Are you too comfortable?

I recently read the book “The Comfort Crisis” by Michael Easter and it brings up a lot of really interesting commentary on western culture and its impact on public health and chronic disease. it’s helpful to look at these ideas from the author’s perspective as well as the experts he interviews and his personal experiences throughout the book. It also provides a great framework and opportunity to consider your life and all of the comforts that allow many of us to make it through the day without even a little discomfort.

I am passionate about helping modern humans find more movement in their day for a reason. Less than 100 years ago, the amount of movement necessary to complete the basic tasks required to survive was multiple times what many of us do today. Consider what life looks like for the traditional office worker of 2022. Many don’t need to commute to work on a daily basis. You could wake up in your comfortable bed and never leave your temperature-controlled house. Maybe you get your groceries and meals delivered or click a button and have almost any product imaginable dropped on your porch. Your food may even come prepared, so even if you’re cooking, maybe you don’t even have to peel or chop produce. All of these modern conveniences can save us time and energy, but it comes at a cost.

Improving our physical capabilities requires healthy levels of stress. For example, to ward off osteoporosis it’s important to complete resistance training and put pressure on our skeletal system. That pressure stimulates a cellular response that then leads to more bone tissue being created over time which leads to stronger and denser bones that can handle more force and pressure. If you want bigger biceps you could do challenging bicep curls with heavy weights which then stimulates a cellular response that allows the muscle fibers and other surrounding tissues to build up to tolerate this increased level of stress so heavier bicep curls will be easier over time.

In order to maintain healthy movement levels we now need to be very intentional about how to incorporate more healthy movement and activity into our lives. If you don’t take the time to get intentional with your activity, weeks, months and years can pass without providing sufficient healthy physical stressors to our tissues. This lack of challenge can leave us underprepared for hard things we want to do or accomplish in the future. And this only relates to movement. Considerations around the benefits of safe levels of hunger, temperature tolerance, sound, attention, pain, and more all can make an impact on your lived experience and what you are able to accomplish.

Take a moment to think about one way you can get less comfortable in 2023 for your benefit.

If you aren’t sure what will be safe and healthy for you, or where you could start, reach out and let’s talk.