From Birth to Hercules

Why do some people have muscles and how did others accumulate excess fat?

Lets take a quick walk down memory lane. The first sets of muscles you worked were your vocal chords.

 Then very quickly your tongue and cheeks to receive nutrition and of course, the sphincter muscles in your throat, to swallow. 

Soon after, your eyes curious about everything around you and then your brain – absorbing it all in. Fingers and toes, and rather quickly, fine and gross motor skills. 

You might not remember what it was like when you first sat upright, held your head up, crawled or walked. 

But that's where your major muscles as you'd recognize today, started to develop. Your core muscles to hold you upright and ensure your spine and skeletal structure receives adequate support.

A growing child that's encouraged to play, continues to grow muscles and develops a solid and stable structure. 

You have limbs, because you're meant to use them. Your torso holds your limbs in place. 

So when did things start going awry? When did people start needing hip replacement surgery or knee cap replacement done? Why do people develop spondilitis or vertigo?

As you age, with added responsibilities, your lifestyle changes. No more running and playing outdoors, no jumping and crawling and no one telling you to eat your vegetables!

Bound to happen. You feel that shortness of breath after climbing two flights of stairs, muscles ache in different parts of the body after minimal activity, chronic fatigue and low vitality often have physiological effects and you suffer from irritability, insomnia, high blood pressure, diabetes, heart diease and depression.

Should you recognize these signs, they are often enough to drive us to change but when the signs don't work, its family and friends who come up and say, "its time to change". OUCH...

With the hectic schedules and growing 'needs' young people have these days, becoming 'unfit' is a phase many go through before some life changing event forces you to visit a gym because that's 'THE ONLY PLACE' you'll make a change.

Do you REALLY need to go to a gym? Is that the only way? What about Yoga? What about pilates? Walking? Yes, you'll start by just walking every day. And do a few stretches... good enough?

Thankfully, there are enough options out there to help us commit to our fitness journey, depending on what our fitness goals are.