Move that body!

Now that I am tethering a few steps away from reaching the age of seniority, I find myself reflecting on how I have spent my years. These past two years have had us reflecting into the very purpose of our existence. The fact that as one ages, one becomes more vulnerable to the frailties of life, has never been better emphasized by the incidence of the pandemic. COVID has claimed so many of our friends and acquaintances, making us steel ourselves from panic as the clutches of death seem to inch closer.

As I reflect on this, I realized that most of us Filipinos really take our health, and our strength for granted. We do not build our bodies up to keep our might longer. We either overstretch ourselves by taking on too much for our bodies to bear like working too hard, chasing after careers that sometimes may not give us the satisfaction we hope to achieve. Or if they do, we push ourselves harder, believing that there is more that we can do, can be done, that even in the wee hours of the night our minds are still active and we cannot sleep. We do not even realize the value of sleep.  Of how it replenishes our hormones that essentially rejuvenate our bodies.

Physically, we strain ourselves by carrying weight that is much more than our bones can sometimes hold. We take on loads that are physically strenuous and sometimes beyond our capacity to bear. In an article by Liz Burton (2015) on knowing how to handle weights within one’s limits, it was noted that there are a lot of things to consider in your body structure to be able to lift weights properly. You take one height, armlength, leg length and even the strength of your carriage. And there is your grip to contend with as well. Carrying too much may find one incapacitated in the long run.

I recall how heavy rice sacks are and how some of those who just sling the load over their shoulders look. Most of the men I see on board rice trucks are young. But some of them are middle-aged and my, when the haul the sack, you can see the definition of their muscles and the tremor that goes with the hoist. I often find myself shaking my head, and wishing more mechanical implements could save on the muscle.

In other occasions we find desk workers live sedentary lifestyles. Their muscles seem to atrophy early with limited use. Exercise has never been a habit and repetitive movements with just the hands find us with more cases of carpal tunnel, thumb stress, and vein misalignments.  Long sitting in non-ergonomic chairs strain the lower back, not to mention the pull of the gaining belly that further tugs on the spine and the stiff neck that follows on.

So many neglects of the body also resulting from speed diets. Fast food menus and instant fixes do not give enough nutrients, and may linger on the surplus of harmful sugars to down the food.

It’s time to take notice of our bodies and get into the gym, or follow the numerous aps that provide exercise programs as well as healthy diets. Better still to give yourself a good start and join the Mandaue Chamber Wellness Revo and check out their very doable challenges as you motivate yourself to push for good health. Connect with the MCCI WELLNESS REVO and win prizes as you enjoy your exercise.  You can do this by opening the MCCI Facebook page.

Gogogo!