Why movement is medicine
Three key ways that movement acts as medicine for the body: to lift is your gift, to stride (strive!) is your guide and motion is lotion, baby!
Physical strength - to lift is a gift
When we consider the functionality of muscles, we usually think about strength and mobility. But muscle holds far more power than supporting your physical architecture. As the largest organ in your body, your muscular system is your metabolic currency, your reservoir for amino acids, and it plays a vital role in fighting inflammation throughout your body. Muscle is also the largest site for glucose metabolism, which is critical to reversing insulin resistance and preventing or even treating chronic illnesses such as diabetes or cognitive decline. Muscles help the body store blood sugar, and strength training makes them better at it. It reduces the amount of sugar floating around in the bloodstream. Add to that, mounting evidence suggests that muscles are an important part of our endocrine system, secreting many different types of myokines to support such things as our immune system, inflammatory responses and brain health. Stronger muscles and bones, is a "gift" of greater physical capability, endurance, and longevity. Muscle is medicine!
2. Mental strength - to stride (and strive!) is your guide
Walking is your body's way of resetting your nervous system, your cortisol levels, and in the process it slows down racing thoughts. Before you decide anything, walk on it.
When you're in fight or flight: walk. When you feel like there's no hope: walk. When you don't know what to do: walk. Walking regulates your emotions and helps your brain move through the trauma. Research shows walking decreases activity is our amygdala (the alarm system of the brain) and regular walking increases the threshold for what activates it in the first place. Add to that if you’ve ever felt tired whilst recovering from illness, especially flu, you know the point when you’re still tired but inspired? You still want to keep going until you’ve achieved your goal, not just give up? You’ve got your ‘strive’ back!
Your “stride (& strive!)” is your "guide" to clear thinking, stress reduction, and emotional balance, and best of all, inspiration for more for you!
3. Mobility - Motion is lotion
Your cartilage has no blood supply. It feeds on movement. Your joints are designed for movement. Being static allows waste products to build up and starves the cartilage of nutrients. This is why joints feel stiff in the morning or after long periods of inactivity. Whether you're recovering from an injury, managing arthritis, or an athlete looking to improve joint health, controlled movement is the key. It's the natural, built-in mechanism for keeping your joints healthy, lubricated, and resilient.
Movement is medicine. It’s the answer to leading a life that builds you up rather than breaks you down – a life that contributes to physical, mental, and mobile well-being.
