Movement and Fluids

    When new clients come, I give out a welcome bag that includes a folder of articles about massage and health. I'm always looking for simple things that people can do and incorporate into their day that will keep them feeling better. There are at least a couple of software programs out there that you can get that will remind you when its time for you to take a movement break. So this was a fun find: http://www.undulationexercise.com/index.htm The exercise "the octopus" which is one of the free videos here, is one I include in my welcome pack. Anything that gets you up and moving during the day is a great tool to have on hand. The Octopus is especially great for hands and forearms. Do it mindfully and really feel into the movements for all the subtle changes and differences from side to side. For a little more on why movement is different than just stretching, and a couple of little poems, check out my blog posts for this week. Peace



 Our bodies are wonderful and intricate living machines.  I don't usually like to use that  analogy, but for this discussion it's useful.  

     Our bodies were designed for gentle, nearly continuous, movement for most of the hours in a day.  Think of foraging across a landscape.  Moving along and picking seeds and fruit. The system that propels us along, the vehicle in which we dwell, is largely hydraulic. The tissues and even ligaments are mostly water.  

     The "pump" in this system is two fold:  the heart and the contraction of the muscles.  So when we sit for too long, the muscles in the legs stop pumping fluids back up to the torso, which puts the burden of moving fluids all on the heart.  This puts quite a strain on the heart and is one of the reasons sitting is so tiring.

     Additionally, not all fluids in the body are pumped by the heart, this mostly includes the lymph, which relies solely on the movement of muscles to move it around. So when we sit for too long, lymph pools and can become sluggish, which is not a great thing in a system responsible for removing the gunk from the body.

     One more thing that movement does is stimulate  the production of synovial fluid.  Everybody has had the experience of being a bit stiff when waking up, but then it works its self out in a few minutes.  Part of that is that the fluid that keeps joints lubricated is produced by the lining of the joint capsule and is secreted only when the joint is moving!

     So there you are, a thumbnail sketch of body hydraulics.  Now, get up and undulate!  It really only takes a few minutes of movement to undo hours of sitting, so get up and have a bit of a jig.

Peace