I introduced the concept of the pillars of health in a previous post. The big picture is that there are foundational aspects, or pillars that contribute to health and wellness. These pillars provide a foundation on which to build healthy habits and achieve better health. I am focusing on movement because in my opinion, it is one of the most important pillars.
You might be familiar with the old adage, Movement is life! I wholeheartedly believe that this is true. Your body was designed to move, and it thrives with movement. The human body has nearly 350 joints! If that doesn’t tell us we were designed to move, I don’t know what does!
Let’s talk about the impact of movement on brain and nervous system health. Your nervous system is designed to take in sensory input, process the information, and then have some sort of output. The output might be a muscle contracting or a gland secreting a hormone. It could be a variety of other things, but simply put this is how the nervous system functions. The nervous system requires sensory input to be healthy and to function and do its job. When we are moving our bodies, we get a lot of information coming into our nervous system, which is form of healthy stimulation for our brains and our bodies.
One of the other benefits of movement is the positive impact on mental health . You many have heard of the concept of the “Runner’s high”. When you engage in an episode of intense cardiovascular exercise, like running, you may experience an elevate emotional state with decreased sensation of pain, decreased stress and feeling of euphoria. This was previously linked to the release of Endorphins but new research indicates that the “Runner’s high” may actually be due to the release of cannabinoids and the endocannabinoid system. (Siebers et al., 2022) Regardless what is causing the good feelings post run this is definitely one of the main benefits to regularly moving your body. If you are interested you can read more about the endocannabinoid system and exercise here.
A few of the others benefits of regular movement include: stronger bones, improved balance and coordination, and better physical endurance.
If you notice that you’re not moving like you used to, having joint pain and/or stiffness. Getting regular adjustments can help to facilitate healthy movement that is essential for you to be healthy.
- Siebers, M., Biedermann, S. V., & Fuss, J. (2022). Do endocannabinoids cause the runner’s high? evidence and open questions. The Neuroscientist, 107385842110699. https://doi.org/10.1177/10738584211069981