Get out of the box

According to Pete Egoscue, many muscular-skeletal imbalances and resulting body aches that we experience can be linked to lack of movement. We live in environments that lack incentives for movement – we no longer need to move to secure food and shelter, and pretty much anything can be done from a chair. The problem is that the “the body adapts itself so well to an increasingly motionless environment that it superficially redesigns itself to cope with the lack of stimulus. The trouble is that the redesigns – not the design – are inadequate in the long run.” For example, we don’t use our shoulders that much any more. Pete Egoscue says: ”Our world of motion has been squeezed into an invisible 3-by-4 foot box that hangs in midair directly in front of us, covering an area roughly from the midthighs to the armpits. We reach into it to answer the phone, adjust the TV, and unlock the car door. We do little else outside this box; we take it with us wherever we go”. This applies to other joints as well. So this week I invite you to notice the common range of motion in your joints and to break out of that box.

HOW TO: As you go though your week, take time to notice how much you use your arms to reach up, reach back behind you, pull yourself up, and so on. How does it feel when you do that? Make an intentional effort to bring your shoulders through the full range of motion in your daily life. You can do the same experiment with your hips. How does it make you feel?

Read more about beneficial shoulder movements >