Don't want to exercise? Take a lesson from young children

Very young children move clumsily, but they’re designed for exploration.  They have amazing leverage (thick muscle bellies and short limbs) and extreme joint and segment range of motion (very loose joint structures).  The benefits of this arrangement can be witnessed anytime we watch a young child squat; it’s effortless.  Contrast this with the elderly: poor leverage (lean muscles and comparatively long limbs) with extreme joint/ segment tightness.  The movement of a young child may be clumsy, but the steps of an elderly person look perilous by comparison.

The biomechanical characteristics of a young child make it both less likely that they will fall over when inspecting something on the ground and very easy for them to get back on their feet should they do so.  There is an appealing theory of motor learning that says that the brain performs an automatic risk versus reward analysis before choosing a motor action.  By this theory, the design of a child’s musculoskeletal system highly incentivises movement.  By the same theory, the very old would be subconsciously encouraged not to move.

The two critical factors in both cases (young versus old) are range of motion and strength.  A body possessing excellent range of motion and physical strength will acquire movement skills more easily both because the act of doing so is simpler and perhaps also because the brain will subconsciously encourage it.  I am a big fan of postural exercise modalities, such as yoga and Pilates, for adults.  They raise feelings of wellness that arise from working critical muscles and joints through long ranges of motion, but they may have the additional benefit of improving the subconscious desire to want to exercise.

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