7 human movements which we are using less frequently and are heading toward extinction
Sitting (without a chair)
Sitting on the floor or ground should not be uncomfortable, but restful and restorative. And yet, most people struggle with this rudimentary human movement simply because they rarely, if ever, do it. We are literally surrounded by chairs, most of which are very comfortable. But sitting in the same position for hours every day wreaks havoc on our bodies.
Barefoot walking
Going barefoot is so rare these days that it’s been stigmatized. People often think of it as weird, gross, or even dangerous. It’s certainly not considered normal, healthy, or natural by society today – when that’s exactly what it should be for a human being. You don’t see tigers wearing shoes. Or, any other animals. Why should it be any different for us?
Crawling and other ground movement
As babies, we spent a lot of time doing basic ground movements, crawling, and learning to get up and down from the floor in a variety of ways. Learning these skills is a basic biological process that comes naturally to us. They’re instinctive. But as we grow up, we stop doing these movements that are so critical to not only our early childhood development, but our optimal functioning as adults.
Balancing
Like it or not, but we tend to get worse at balancing with age. Some of it is due to the normal aging process, which in a large part, due to an increasing lack of complexity in our environment and movement behavior.
Jumping and landing
Yes, most healthy people can jump, but very few can land efficiently without proper training (i.e. safely, with stability and proper alignment). That’s why jumping, and more importantly landing, is the perfect place to start improving.
Hanging and climbing
Human beings are meant to hang and climb. It does a world of good for our shoulders and upper body structure as a whole. And yet, when is the last time you saw a kid climbing a tree, a wall, or a fence? When’s the last time you saw an adult doing this?
Throwing and catching
Humans are uniquely built to throw objects with both power and accuracy. And yet, outside of certain sports, most people don’t throw anything except maybe your car keys once in awhile. And our lack of practice is evident.
Sitting (without a chair)
Sitting on the floor or ground should not be uncomfortable, but restful and restorative. And yet, most people struggle with this rudimentary human movement simply because they rarely, if ever, do it. We are literally surrounded by chairs, most of which are very comfortable. But sitting in the same position for hours every day wreaks havoc on our bodies.
Barefoot walking
Going barefoot is so rare these days that it’s been stigmatized. People often think of it as weird, gross, or even dangerous. It’s certainly not considered normal, healthy, or natural by society today – when that’s exactly what it should be for a human being. You don’t see tigers wearing shoes. Or, any other animals. Why should it be any different for us?
Crawling and other ground movement
As babies, we spent a lot of time doing basic ground movements, crawling, and learning to get up and down from the floor in a variety of ways. Learning these skills is a basic biological process that comes naturally to us. They’re instinctive. But as we grow up, we stop doing these movements that are so critical to not only our early childhood development, but our optimal functioning as adults.
Balancing
Like it or not, but we tend to get worse at balancing with age. Some of it is due to the normal aging process, which in a large part, due to an increasing lack of complexity in our environment and movement behavior.
Jumping and landing
Yes, most healthy people can jump, but very few can land efficiently without proper training (i.e. safely, with stability and proper alignment). That’s why jumping, and more importantly landing, is the perfect place to start improving.
Hanging and climbing
Human beings are meant to hang and climb. It does a world of good for our shoulders and upper body structure as a whole. And yet, when is the last time you saw a kid climbing a tree, a wall, or a fence? When’s the last time you saw an adult doing this?
Throwing and catching
Humans are uniquely built to throw objects with both power and accuracy. And yet, outside of certain sports, most people don’t throw anything except maybe your car keys once in awhile. And our lack of practice is evident.
