Your Body Was Made to Move
Why Movement Matters at Every Age
YOUR BODY WAS MADE TO MOVE - WHY MOVEMENT MATTERS AT EVERY AGE
Move Better. Live Better.
There's an old saying: "Motion is lotion." It sounds simple. But there is a lot of truth behind it. Think about what happens when you wake up after sleeping all night - You stretch, you move your shoulders, you walk around, you loosen up. Now think about what happens when you've been sitting in the same chair for three hours - Your hips feel tight, your back feels stiff, your shoulders may ache. You stand up—and it takes a moment before you feel normal again. That's your body reminding you of something important: You were designed to move.
Your Joints Need Movement
A joint isn't just two bones meeting together, it’s a living, functioning part of your body that depends on movement. Movement helps circulate synovial fluid* within joints, supporting lubrication and nutrient exchange. It also provides the mechanical stimulation your muscles, tendons, ligaments, and nervous system use to coordinate movement.
When you move, your body receives information. Where am I? How much pressure is here? Which muscles need to contract? How far can this joint move? How do I keep myself balanced? Movement is communication. And when you stop moving, your body gets less of that information.
The Problem With Sitting
Sitting isn't inherently bad. The problem is too much sitting and too little movement.
We sit in the car.
We sit at work.
We sit at home.
We sit while watching television.
We sit while looking at our phones.
We sit while eating.
We sit while scrolling.
For many people, sitting has become the default position of modern life. But your body doesn't know that you're sitting because you have emails to answer. It simply knows that you're not moving. And over time, a sedentary lifestyle can contribute to stiffness, weakness, reduced mobility, and poorer physical function.
Walking: One of the Most Powerful Things You Can Do
I said it before and I'll say it again, you don't need a fancy gym membership to move your body. You can walk. Walking is one of the most natural forms of human movement. It gets your joints moving. It activates muscles. It challenges balance. It supports cardiovascular health. It gets you outside. And it can be adapted to almost any fitness level.
We covered the importance of walking in our first Exercise blog of this series. It’s important to reiterate that walking is something you can do right now. Start at the level of walking that makes sense. If you can walk for 30 minutes, great. If ten minutes is your starting point, that's great too. You aren’t trying to impress anyone with how long you can walk. The goal is to keep your Human Engine moving.
Stretching: Create Space to Move
Another movement you can do without a gym membership - Stretching. Increasing your flexibility allows your body to maintain enough range of motion to perform the movements you need in everyday life.
Can you comfortably turn your head?
Reach overhead?
Bend down?
Rotate your torso?
Get up from a chair?
Reach behind you?
Put on your shoes?
The goal of stretching is not necessarily to make every joint as flexible as possible, it’s to maintain useful, comfortable movement.
Strength: Movement Needs an Engine
Flexibility alone isn't enough. You also need strength. Your muscles provide the force that moves your body and helps stabilize your joints. As we age, maintaining muscle becomes increasingly important. Strength helps us climb stairs, carry groceries, get up from a chair, maintain independence, and respond to unexpected challenges such as losing our balance.
As we age we lose muscle mass. That is why it is very important to keep building muscle as you age. You don't have to become a bodybuilder. You simply need to give your muscles a reason to stay strong. At The Human Engine Clinic, we work with you to develop a routine that works for you, keeping in mind your specific goals and needs as you progress in life.
Balance: Don't Wait Until You Need It
Balance is another skill we tend to ignore until we lose some of it. But balance is something you can practice. Standing on one foot while holding onto a counter. Walking heel-to-toe. Practicing controlled movements. Strengthening the legs and core.
Even simply paying attention to how you walk can help keep your balance system engaged. You are trying to maintain the ability to control your body. That is independence!
Where Chiropractic Fits In
Healthy movement depends on healthy joint function. When a joint becomes restricted, the surrounding muscles and other joints may compensate. You might turn your body differently. You may avoid certain movements. You may use one side more than the other. Over time, those compensations can become habits.
Chiropractic adjustments are designed to help restore appropriate motion to joints that aren't moving properly. When the joints move better, the body has more opportunity to move better.
But here's the important part: Chiropractic care shouldn't replace movement. It should support it.
An adjustment can help restore motion. Your daily habits help maintain it. That's why chiropractic and movement work so well together.
Movement Is a Form of Self-Care
We often think of self-care as something relaxing - a massage, a quiet evening, a good meal, time away from work. Those things can certainly be valuable. But sometimes the best thing you can do for yourself is simply move.
Take a walk.
Stretch.
Play with your dog.
Garden.
Dance in your kitchen.
Take the stairs.
Get up from your desk.
Your body doesn't care whether the movement is called "exercise."
It just knows you're moving.
"Exercise is king. Nutrition is queen. Put them together and you've got a kingdom." — Jack LaLanne
Four Things You Can Do This Week
Walk every day. Choose a realistic amount of walking and make it consistent. Even a short daily walk is better than spending the entire day sitting.
Move between activities. Every time you finish a task, use it as a movement opportunity. Stand up. Stretch. Walk around the room. Change your position.
Practice one movement skill. Choose walking, stretching, strength, or balance and give it a few minutes of attention each day.
Take care of your Human Engine and it will take care of you! Pay attention to your spine and joint health. Give your achy back and stiff joints the care they need to bring you years of happy movement. This one small change of regular chiropractic care can make all the difference in the world!
Dr. Gringeri's Human Engine Tip
Don't exercise only to burn calories. Move because your body needs movement to function. Exercise is not punishment for what you ate. Movement is maintenance for the machine you're living in. Keep your Human Engine moving, and you'll give it a better chance to keep moving you.
Looking Ahead...
We've talked about stress, posture, movement. For our final Chiropractic blog of this series it's time to put the pieces together. This is our signature article of our Chiropractic chapter: The Human Engine: Designed to Heal. Designed to Adapt. Designed to Thrive.
We'll look at what makes the human body so remarkable—and how chiropractic, nutrition, movement, and healthy daily habits can work together to create the environment where your body can function at its best.
Next week look for our fourth Nutrition blog for this series - Fighting Inflammation One Bite at a Time. How the foods on your plate can either fan the flames of inflammation—or help put them out.
See you next week! Now, go for a walk.
Your Health Journey Continues
One of our goals at The Human Engine Clinic is to provide value to you in the form of information and inspiration. We hope the information we share in our blogs benefit you and inspire you to make small changes that produce lasting results. Remember, good health isn't built overnight—it's built one healthy choice at a time. If you'd like guidance on improving your movement, posture, nutrition, or overall health, we're here to help. Together, we can help you keep your Human Engine running at its best. Take the next step and call our office to make an appointment. We look forward to seeing you! (408) 984-7444.
Creating health that lasts,
Richard F. Gringeri, DC
*Synovial fluid is a thick, slippery fluid inside your joints that lubricates the joint, reduces friction, and helps nourish and protect the cartilage as you move.
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