In her book "Move your DNA",  Katy Bowman has a powerful message. She states that 'your body is never out of shape, it is always in a shape created by how you have moved up to this very moment”. Our guest author Hazel Boot, tells us what this means to her. 

Katy is referring to the process of mechanotransduction.... how our cells need movement input to function optimally. Our movement (or lack of movement) provides valuable information to the body about how to shape itself.  Our bodies are not in alignment with our DNA.   This is because we are out of our natural environment.  We sit on chairs and stay stationary for long periods of time. We are not designed for this. We are squatters and constant movers when in alignment with our natural way of being.

Your body is in the shape of it’s movement history, created by you (well, you and the culture in which you live).  Do you feel good being in yours?

Our culture creates bodies that are overweight and have sore backs, just as a couple of common examples.  Now I am going to get a little pedantic with my linguistics here.  COMMON DOES NOT MEAN NORMAL.  Your weight should not make you feel uncomfortable.  It is not normal to have a sore back. Both these conditions are very COMMON but they are not NORMAL.

As a culture, we have come to think that being overweight is kind of ok, because well, everybody else is (One in every three kiwi adults is classified obese).  It is not normal, it is f*&^%$ scary.  Not only does this cost our health system $$$$$ it costs us the joy of experiencing life.

You are in control of your shape or state much more that you probably think.  Are you taking responsibility for yourself?

You may be overweight, underweight or in pain because of the choices you make every day and have made your entire life. This could be a learned behaviour or this could be the byproduct of how much time you have spent sitting and not moving.  It's terrible to see children being told to sit down and be still in a classroom.  Are we setting them up for a life of constant lower back pain?  Yes we live in a polluted culture and we don't have total control of the toxins that enter our body, but we do have total control over the food we eat and the amount we move.

We are all responsible for ourselves and our culture.  Let's change it by becoming the healthiest human we can become.  What shape would you like to be in?  How about the shape of our culture?  Want to help change that too?  I do. Please join me. - Hazel Boot

Our guest expert/blogger Hazel Boot.

Hazel completed her degree in Exercise and Sports Science in 2003. In 2009 she became very interested in how we are shaped by the language we use and studied Humanistic Neuro Linguistic Psychology. In 2015 she finished her Kinesis Myofascial Integration (structural integration) studies with the insightful Tom Myers.

You can work with Hazel to help you recover, improve and feel better in your body. To reach new experiences in movement with more confidence and less pain. Find her here at mindinmovement.co.nz

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Image: Imani Clovis