Keep Moving

I used to be certified in a type of exercise for pain issues called the Egoscue Method. I don’t do it anymore with my patients just because it’s quite a commitment and I just couldn’t get my patients to do it regularly. But it really works. Anyway, I mention it because when you call an Egoscue clinic they don’t say ‘goodbye’ before hanging up, they say ‘keep moving’. I wish I could remember to say this to my patients every time they leave. They might think I am weird, but it’s very important to just keep moving. Several recent studies have shown that the healthiest people are the ones who rarely sit still; conversely the most unhealthy people are the ones who just kind of sit through the day at every opportunity. And one study showed (for some reason) that this is even more important for women to do (keep moving that is). So if you come see me for a treatment and I say ‘keep moving’ when you are leaving, I am not trying to hurry you out the door. I am just reminding you to stay healthy by moving as much as possible. Of course if it hurts to move than that needs to be addressed, but remember we were born, designed to move. There is a book about weight loss called 'Move a Little, Lose A Lot', which is basically saying that we can lose weight by increasing the calories we burn by moving more. This movement, called non-exercise activity thermodynamics, can be increased by looking for the worst parking space, taking the stairs, and getting up from our desk and taking a walk. I even had a patient that, after reading this book, would stand up to write her check. So, keep moving.