spend so much time sitting in chairs that our entire bodily structure changes and adapts becoming more efficient at sitting. The organs of our digestive system are perfectly adapted and aligned to pass waste while also in the deep squat. We should also revisit the squat position multiple times per day to get up and down and occasionally pick up heavy things.
We should be able to remain in the deep squat position comfortably for long periods as we socialize and eat. Like a baby, our grip should be one of the strongest things about our body. We’re still born with the same musculoskeletal system as our recent ancestors. Why is today’s typical body less superior? Because 2,000 years isn’t long enough for devolution to occur at the same rate that our physical performance has deteriorated. The capabilities of Spartans, Centurions and Vikings were even more superhuman in the eyes of today’s armchair athletes. I often read about the incredible physical feats of soldiers during WWII, which puts the most elite of modern soldiers to shame. The human body and the functions it can perform are an amazing amalgamation of millions of years of evolution and adaptation. Why does it matter? What are the movement patterns? How can you use them?
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