Should I Do The Things a Child Does?

Categories: Uncategorized Sep 25, 2013

If you are an adult, and you want to become strong and healthy, should you really "train" like a child does? Should you roll, rock, crawl, or scoot? Yes. No. Maybe.

In a perfect world, no. You shouldn't have to train like a child to become strong and healthy. But, in a perfect world, you would already be strong and healthy. After all, your body was indeed made to be strong and healthy at any age, or stage, of your life. But again, in a perfect world, there would be no need to train with the movements of a child once you were past childhood. You wouldn't need to because every day of your life you would spend the majority of the day moving like you were intended to move: You would walk with purpose. You would move constantly throughout the day. You would only sit to rest, not to work. You would find physical obstacles to conquer instead of key pads to push. No. You should absolutely not have to train like a child moves, especially if you move like a man (or woman) is supposed to move. However, I am guessing very few of us actually move often enough and well enough as we were intended to move.

So then, our world might be less than perfect. In our world, maybe there is not much difference between a sedentary adult's body and a new, developing baby's body. Well, baby's have rather large heads, about 1/4 the size of their entire body. That is a pretty big difference. But aside from that, a sedentary adult and a new born baby both have to learn how to move against gravity. Both have to develop strength and refine their movements through learning and working through their developmental patterns. IF rolling, rocking and crawling are what made you strong and resilient as a child, what makes you think those same movements will not work, or do not work, for you as an adult? They will and do work. Why? Because that is how we are made.

The very movements you were given as a child are the very movements that were intended to give you a foundation of strength, mobility and health from which you were supposed to be able to conquer life from. These simple, childish movements were the template that warriors were to be built from.

Are you a warrior? Are you resilient? Are you as strong as you want to be? No? Then, yes, maybe you should train like a child. Because fortunately for us, through God's grace, the very movements we deem to be childish still work for us as adults. They can still develop us and give us the foundation needed for strength, mobility and health. That is, these simple, childish movements can restore the life, the vitality, we were designed to have.

You can become as strong as you ever wanted to be, and as strong as you were meant to be by remembering how to move like you once did as a child. You really can.

What if you are already strong and resilient?  Should you then continue to move in the ways of a child? Remember one thing: You don't live in a perfect world. You will find more opportunities, or even necessities, to be sedentary more than you move. It is okay to press "reset" often in our non-perfect world to retain and maintain your solid foundation of strength and health. Just because you can roll doesn't mean rolling is no longer good for you. Your brain and body may find these familiar movements nourishing and restorative, if not playful. Besides, you probably don't "play" as much as you should anyways. Playing and learning with movement is essential for health. Why would you not continue to explore the ways of moving like a child knowing that a child's ways lead to health and strength?

I run very well. Yet, I still walk. I walk very well. Yet, I will still crawl. Why would I not?

Once in a while, it can be good to press "reset" in even the most childish ways.

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