- Keep moving. My kid doesn’t stop moving. She is over here, over there, she wants to climb on something (frankly everything). She is moving. We need to move more. We shouldn’t become slave to our computers, phones, TVs, shackled to them like elephants to a pole. Get up, move around, pace the floor, change the position your in, go for a hike, take the stairs, do jumping jacks.
- Remember your squat and deadlift positions. When she wants to investigate something on the ground (like a cute little bug), she squats. When she wants to move something heavy (like trying to be helpful moving bag of groceries), she hip hinges or deadlifts it. As adults, I think we have forgotten this and try to squat heavy things like a friend’s couch. And so many of us have deserted the deadlift (hip hinge) completely both in the gym and every day life. Even worse some of us have substituted lumbar flexion for hip hinging. (This is a whole soap box that’s to come.)
- Appreciate full range of motion, stretch (move). Every morning when she wakes up she stretches, extends backwards, raises her arms high above her head, make her legs super straight, twists herself around, arms back up again, she is just all over the place. Which, lets be honest is no different than your dog or cat when they wake in the morning. We should move our bodies, appreciate the motion you have, maybe work towards gaining back motion we have lost.
- Try new things with regards to movement (you know I wasn’t talking about food, she’s 4, be real). Its constant, “I want to bounce on that,” “can I climb that,” “can I walk on that,” “watch me jump.” Months ago she was at SCI with me and wanted to walk on the 2×4. Have at it kiddo! It was interesting that she did so playfully; she didn’t get upset if she fell off. A direct contrast to the adults that walk on the 2×4 in the office, uneasy about trying, super upset when they fall off. (It’s literally a 2×4 on the ground; “falling” isn’t far.) Be willing to try something new or something that you haven’t done in awhile.
- Learn that it’s ok to ask for help. It’s taken awhile, but I think (at least for now) she understands trying, really trying and then if she can’t figure something out or do something, ask for help. Maybe it’s getting to the first branch of a tree, maybe its using “Mr. Pencil,” or opening a snack. It’s ok to ask for help. And so just with your movement, lack of movement, or stubborn shoulder, knee, or hip pain. It’s ok to ask for help, that’s what we’re here for.
