7 Functional Movement Patterns

Squat, lunge, push, pull, hinge, twist, and walk - sounds simple and trivial, but have deeps roots in wellbeing.

Our primitive ancestors would have used these diverse movements daily to survive - lunging to hunt, squatting to make a fire, or pushing to throw a spear.

Today life looks very different.

Sedentary behaviours like sitting, reclining, laying down for long periods of time are increasing among children and adults.

Spending long periods of the day sitting at a desk or commuting in a car, bus, train or boat. Downtime also means sitting – watching TV or a device, even catching up with friends to share a meal. All contribute to physical inactivity which we know is not fabulous for our health and increases the risk of a variety of health conditions.

Your body and it’s wondrous systems are designed for movement!

Squat, lunge, push, pull, hinge, twist, and walk movements are the mechanisms that:

• enhance the movement of vital oxygen and nutrients around the body and removal of carbon dioxide

• improve how well we digest foods, use the energy absorbed and eliminate waste

• maintain bone strength and muscle mass and tone for agility, flexibility and balance

We can all agree we would like to have a better levels of energy, strength and endurance, moving more and sitting less is the most simplest but highly effective way we can do this.

Some tiny but might ways you can invite a little more movement in your daily routine:

• Stand or walk around while talking on the phone and during television commercials.

• Walk up escalators rather than standing, or take the stairs instead of the lift.

• Park further away from your destination and walk the rest of the way.

• Look for opportunities to walk during the day, such as by choosing to walk to a café further away than your normal one.

• Do the housework or gardening at a faster pace, to get the heart working a little more.

• Put your favourite tunes on and have a groove while you’re cooking dinner.