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Why is movement so important to us?
Inactivity is a killer. Worse apparently than just about anything else. It comes across that sedentary life leads to obesity, heart disease, diabetes, cancer, neural degeneration and arthritis and eventually once the system is broken down enough, death. But this is all yesterdays news, right? We all know this. Rolling stones gather no moss and so forth. It's in the old sayings, equally it's in our very fabric to move and to exert ourselves. You feel better after a long walk. You sleep well after a days' hard work. Etcetera. Etcetera.
And why is it that we are not all running marathons every other weekend?
Humans developed in times of hardship. We grew into the beings we are by being able to catch meat for the dinner table and the ingestion of fat and protein allowed our brains to grow. This led us to become more and more sophisticated with the use of tools and mental skills. Great. In a way it also sowed the seed for inactivity. Fast forward a few thousand years and the tools have taken over. Now there is very little hardship in our lives. We can feed ourselves reliably (after all food comes from the supermarket) and we have various forms of transport to take us from one place to another. We sit down all day. We lie down all night. Where now, is the ancient hunter gatherer that was the peak of strength and fitness?
I feel that there is a subtle change in the wind. Maybe the tide is slowly starting to turn. I say this because mass participation sports are now more popular than ever. More and more people flock to running, cycling and triathlon events, the mud and obstacle course runs are booming. New and exciting combinations of sports are cropping up all the time. This is our very DNA guiding us. The thing is that people are finding it fun to move again. Fun. Exactly. It's becoming socially acceptable to exercise for the sake of exercise, it's becoming ok to go and have fun. Sweaty and muddy is no longer frowned upon - as long as you get a medal for it. But the bottom line is, that the reason why this shift is happening is because people feel the need to exert their bodies. It makes them feel better.
When we are pushing ourselves physically a number of things happens to us physically and mentally. There is a surge of hormones. The cardiovascular system is pushed into over drive. Muscles go through full cycles of contraction and relaxation. Our metabolism is kicked up a few notches. We reach mental clarity. Afterwards there is the post exercise glow. The endorphin filled haze when everything feels rosy and the muscle ache has not yet kicked in. We can ride the high from a few hours up to a few days - depending on the scale and scope of the endeavour undertaken.
The benefits of regular exercise are obvious. The leaner physique, the high energy levels, the better ability to focus and to concentrate, and the lower risk of death by various unpleasant diseases. When learning new skills the brain will adapt and become better able to handle more complex scenarios, which results in finer motor skills and better cognitive functioning that is sustained for decades - which may even put off dementia for a decade or two.Yet for many people this is still not sufficient motivation to get moving. It's too much hard work. It hurts too much. It's Tuesday. I have the ironing to do. I have a kids birthday party to attend to this weekend. There's always an excuse. I think the reason for this is that these people have not found what they enjoy doing. They need to somehow learn to have fun again. And here is the rub. These people are still too stuck in the old fashioned social conditioning by which having fun is frivolous and unacceptable. "One must simply work hard and then stare at the telly when at home. And don't complain about it."
Luckily there is a lot of variety available now. Running and walking are the easiest activities to get into. Cycling and swimming follow closely in the numbers of participants. Team sports are popular and readily accessible. Still, the variety can be found everywhere. There is the crossfit, the gymnastics, the martial arts, the various dance forms and gym classes. You can get into stand up paddling or kayaking or surfing very easily. Even shooting and archery clubs are widely spread. More and more people are realising that they don't have to aspire to compete at a national or international level to get into these sports. Heck, they don't have to compete at all. They can simply partake for their own enjoyment and for the benefit for their health.
If the threshold is still too high or you simply cannot find the time to go anywhere for your exercise, despair not. You can do it all within our daily activities. You can transform your life into a constant piece of movement art and a mixture of various forms of exercise. It boils down to awareness. Being present in the moment and seizing the opportunities when they arise. For example, walk a part of your commute, take the stairs instead of the lift, squat instead of bend over, do things with your non-dominant hand, stop slouching in the sofa - sit cross legged on the floor, do sitting down exercises when on public transport, in a traffic jam, or when in the office. Even things like gardening and hoovering can become sources of strength, coordination and balance. Brushing your teeth with your non-dominant hand, standing on one leg and with your eyes closed makes it a lot more exciting - and fun.
