USE IT or LOSE IT

 You Have to Use it, or Lose it.

As we grow more mature in years, the above advice becomes more pressing. 

     The wisest man I ever knew taught me something I never forgot. And, although I never forgot it, I never quite memorised it either. So, what I’m left with is the memory of having learned something very wise that I can’t quite remember.

 A regular gingko taker now, I’ve also completed a Doyle Carnergy Memory Course and what I can remember is that I returned recently from an extended visit to Australia where I found that canny Aboriginals call a boomerang that doesn’t come back, a stick. Of greater consequence, I also learned that nearly 40% of the population there are considered obese. This places many good-life-enjoying Antipodeans at serious risk from hypertension, strokes, heart disease, diabetes and osteoporosis. Here, at home, statistics are less than reliable (as illustrated in our census mess-ups), but it is safe to assume that many South Africans are similarly threatened because they share the sedentary life styles of their fellows down-under.

     The sedentary nature of first world living means that we are now imperiled by inactivity, that most dangerous of all the consequences of the technological age. For centuries, most humans worked physically, with none of the ingenious labour-saving devices of our decade to assist them. Today, we have machines that can do the work of 100 men in a fraction of the time (a woman?), and we have come to rely less and less on our own mechanical labours. As a result, our bodies fall into unhealthy states of disuse, the muscles atrophy, the vital organs such as the heart and lungs work inefficiently. The low level of physical fitness that accompanies inactivity becomes as significant a predictor of premature death as do smoking, and high blood cholesterol or pressure. The simple but essential rule, as it has always been, is that if we don’t Use it, we Abuse and Lose it.

     Much of our work and leisure time is spent sitting, at computers, desks, meetings, in cars, in front of television and movie screens. To prolong and save our lives, we need to reactivate our systems, stimulate our bodies, move more. The body has to become our most comfortable ally again, rather than the incapable burden it proves to be to so many of the unfit.

     Ideally, regular, sustained, vigorous, formally-structured exercise, for a minimum of 30 minutes, at least 5 days a week, would give us the cardiovascular, muscle-strengthening and flexibility benefits on which our bodies will thrive. However, for those of us who believe that hectic daily schedules make it impossible to set aside unbroken periods to give exclusively to exercise, take heart! Research shows that it is still possible to achieve fitness through  shorter, moderate, broken sessions throughout the day. What is important is that these should accumulate, so that you are increasing your activity levels for enough periods to reach that target figure of at least 30 minutes a day. Start by counting the extra minutes of effort you put into your day; add each isolated session to your sum, until you’ve reached your target of 30 minutes.

     What this means is that, by becoming more adventurous, innovative and imaginative, you can jazz up even the most mundane of moments at home, in the car, at work or shopping. By increasing the intensity with which you perform certain conventional activities, throughout your day, you can enhance your fitness level, look and feel a lot better, and even save on gym fees.

     The first golden rule is to buck the efficiency mode of our age. Plan to become selectively inefficient, at chosen moments, so that you force yourself to become more active and burn energy. Take more, not less time to do certain things. Consider this extra time, not as wasted, but as positively pushing up your activity quotient for the day, to burn extra calories, activate the cardiovascular system by forcing the heart to pump more oxygen-enriched blood to the muscles, which you encourage to work harder, while they also grow more flexible.

     For cardio fitness, increase the distance you cover on foot, at every opportunity. At home, whatever the tasks, move about the house. If you do the beds, move around them often, using this chore as a chance to stretch muscles. If you hang washing, take several trips, stretch, squat, lunge, use more movement than is usually necessary.

 Never use lifts or escalators; stair-climbing is a great heart and lungs stimulator, so seek out stairs  and if you are able,climb them regularly.  When you vacuum, do so vigorously. Do a Mrs Doubtfire; lunge, pull and push, use separate arms, twist and twirl to add resistance and motion to your task. When mopping and cleaning, increase the intensity of your movements. Transform raking leaves into a full body workout; use only the old manual lawn mower as your mobile gym to increase strength and push up the heart rate. Clean your own car and seize the chance to squat and lunge, rub in large circles, at different speeds, and involve the whole body in stretching, too. Even talking on the phone or brushing the teeth should be moments during which the body can be actively moving, tightening buttocks, raising legs to the side, or calf raising. No moment should be ignored as a chance to increase the work rate of the body.

     When shopping, park further away from the entrances, to cover more ground. Before exercising your credit card, walk briskly around the mall or supermarket, as a prelude and warm-up to the business of consuming. Push a trolley, using it as resistance for shoulder and arm muscles. Push and pull towards you. Make it a point to squat regularly, to gaze at lower shelves, then stretch up to high ones, to lengthen the body and increase flexibility. Waiting in the check out line, perform calf raises and stretches.

     If you take the bus, leave earlier, get off a few stops before your destination, and walk more. At work, you’re probably involved in limited calory-burning activities, such as balancing budgets, wading through paper work, beating around the bush, jumping to conclusions, scrambling up the corporate ladder and passing the buck. Sitting for hours at a work station broadens the butt, causes blood to pool in the lower limbs, and puts strain on the postural muscles of the spine and neck. Stand and stretch every 30 minutes or so, and every hour walk away to stimulate circulation. Stand for all phone calls and exercise a body part. At the copy machine, press the palms against the wall, move your feet back and lean and bend elbows, then press arms straight, to work chest and arm muscles.

     Sitting should never be a simply stationary, inactive posture (although it shouldn’t mean that you’re continually twitching and writhing, either!). Whether at your own desk or at a meeting, squeeze, then release the buttocks; place your hands on the chair, either side of the thighs, and lift the body slightly, to tighten arms and pectorals. Place the palms flat against the bottom of the table, and squeeze upwards , then relax. Lengthen and straighten each leg, from the knee to raised toes, for the quadriceps to respond. Vary your hidden leg movements by keeping the knee straight, and lifting the entire leg, or, bend the knee, then lift the thigh, to work the hip flexors.

     The variations and permutations of exercise movements available during our common, everyday activities are infinite. Mine are just a few illustrations of the ways in which, with a little ingenuity and the determination  to make the body more vibrantly active, we can begin to break the debilitating habit of inactivity which characterises most moments of our day. Start to use your body more fully and it will reward you by becoming a healthier  instrument which will  enable you to cope with all challenges. Never just sit, listening to the sound of your arteries hardening-move!