You are improving right now. Congratulations!
That's right.
Whatever you're doing right now, whatever position you're in, your body is getting better at it.
So what are you doing?
It's cool, I'm not judging. Whether you're on the toilet with your phone, slumped on the couch with your laptop, or perhaps sitting in a gorgeous deep squat with your tablet, I think you're doing just fine.
You can't expect to always be in a "productive" position or task. But here's really the cool thing:
You CAN take small steps to get more out of whatever position you're in.
Your body is constantly, incredibly, adapting to the demands you place upon it. But it takes time and consistency for significant change.
So what can you do?
Simply remind yourself that your body is adapting right now, and always, to what it is experiencing.
It makes sense, right? If you can remind yourself, it's a pretty powerful idea. Limit the stuff you don't want your body to adapt to.
Consistently do what you want your body to adapt to.
High stress, alcohol, sedentary behavior, running, swimming, CARs, walking, sitting, climbing.
It's all up to YOU of course, what you really want. Just keep reminding yourself that you have a ton of control over how your body adapts. What will it be like in a year? 5 years?
If you can imagine, and really believe, that your body is constantly laying down new tissue based on the demands you place upon it - you will start to act differently.
You'll notice more about your body, you'll become more aware of when you've been still for too long. You'll fidget more, stretch more, and bring more attention to what feels good physically.
You might even discover for yourself that the best posture is a moving, changing posture.
"Okay fine, Brian, but how bout some specifics?"
I hear you. And you probably know what I'm gonna say:
CARs. Rotate your joints in a pain-free circle as big as you can go.
And when you find yourself an a non-ideal position, explore how much rotation you can get within that position.
How far can you move your hips, spine, neck, shoulder, ankles? Can you try stretching some stuff? Anything is better than nothing!
Think about this:
If you're accustomed to hours upon hours of sitting, unmoving at a desk, on a couch, in a car, or plane -
And you infuse a couple minutes of joint rotations for each hour, that's a significant change over the course of weeks and months -
Your body will adapt to the new stimuli, your joints will become healthier and more mobile. Maybe marginally, maybe not.
If your baseline involves more movement, of course you'll need a more potent stimulus for change. More rotations, higher intensity rotations. More often.
If you sit for many hours per day, or beat the crap out of your body at the gym, on the field, or in high heels, and your body is stiff and painful, 3-5 joint rotations are NOT going to cut it.
Likewise,
If you're pale like me and sit out in the Florida sun for 8 hours per day every week, with only one thin application of SPF 4 sunscreen, you're going to burn. An extra coat won't do shit.
Dosage is important. Proportion is important. If you want to see change, something has to change. Consistently. Over time.
And it has to change enough to tip the scales.
So whatever direction you want to go, you have the power to start tipping those scales.
More on this idea soon, regarding other modalities of training like strength, endurance, etc.
I'd love to hear what you thought of this post, and if it helps you at all! Feel free to reach out, and please share if you enjoyed it :)
Brian