And this is what it boils down to. Carpe diem. Learn to listen to your body. Allow yourself to have fun again. Seize that childlike sense of wonder in the physical movement - do things simply to find out if and how you can. This kind of stimulation is much deeper and much more satisfying for your brain the artificial high intensity bombardment that assaults your brain from the TV.
This is why movement is important to us. It makes us feel like we are living our lives in harmony with our heritage and DNA. It makes us feel complete.
You can take the first steps to learning how to improve your health, vitality, energy levels and longevity by joining us in our Movement 101 Workshop In Shepperton.
Dr. Mikas first book, "Survival Guide to Your Home" was release in July 2017, and it contains a lot of the material covered in the workshop. If you have attended a workshop already or wish to get a head start, check out the book by clicking this link.
INVITATION TO MOVEMENT 101 WORKSHOP
Do you suffer with Injuries? Pain? Aches?
Is your life very Repetitive? Always doing the same thing day in day out?
Do you feel that there is more to life than sitting at the desk or doing the same hobbies?
This workshop is for YOU. Come and learn how to make your daily routine work for you instead of against you. Learn how to change your focus with your daily activities to enhance your ability to move in a natural manner, to build your stretngth, coordination and balance without doing any real exercise. Learn how to restore your body to factory settings and make it injury proof.
Need more persuasion to join us? Check out my blog post on the importance of movement.
The workshop is FREE to attend.
NEXT WORKSHOP DATE TBC
Venue: TBC
Total running time is about 80 minutes.
We are limiting the numbers to 25 attendees to ensure best results.
Please email us This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. to secure your place.
Looking forward to seeing you there.
KR
Dr. Mika
Ps. Dr. Mikas first book, "Survival Guide to Your Home" was release in July 2017, and it contains a lot of the material covered in the workshop. If you have attended a workshop already or wish to get a head start, check out the book by clicking this link.
Feedback from Previous Workshops
“The content information was useful in that it made me consider all the posture bad habits that I, like so many of my age, get into.”
“I especially liked the way you made us go back to first principles with, walking, bending and holding the head properly positioned over the body. Obvious things when you look at others, but not so noticeable in ourselves.”
“I found the evening illuminating and it proved to me that at any age most of us get into bad posture habits, which will eventually cause problems. You made it very clear that the human body was not designed to sit for longs periods of time.”
–Mike Bonnick
“The most useful was the idea of keep trying things and the practical lessons eg. posture and weight distribution on feet.”
- James and Julia Paxton
“There were things related to everyday life so it was great that we could all relate to them.”
“The session really covered the things I wanted to hear and was really pleased to make it there.”
-Christina Ciungu
“Most useful and enlightening. We don't realise how we do things so wrongly until we are shown.”
– Susan Whelan
“I would like to say how much I enjoyed the Movement 101 workshop and over the last week I have been regularly practising the movements shown to us. I have found all the movements beneficial with relieving stiffness in my neck and lower back, especially the snake and moving the head/shoulders from side to side.”
– Maria Cage
“The content was interesting and useful. The practical ‘audience participation’ was particularly important as it’s easy to listen to advice and best practice but it’s not until you try it for yourself that you realise exactly how it feels and what your body will allow you to do. “
“I was fascinated at how simply standing and closing my eyes somehow felt un-natural and awkward. It should be the most natural thing in the world but somehow we have forgotten what it is like. It was interesting to feel the difference of just standing and then standing properly after you explained how to set yourself. Likewise, with squatting down, it showed me where my body was restricting me. I felt like I’d tip backward and after a short while my shins ached.”
– Alan Hunt
“The information given was extremely useful and informative; it should highlight to everyone how our life style and movement totally influence our bodies and why we need chiropractic treatment in the first instance.”
– Martin and June Spiers
“If this is relayed to more people, surely in the long run this should help alleviate a lot of pressure from the NHS.”
– Eileen White
“Detail was perfect and so interesting. Your main focus was on maintaining good skeletal posture and the exercises are simple to apply and will surely benefit us if we continue to value what we were taught and apply those exercises to our daily lives.”
– Diana Tranter
Hindsight is a Beautiful Thing
Hand up those who have suffered adversities in the life.
Go on.
Stretch those babies up to the ceiling because I know for a fact that each one of us has met with some sort of difficulty at some point in our lives. It is a fact. None of us sails through life in a stiff tail wind that always turns perfectly in accordance to your wish to change direction. Sometimes we are buffeted by the side winds of work and family stress, sometimes the headwind of illness and injury or financial hardship tries to grind us down.
