WHAT IS MOVEMENT?
Movement is part of life and without it we would not stay alive. It is simply a shift in energy, its flow. How it translates into a physical reality, depends on the vehicle. Let’s consider our physical bodies. Our blood needs to move, our lungs need to move, our limbs as well as all muscles that orchestrate the movements. Hormones need to be released to trigger specific actions somewhere in the body, lymph needs to flow, electric impulses need to connect out neurons to convey the messages. Not only do our physical bodies need to move, energy within us does too. Our minds need to be able to consider different views and perspectives and this is also a form of movement. We move through different stages in our lives, from birth to advancing in years, as well as go through changes in our friendship groups, As human beings we also experience movement in terms of being living parts of a changing environment: the earth and its seasons, cosmic arrangement of planets and whole constelations. We are all part of movement – be it internally or externally and ‘Movement ‘R’ Us. Being comfortable with movement or change in general is necessary in order to evolve and thrive. But are we?

PHYSICAL MOVEMENT
Including more physical movement or exercise in our schedules is on a list of new year resolutions of many of us. It is a great place to start from as physical flexibility often precedes as well as reflects into the mental and spiritual flexibility or adaptability. But do you know what type of movement you need the most in your life?

INDIVIDUAL NEEDS
The answer to this is very different for each and every one of us. Some of us relish in the idea of endurance sports or aerobic activities (such as walking, jogging, swimming, ball games, skipping, biking, or long-distance running), whilst others tremble at the concept of it. Others tend to go for the weight-bearing or resistance exercise (such as dancing, golf, walking or Norden walking, climbing up the stairs, Tai chi, racket sports or yoga) and they feel best when they do it regularly as. Yet many of folk cringe at the concept of weight bearing forms since they associate it with bulging muscles they see on some of those who do weight lifting. But these are different, and the former does not necessarily equal the latter. Another group do both the aerobic and resistance exercises and like discovering the best combinations of these in terms of duration and intensity. Lastly, there are some who simply do not like to move much at all and happily do it in their mind or whilst sitting in their armchairs. Whatever their reasoning, we will not address what that can lead to over time here – for the sake of positive motivation.

YOUR GOAL OR OBJECTIVE
How can you tell what type of movement you need though? You may know the answer intuitively or from experience. But if you are not sure, here are a few things to consider before embarking on a regular practice.

1. THE BENEFITS
If you are mostly sedentary during the day and your work does not involve physical activity then you need to look after maintaining the best blood flow, lymph circulation, optimal oxygen delivery to the brain and body, balancing blood sugar level, etc.

If you wish to focus on the shape of your body, hormonal balancing and overall strength, then resistance activities are for you. But what is even more important is that they also help increase the number of mitochondria, the cells’ power houses and thus impact the overall cardiovascular condition of the body (your heart is made of muscle, remember?) which results in enhanced aerobic status and physical endurance as well. This type of activity, when done correctly, will also trigger release of the growth hormone, bone matrix repair and re-building (thus preventing e.g. osteoporosis), optimise your metabolism, and trigger burning of stored glucose for energy which will slow down your ageing long term. But there is more to optimising the trajectory of this last process than movement…

If you want to lose weight, however, you should not hang your hopes on aerobic exercises since diet is the main factor. Resistance helps a bit but that is not all. Whilst you need to move to enhance blood flow, oxygen supply and nutrient delivery to all organs and glands governing your weight and metabolism, it is the way you eat and not eat (i.e. fast) that will have the most impact. Not even what you eat, though calorie does not equal calorie… But that is a separate and long topic for another day. Overall, it is the vector of these small daily habits that makes all the difference…

2. INTENSITY & LENGTH
Researchers have shown that it is all about balance. With resistance exercise, doing it to the maximum effort of your muscles (i.e. feeling the soreness the next day) once a week for 12 minutes is enough (as per Dr. Doug McGuff), whilst with aerobic or endurance moves, such sets as HIIT exercises need to take no more than 7-20 minutes 3-4 times a week (as per Chris Kresser and others). These are to be best done with 80% of your time working out at a low intensity, and 20% at a high intensity, and there are many apps that help you do that. With weight bearing exercises, you do not have to go straight into weightlifting – resistance bands and standing planks against the wall are a good start, then you can progress into more demanding forms and more repetitions. But only as long as they are fun – you need to choose something that works for you, or your motivation will wane and this new year resolution will fade fast.

Regarding the length of aerobic training, studies have shown that doing these in short but repetitive bursts for no more than 70-75% of your resting heart rate and resting for 1-3 minutes between training intervals is optimal, depending on the goal and aim of the participant. Athletes tend to aim for higher intensity and shorter resting times between activity, though the HIIT (high intensity interval training) is great for individuals of all ability when embarked on gradually.

3. TIMING
You also need to watch the timing of strenuous physical activity. Best to do it in the morning when your stress hormone cortisol is at its highest (as many forms of exercise are stressing the body to a positive end). And whilst a walk or yoga on an otherwise high-stress day will lower your stress levels, a HIIT session could increase it. It is most critical when you want to burn fat or lose weight, you must optimize cortisol first. When in doubt, chill out with yoga or a walk at other times of the day would be better as these can help remove the biggest obstacle to your fat burning, i.e. stress.

4. OTHER FACTORS
Of course, movement is not the only factor that contributes to the outcome: various hormonal changes, nutrient availability, certain diseases and their treatments plus your mindset can also affect the final result. However, bearing in mind (not on the body, a pun intended) that you are work in progress, you can get back on track when you optimise these factors. All you need to remember is that your body and mind are dynamic and can easily be reminded how to get back to their best condition and shape.
At all times the proof of the pudding is in how movement and all you do make you feel long-term.

So do factor some physical movement into your daily schedule and monitor how you are getting on. This will make for a renewed, stronger and resilient you on all levels: physical, mental and emotional. And – as always – help is here if you need it.

References:

A Perspective on High-Intensity Interval Training for Performance and Health.
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Effect of free-weight vs. machine-based strength training on maximal strength, hypertrophy and jump performance – a systematic review and meta-analysis. Markus E. Haugen, Fredrik T. Vårvik, Stian Larsen, Arvid S. Haugen, Roland van den Tillaar, Thomas Bjørnsen. BMC Sports Science, Medicine and Rehabilitation volume 15, Article number: 103 (2023)
Effect of High-Intensity Interval Training vs. Moderate-Intensity Continuous Training on Fat Loss and Cardiorespiratory Fitness in the Young and Middle-Aged a Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis Zhicheng Guo 1, Meng Li 1, Jianguang Cai 1, Weiqi Gong 1, Yin Liu 1, Ze Liu
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Resistance Training is Medicine – Effects of Strength Training on Health
Westcott, Wayne L. PhD Current Sports Medicine Reports 11(4):p 209-216, July/August 2012.

Effects of High-Intensity Interval Training on Muscle Strength for the Prevention and Treatment of Sarcopenia in Older Adults: A Systematic Review of the Literature.
Morcillo-Losa JA, Díaz-Martínez MDP, Ceylan Hİ, Moreno-Vecino B, Bragazzi NL, Párraga Montilla J.J Clin Med. 2024 Feb 25;13(5):1299. doi: 10.3390/jcm13051299.

The effects of high-intensity intermittent exercise training on fat loss and fasting insulin levels of young women. E G Trapp, D J Chisholm, J Freund, S H Boutcher International Journal of Obesity volume 32, pages 684–691 (2008)