Born to Move

For almost all of human history, movement wasn't something we did for an hour at the gym. It was simply life: walking to find food and water, carrying, digging, climbing, squatting by the fire. The Hadza, a hunter-gatherer people in Tanzania, still live this way, and walk many kilometres every day.¹ Our bodies were shaped by this way of living. Today, many of us sit for most of our waking hours, and our bodies feel the difference.

Your muscles are talking

We used to think of muscles simply as the engines that move us. Scientists now know that muscle is also a gland. When muscles work, they release hundreds of messenger molecules called myokines, which travel around the body and talk to the brain, liver, fat, bones and immune system. Some of them help to calm inflammation throughout the body.² In a very real sense, movement sends healing messages to every organ.

What movement does for you

• A brighter mood. A large review of over 200 trials found that exercise, including walking, jogging, yoga and strength training, eased depression, with benefits comparable to talking therapy.³
• A sharper, younger brain. In older adults who walked briskly three times a week for a year, the hippocampus, the brain's memory centre, grew by about 2%, in effect reversing one to two years of age-related shrinking.⁴ Exercise raises BDNF, a natural "fertiliser" for brain cells.
• Steadier blood sugar. Working muscles can draw sugar out of the blood without needing insulin. Even a gentle two-to-five-minute walk after a meal can soften the rise in blood sugar.⁵ (See Balancing the Sugar Seesaw.)
• A flowing lymphatic system. Unlike the blood, which has the heart, the lymph has no pump. It relies on the squeezing of muscles and the movement of breath to flow and carry away waste. (See Lightening the Load.)
• A healthier gut. Active people tend to have a richer variety of gut bacteria. In one study, professional rugby players had more diverse gut microbes than less active men.⁶ (See The Master Regulator.)
• Stronger bones. Bones grow stronger when they're loaded. (See Living Bones.)
• Better sleep, more energy and a calmer response to stress.
• A longer life. In a study pooling data from nearly 50,000 people, the more steps people took each day, the lower their risk of dying early, levelling off at around 6,000 to 8,000 steps for those over 60, and 8,000 to 10,000 for younger adults.⁷ (See A Natural Age.)

Movement sends healing messages to every organ.

The problem with sitting

Even people who exercise regularly can spend most of the day sitting, at a desk, in the car and on the sofa. Long hours of sitting are linked with poorer blood sugar control and heart health, separately from how much exercise we do. The answer isn't necessarily more workouts. It's breaking up sitting with little "movement snacks": standing to take calls, walking after meals, taking the stairs, stretching every half an hour, or getting down on the floor to play with children or grandchildren.

More isn't always better

Exercise is a healthy stress. It challenges the body, which then adapts and grows stronger, but only if it has enough rest and nourishment to recover. Too much intense exercise, without enough food, sleep and recovery, can raise cortisol, disturb hormones and leave us more tired, not less. (See The Cortisol Clock.)

This matters most for people who are already depleted: those recovering from illness or burn-out, new mothers, women in perimenopause who are struggling with sleep, and anyone under heavy stress. For them, gentle, restorative movement, such as walking, yoga, tai chi, swimming and stretching, often brings more benefit than another punishing workout. As energy returns, intensity can gradually build.

A useful guide: after exercise, you should feel energised, perhaps pleasantly tired. If you feel drained, wired or exhausted for the rest of the day, or sleep worse, you may be doing too much, too hard.

Matching movement to your constitution

Traditional systems of medicine have always recognised that different people need different kinds of movement. Ayurveda, India's traditional medicine, describes three broad types, and most of us are a mix. (Read more in The Architecture of Balance.)

• If you tend to be light, quick, creative and prone to worry, dryness and cold hands (Vata), you may thrive on steady, grounding, rhythmic movement: walking in nature, gentle yoga, tai chi, swimming in warm water and strength training at a steady pace. Very long, intense cardio can leave you depleted.
• If you tend to be warm, driven, competitive and prone to irritability (Pitta), you may benefit from cooling, non-competitive movement: swimming, cycling or walking in nature, and exercising in the cooler parts of the day. Remember to play, not just to win.
• If you tend to be steady, strong, calm and prone to sluggishness and weight gain (Kapha), you often thrive on vigorous, energising exercise: running, dancing, circuits and heavier strength training, ideally in the morning.

Our needs also change with the seasons of life. A teenager, a busy parent, a woman in menopause and someone in their eighties will each need something a little different.

The four foundations

1. Walk every day. Walking is perhaps the most underrated exercise of all. Walk outdoors when you can: just five minutes of "green exercise" has been shown to lift mood and self-esteem.⁸ (See The Green Prescription.)
2. Build strength. From our thirties, we gradually lose muscle unless we use it. Muscle protects our bones, joints, blood sugar and independence. The UK's guidelines recommend muscle-strengthening activities on at least two days a week, alongside 150 minutes of moderate activity such as brisk walking.⁹
3. Stay supple and balanced. Yoga, tai chi, qigong, Pilates and stretching keep joints mobile and help prevent falls. They also calm the nervous system, bringing mind and body together.
4. Rest and recover. The body grows stronger during rest, not during exercise. Sleep, rest days and good nutrition are part of the training. (See The Art of Sleep.)

Getting started

• Start where you are. A ten-minute walk is far better than nothing, and builds the habit.
• Choose what you enjoy. The best exercise is the one you'll keep doing. Dancing, gardening and playing with children all count.
• Attach it to a habit, such as a walk after lunch or a few squats while the kettle boils.
• Move with others. Walking groups, classes and friends keep us motivated and connected. (See Social Resonance.)
• Listen to your body, and rest when you need to.

At Rootwise, we see movement as nourishment for body and mind, as important as the food on your plate. The aim isn't punishment or perfection, but finding joyful, sustainable ways to move that suit who you are. Movement also strengthens every other foundation of health: it deepens sleep, steadies blood sugar, feeds the gut and calms the mind, and each of these in turn gives you more energy to move. (See Vital Force.)