But guess what.
It’s all good.
In every hardship and difficulty there is a lesson to be learned. See, the tough times are what make us grow as people. My grandparents used to call them “life lessons”. Maybe it is the universe trying to drum something into our thick skulls. One thing is for certain, though. We will not be able to progress until we learn the lesson and grow out of it.
Here is a perfect example. I used to play a lot of ice hockey. I fancied my chances at playing professionally. Then my budding career was brought to a premature halt by a series of shoulder injuries. I was down in the dumps and went through a very dark patch in my life. But bit by bit things started to fall in place. I ended up becoming a sports chiropractor. I met my lovely wife and we now run our own clinic and enjoy raising our two gorgeous daughters. Maybe the universe had a different plan for me. One that didn’t involve me being a professional ice hockey player.
In hindsight the injuries proved to be the best thing that ever happened to me. Obviously, at the time I completely failed to see it that way, but after a while my life progressed far beyond my wildest dreams in terms of satisfaction and reward. I simply had to let go and to embrace, or to allow myself to follow the new direction that was set before me.
Next time life serves you lemons – make the lemonade, sell it, invest in lots of fruit, diversify the range of products, make a total killing and enjoy the ride!
In other words: when you are faced with adversity, take time to reflect and to understand WHY this happened. By making the necessary amendments to your life you will be able to move on and to progress. The lesson will become apparent and, who knows, it might end up being the best thing that ever happened to you.
Yours in Health,
Mika
Recommended by Dr. Mika
This list of recommendations is wide ranging and covers a broad spectrum of topics. All of the products, services, people, books and websites have been tested by me personally. If you would like to discuss any of them, or have any further questions, please do not hesitate to get in touch with me directly via email: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
Movement and training:
-Ido Portal – www.idoportal.com
- Movnat (Erwan le Corre) – https://www.movnat.com/
- Animal flow – http://www.animalflow.com/
- Sun Salutation Yoga - https://www.youtube.com/results?search_query=sun+salutation
Shoes:
-Tade Evo Shoes - www.primalevo.com
- Vivo Barefoot Shoes – www.vivobarefoot.co.uk
- Xero shoes – www.xeroshoes.co.uk
- Vibram Five fingers - http://us.vibram.com/shop/fivefingers/
Running:
- Chi-running – http://www.chirunning.com/
- Barefoot Ken – http://barefootrunning.com/
General Health and Alternative Medicine Topics:
- Dr. Mercola: www.mercola.com
- Dr Josh Axe: https://draxe.com/
- Dave Asprey: www.bulletproofexec.com
Food and Weight Control:
(Also Check ou the articles on my blog on this topic).
- Paleo Diet - http://thepaleodiet.com
- Glycaemic Index - http://www.whfoods.com/genpage.php?tname=faq&;dbid=32
How To Get Over Your Gut Issues - Part 2
This blog post is a sequel to the How to get over your gut issues.
As I write this I have been on my treatment program for nearly four months. It has not been an easy time but I have persevered. I am glad to report an improvement in my condition. An improvement that seems to be holding. Previously, any attempt I made was soon nullified and the frustration with the situation escalated in ample proportion, yet this time it seems to be going in the right direction. I am not counting my chickens yet, but I am carefully optimistic.
My treatment program started in early March. I got all of my test results and consulted a nutritionist who is experienced in dealing with people with issues similar to mine. She was very positive from the start and insisted that all would be ok. She explained that the damage to my gut over the years has led to near complete non-absorption of nutrients and a severely escalated protective response. This over exaggeration of the protective response was what was causing a lot of my symptoms.
My test results indicated, as mentioned before, that I had very bad gut flora. The friendly, happy-to-help, beneficial bacteria were non-existent and instead I had a horde of raging abusive bacteria, hell bent on destroying their surroundings. Thrown in the mix were Candida yeast and some unpleasant waterborne parasites. The test results also indicated how to get rid of them. Various herbs (in my case Garlic, Oregano, and UVA Ursi) were highlighted to kill the bad bacteria and the Candida. The parasites required some homeopathic remedies to eject them from the gut wall, and some support for my drainage pathways and liver to help clear them out of the system completely. To repopulate the good bacteria I was prescribed a high quality probiotic. Along with this I had to make the environment hostile for the invaders and friendly for the healing process to take place. This meant getting serious with the food. No more half baked efforts to try and make a difference. This time I was determined to do absolutely everything in my power to get myself sorted.
