The Two Meanings of “Moving”
Get Britain standing.org:
“Our vision is that within 20 years more than 80 per cent of the workforce (four in five staff) will convert between 2 – 4 hours of sitting time with standing daily at their desk.
“Regular minor movement whilst at work is essential for us to:
• keep our bodies healthy
• prevent illness & relieve stress
• liberate us & make us more productive”
* (Note—yes, they said “Liberate us!”)
“Get up offa that thing” as James Brown suggests
The On Your Feet Britain challenge encourages you to take James Brown at his word and convert ‘sitting time’ to ‘standing time’. Make some simple changes – it’s easier than you think:
Let’s Move More (Australian Tips & Goals) The Australian Department of Health suggests, in its colorful 8-page brochure on adult physical activity and sedentary behavior, that people be social while exercising. In “Why not try these ideas?,” “Active and fun” is one of its four suggestions.
“World Health Organization Guidelines for physical activity and sedentary behavior:
It is recommended that:
“Adults should limit the amount of time spent being sedentary. Replacing sedentary time with physical activity of any intensity (including light intensity) provides health benefits.
Strong recommendation, moderate certainty evidence
To help reduce the detrimental effects of high levels of sedentary behaviour on health, adults should aim to do more than the recommended levels of moderate- to vigorous- intensity physical activity. Strong recommendation, moderate certainty evidence
Doing some physical activity is better than doing none.”
My reactions to this are fivefold. First, two out of three of my Kukuwa African Dance video women are in their sixties but bebop around quite well, thank you very much! And thanks to them, I am feeling great after a 15-minute workout online. These days (January, 2022), they are having a five-minute exercise program. It makes me remember that I heard about dance clubs in New York that were open during the day (instead of at night), for patrons to get their exercise in during daytime.
Secondly, my sister (who uses a “walking desk” treadmill in her office) and I (who use a “kneeling chair” that rocks) get movement and alternatives to traditional sitting.
Thirdly, the issue Alan Hedge of Cornell brings up about breaks in sitting, and that every 30 minutes of sitting work should be broken by 8 minutes of standing and 2 of moving.
Fourthly, when I am moving around, it’s sometimes because I should, but often because I feel like expressing myself joyfully, which is good for me, as WHO and Hedge concur. I experience joyfulness when I move around (dance, for example), even if only for a couple of minutes—all agree that 5 minutes of Kukuwa African dance, for example, is good for body, but is also great for psyche. Neither WHO nor Alan address this “joyful” issue: what does “joyful” look like?Workers are gonna be more motivated to move around and get their bodies oxygenated, including their brains, thus becoming more productive and valuable, if they are happy!
Yet this brings up another issue: how to empower folks to jump around? Going outside for exercise is fine unless air quality is low. At work, people may be reminded of their oppression—terrible bosses, failure of company to let workers unionize, and all sorts of other problems, some of which are architectural, some societal, some worldly. For my opinion about world stages of maturity, see my website:
foolsfortheydonottakethelongview.site (in the “Welcome!” section, “To the College Class of 2021!”).
The song “Happy” by Pharell Williams, with its video of different people dancing, makes me inspired—I want to move when I hear it—it’s catchy. Same with “Uptown Funk,” by Bruno Mars, and Vanilla Ice’s “Ice Ice, Baby” and Fatboy Slim’s “Funk Soul Brother,” and “Old Movie Stars Dance to Uptown Funk,” as well as Salt ’n’ Pepa’s “Express Yourself!” and NWA’s “Express Yourself,” as well as ATL’s “Freedom of Speech,” MC Hammer’s “You Can’t Touch This,” etc.
The US’ National Center for Complementary and Integrative Health reports on yoga and ta’i chi, finding that they are helpful in a variety of ways. Both are ancient disciplines, which have survived over the years, so this makes sense. There is another martial art that is great that I know about—capoeira; it’s Brazilian, and involves no weapons but the body; it is very dancelike (in fact it was developed by slaves to be so much like dance that their masters would let them practice it, thinking it was, indeed, only a dance!).
Other peoples might have different healthy habits the world’s residents could benefit from. Pope Francis, in his On Care for Our Common Home, reports that “St. Therese of Lisieux invites us to practice the little way of love, not to miss out on a kind word, a smile or any small gesture which sows peace and friendship. An integral ecology is also made up of simple daily gestures which break with the logic of violence, exploitation and selfishness.” (On Care for Our Common Home: Laudato Si, Paragraph 230) Some knowledge we can glean from each other may consist of interaction that is progressively healthful—creating and expressing fun, enjoyment of ourselves and each other, and kindness, including the sharing of talents and capacities.
