A Philosophy of Movement

If a thousand people were gathered together and asked what philosophy guides their life decisions, how many would have a ready answer? Oftentimes it seems this merry-go-round of life leaves us with little time to ponder if we are following a philosophy, or not, when we make big or little choices. So, this week we explore one facet of our lives – our exercise philosophies.

First of all, let’s clear up what exactly is a philosophy. It can be defined as: a system of truths and principles for guidance in practical affairs. And just in case you were stumped as to what a principle is: it’s a fundamental truth or rule of action that guides our conduct in life. Okay, dictionary session over.

Secondly, do I follow a philosophy when I lace up my takkies and hit the streets? And if you’ve been following our posts I’m pretty sure you can gather that, yes, I do have one. It’s to keep moving, always. Because if we are talking about fundamental truths, moving this body makes me happy. Fullstop. When I think back on unhappy periods of my life, there was little to no movement – just many sad months of being in a dark somnolent state. It takes action to bring light and happiness into my days.

Thirdly, it’s been brought home to me how important exercise is from working with older people, helping them with their daily life activities. I cannot overstate the truth of how important it is to stay active, to keep strong – old age is brutal in how many of your lifelong freedoms are stripped away by the slow progression of muscle decay, and joint stiffness. Trust me, you want to be able to walk by yourself, to move, to keep your independence.

[Img.Src: Parthenon, 1865.]