My eating habits were not horrible before. In general terms and based on western standards I was eating very healthy. Yet, it was slowly ruining me. I guess my Ironman Triathlon hobby was not helping me, as I on some days I required a better part of 5000 Calories just to break even. To cut it short, all the nasties in my gut were thriving on sugar. For those who are not familiar with this, sugar is anything with an “-ose” at the end (glucose, fructose, lactose, galactose, sucrose) and pretty much all processed food comes with a goodly helping of the stuff. See, sugar tastes nice. Simple as that. Hence the food manufacturers put it into everything to sell more products. For me this proved to be a bit of a nightmare. I had to ignore about 95% available in the super markets. Including the fruits, dairy products, all grain products, any fermented foods, as well as anything with artificial bulkers and chemicals in them as well as alcohol. How was I supposed to find 5000 Calories per day??? Specifically for my Ironman Triathlon training I was unable to use any of the commercially available shakes or energy drinks or even the gels to fuel me.
Based on the blood test results I was also required to take a few supplements. These included Vitamin B2, Zinc, Omega-6 fatty acids and CoEnzyme Q-10. These were found to be sorely needed by the system and all of them have an important role in the cell energy production and/or healing process.
Sounds pretty grim at the moment, doesn’t it?
Well, let me tell you how the last four months have played out and then you make a judgement. At first I was a bit shocked. The first foray into the supermarket went in a bit of a dazed blur. I think I came home with about five items. I was simply unable to even comprehend how I might pull through. This forced me to get more creative. I started looking outside of the list of restrictions, and into the list of non-excluded possibilities. Hence, fish, meat, poultry, all manner of vegetables, nuts and seeds, and corn were on the allowed list. I became much more innovative in the kitchen and started making stuff from scratch and amending recipes found on the internet or in cookery books to suit my requirements. I am now eating a diet much more varied and diverse than ever in my life and I am looking forward to learning new things and trying out new recipes. I have been able to get out of the western ‘sandwich and everything with chips’ food culture.
So far I have been very good with it. I have managed to stick to the guidelines almost completely, apart from a few occasions in restaurants where I simply had to choose the least of damaging option. I must confess, I sometimes feel down about it. I cannot have the yummy desserts nor am I allowed to unwind with a glass of nice red. For the most part, however, I don’t even miss the things I used to eat as a normal part of my diet. Hopefully I will be able to tolerate red wine, chocolate and nice cheese at some point in the not too distant future.
The results so far have been encouraging. I feel generally better. I feel more balanced in terms of my energy levels. I don’t get tummy pain or cramps. My bloating has virtually disappeared (it returns to a degree if I have been naughty). I find that my head is clearer than it ever used to be. My recovery from training and racing seems to be quicker than before, thanks to being “Fat-Adapted”.
I tested myself recently with some naughty stuff. I confess, I had some ice cream, chocolate and a couple of biscuits, simply to see what would happen. It took a couple of days for any of the symptoms to manifest, but that was enough to convince me to stop further experimenting and to go back to being good again. I know I am not yet healed. My guts still have a way to go, but I am hopeful and I can see the light at the end of the tunnel.
Based on my experience – would I recommend it? YES! It has been very educational and despite the tough days it has been rewarding. I am now much more in control of myself than I was only a few months ago. For those of you who are suffering, please, do yourselves a favour and get on the road to recovery now. You will thank yourself for it.
I will update again in due course.
Yours in Health,
Mika
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Testimonials
I was in so much pain last week I couldn’t imagine that I would feel this much better in 7 days
Heather PenncockI first went to Mika About 2 months ago. I could not walk straight line or very far. I was also in pain as I have had two knee replacements. After about 3 weeks I can now walk upright and in a straight line. Also a lot of pain relief. I cannot recommend this practice enough.
Frank WhittingtonI have been working with Dr Mika Janhunen of Shepperton Chirorpactic Clinic for four years. During this time he has not only been able to help me overcome various niggling injuries and to enjoy better health, but has been able to improve the performance of a number of my golf coaching clients as well. His detailed knowledge of the human body and the complexity of the golf swing movement pattern is virtually unrivalled in terms of results that I have ever seen. I will continue to refer my players to see Mika, and would encourage anyone to do the same.
Rob Watts, PGA Golf Professional
