Moving Smart Before Working Hard
It’s no secret in Singapore that our daily desk warrior duties lead to increasingly sedentary lifestyles. It’s also no surprise that research has proven the myriad of negative health trends that can be linked with poor movement and inactivity.
The recommendations by experts and our Ministry of Health are hence, rather common sense, such as increasing physical activity at schools, workplaces and in the homes of the elderly. These recommendations are also driven by the notion that people of all ages simply need to move more to stay healthy. However, we’d argue that it is far more nuanced than that and a crucial factor needs to be taken into account: the quality of one’s movement.
To be sure, simply ‘moving’ is still better than absolute inactivity. But what about ‘moving well’? Ever had a New Year’s Resolution about getting fit go up in smoke about two months into your brand new gym membership due to a some workout caused injury like a pulled muscle and sprained joint? Even after the injury has healed, it can be hard to muster up the same enthusiasm and energy to get back to the activity that hurt you.
In other words, poor movement patterns can often lead to injury and pain, which can, in turn, discourage your participation in physical activity. Whilst being ‘too tired’, or ‘bad weather’ are obviously poor excuses for avoiding exercise, Netflix-ing on the sofa with comfort food is a lot easier to justify when it ‘hurts to move’. This reluctance may mark the beginning of behaviours that can very well spiral into lifestyle disorders such as diabetes and depression.
Did you know that there is a whole realm of treatment, sports medicine, that is centred around keeping athletes active and playing at their best? This discipline makes use of movement analysis and tailored recommendations for injury prevention and return to activity. Now imagine if everyday folk can get the same level of individualised advice as athletes? The results are in from the research and health economics – we shouldn’t be hyperfocused on treating an injury and its resultant symptoms/pain; Prevention is paramount, and it should be a newly marked priority in everyone’s health agenda.
Nowadays, tests for base factors such as blood, DNA and psychology are all considered commonplace. Why is it so then that we so rarely test and assess our biomechanics when a good quality of functional movement is a) a huge aspect of one’s quality of life and b) is strongly linked to health benefits that could improve our blood values, mental health and even our DNA? Indeed, research has shown that the movement system should be regarded as a major factor in preventing a number of chronic and expensive health problems (diabetes, depression, Alzheimer’s, osteoarthrosis, falls) and that using a scientific approach to individualised exercise prescription, rather than frustrating one-size-fits-all recommendations, is a powerful way to cultivate and maintain said movement system.
Why do we pay more attention to the longevity of our cars than we do our own bodies? Our cars undergo regular maintenance and roadworthy tests to detect and fix small problems that can lead to large and expensive problems. However, when it comes to the body, the one and only ‘vehicle’ we were born with, there’s no mandatory or standardised inspection of movement and balance in our population – there is only a ‘fix it when it is broken’ mentality, which will only place more burden on our already strained healthcare system in the future.
Prehabilitation?
A good example of how improving your movement quality matters can be found in the growing practice of prehabilitation, the process of strengthening one’s functional capacity to enable withstanding a future stressor, e.g. major surgery or strenuous activity, and in turn, avoiding or overcoming further injury or complications.
To be more specific, though it is not a common practice yet, prehabilitation employs tailored exercises to reduce inflammation, build range of motion, correct movement patterns, improve muscular control of an injured joint as well as core strength.
It also focuses on structured behavioural intervention – for example, individualised patient education on the importance of adopting a good posture when sitting or standing, as well as proper lifting techniques. As such, it allows patients to take a proactive approach to the prevention of injuries and/or their injury recovery process.
In conclusion, it’s high time for a mindset change – a paradigm shift, if you will. Do not wait till something is broken to fix it; Do take an active role in your own recovery or injury prevention from the onset and it will save you from a world of pain. Yes, it’s great to get active and start moving but remember it’s equally important to move correctly! Feel free to get in touch with us here at Core Fitness should you wish to get a headstart on treating your body like the luxury vehicle it is!