Kenneth Gardner
MOVEMENT IS a basic characteristic of man. It is also a basis for growth, development and wellness. Movement is at the core of physical work. Physical work is what most of us do for our livelihood and because of the disparity between work and remuneration, in our psyche we see physical work as a form of physical oppression and something to be avoid.
This can also be seen in the different categories of work and the relative degrees of respect that workers in some areas get. Physical exercise is similarly hard work especially if it is guided by the Master Principles of Training that will elicit its medicinal and therapeutic capabilities. Our make up (biological machines) puts us at a disadvantage when we do physical work, thus we experience the work as being hard, heavy, and difficult to accomplish. For example, to move an object that weighs 10 pounds, we have to exert a force that is greater than 10 pounds. The result is that we find work difficult and we develop an aversion to it, likewise physical exercise.
As we continue to promote health to minimise the need for healthcare, there is growing opinion that with the sedentary lifestyle of many of us, we need not only to increase formal exercise patterns but also informal patterns. Optimal health demands more than formalised aerobic exercises. More of our day could be spent in informal, moderate, physical activity. Transportation exercise is a viable option such as walking or cycling to work if you live nearby. Using the stairs instead of elevators where they exist and simply walking as much as possible can easily change your daily routine. The use of fewer automated gadgets where manual effort can be substituted for washing, cutting, cleaning, mixing and chopping are good alternatives to provide us with regular exercise.
SELF-MOTIVATION
Developing an exercise mentality where exercise is performed in the course of regular, daily functions often motivates people to obtain needed exercise. Some of us like to feel that we are accomplishing something while exercising.
With increased urbanisation, mechanisation and technology, such measures to build in physical activity are sorely needed. We need to create a climate that will motivate people to exercise. With the proper motivation, persons will commit themselves to a level of action that usually exceeds expectations. We tend to be motivated by challenge, growth, achievement, promotion and recognition. We should not need to be pushed into doing what is best for us, especially when the proper environment for self-growth is provided.
Participation in exercise can be reinforced by a carefully-tailored system of reward and incentive, until the intrinsic reward of exercise takes over. We are our own best motivator; we are inwardly motivated only to the extent that we perceive ourselves in control. To facilitate this sense of personal control, we need to make input in the development of our exercise prescription and in the establishment of specific objectives and goals.
Ignorance of the biochemical, biomechanical and psychotherapeutic values of exercise makes it difficult for even the educated and opulent members of our society to be sold on the benefits of regular physical exercise.
Kenneth Gardner is an exercise physiologist at the G.C. Foster College of Physical Education; email: yourhealth@gleanerjm.com.