Fifthly, stretching is important for total health! Moslems do what is in yoga referred to as the “Child’s Pose” five times a day. That is, they get on the Earth and fold their arms over while kneeling on the floor, stretching—five times a day! Everyone does this—men/women, old/young. How civilized can one get? By civilized, I mean life-enhancing and preserving—and celebrating!
My idea for a world language is to be crafted from the most amusing parts of all current languages. The moving discipline for world health—for fun and joy—should feature the movements that people can do for optimum health and beauty—and even humor, I say. Also, they could show respect and value for the Earth, our common home, and each other.
Actually, there is now a way of transcribing movement, other than recording it in film. It’s called Labanotation, and is presented in Brenda Farnell’s Dynamic Embodiment for Social Theory: I move, therefore I am, 2012, New York: Routledge. With this tool, we can learn from people in every corner of the world.
I want to be a Minister of Movement for my world. I want to make a TV show where I help people move more joyfully! Maybe I need to consult Daria Okugawa, at the Alexander Teacher Training In Chicago.
In any case, the British call for “liberat[ion]” is not falling on deaf ears. These ears hear, and want to respond to worldly need for liberation! The British also mention that a positive attitude is one of the results of exercising. Certainly we can see that this type of attitude, and a healthier workforce, will make more money. But, if the workers do not make more money themselves, they will see injustice and will have a harder time feeling motivated to jump around. We all need inspiration!
For USA government health.gov/MoveYourWay Community Resources: campaign materials, fact sheets and posters for printable materials, colorful and smart: “Dance Moves,” “Feel Better,” and “Fact Sheet for Adults” for adults. The U. S. Department of Health and Human Services, Office of Disease Prevention and Health Promotion does not mention Alan Hedge & Cornell idea that “It’s not just about activity to burn calories and promote circulation, but also the importance of gravitational stimulation from postural changes (Dr. Joan Vernikos’ work at NASA…)” —email of 12/13/21. Vernikos’ research encouraged his 20-8-2 approach. I think this means that, like our hunter-gatherer forbears, human need to be basically moving all the time, stretching, lifting weight, walking, AND DANCING!
Dr. Joan Vernikos: from website https://www.joanvernikos.com/pages/sitting-kills-moving-heals.php
“Vernikos found that keeping subjects resting and immobile—an extreme form of the typical American lifestyle—caused the same health problems as extended weightlessness.” That is, superset astronauts’ muscles & bones degenerate and overall health appears like that of elderly people.
“‘Her easy-to-follow plan shows how fun activities such as walking, dancing, golf and just simple movement will help us become not just healthier but stronger and more independent.’ —The Tucson Citizen”
“Sitting Kills, Moving Heals ( https://www.joanvernikos.com/pages/sitting-kills-moving-heals.php )
shows that the key to reversing the damage of sedentary living is to put gravity back in your life through frequent, non-strenuous actions that resist the force of gravity throughout the day, 365 days a year…The Sitting Kills, Moving Heals method is fun, easy to follow, takes no time commitment—and it works, giving far better results than conventional diet and exercise plans.”
A)—I say that life itself is movement. Our early ancestors were movers—hunters, gatherers—not sitters, right?.
B) I assert that life itself is joyful movement—passionate awareness, from plankton to whale—including humans.
C) I say that sitting for awhile—too long—and not moving makes one out of touch with one’s body and therefore joy, and is not healthy for one or one’s fellow folks—or for Earth, which turns with the oil of playfulness and self-improvement/growth, which often issues from interaction. Playfulness/creativity—“Creativity is intelligence having fun,” as Albert Einstein said—continues to save the world, when we let it. If not fun, why done? I ask.
Imagining the United Nations members trying to help but sitting too much, I am sad, for me and for other world residents. And other office-dwellers: maybe working from home has given lots of people a new productivity, as they—like me right now—can just wear sweatpants and take movement/play breaks.
“Liberate us,” as the British website says. Act like it! Which comes first for world liberation—the reason for joy, or the behavior of being happy? Watch Pharrell William’s “Happy”! I bet you’ll clap along—and maybe get up offa that thing, as James Brown sang!
See
Physical Activity Promotion and the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals: Building Synergies to Maximize Impact
Deborah Salvo, Leandro Garcia, Rodrigo S Reis, Ivana Stankov, Rahul Goel, Jasper Schipperijn, Pedro C Hallal, Ding Ding, Michael Pratt
PMID: 34257157 DOI: 10.1123/jpah.2021-0413
“Conclusions: The authors call for a synergistic approach to physical activity promotion and SDG achievement, involving multiple sectors beyond health around their goals and values, using physical activity promotion as a lever for a healthier planet.”