I was recently asked about ‘what exercises should I be doing in order to stay healthy, fit and strong?
If you want to stay healthy, fit and strong I don’t believe that ‘exercises’ go far enough, we humans need more.
Let me introduce you to Archetypal Exercise. Archetypal exercises are movements, position, and activities that get us closer to our design.
Our design is what we humans have been given. Two legs, two arms, a torso and everything else. This body of ours is designed to move in certain ways which nourish us (reset, restore and rejuvenate) and gives us the freedom to fully express in our environment.
So, what are the Archetypal Exercises we should be doing?
- Diaphragmatic breathing
- Head nods, rolling, rocking and crawling
- Sitting on the floor
- Getting up and down from the floor
- Hanging
- Resting squat
- Hip hinges (deadlifts, kettlebell swings etc)
- Lunges
- Pushing/pulling
- Locomotion (walking, running, swimming and climbing
- Play (this is surfing to cycling and everything between)
- Roughhousing (martial arts, contact sports, dog development, childhood development and ways of testing strength against someone else)
- Barefoot nature exposure (human beings are designed to be in nature)
This all sounds like a lot but these exercises co-exist together. When you do one, you will naturally end up doing 5 or 10
For example, when Krystie goes surfing she is getting up and down, hinging, lunging, playing and exposing herself barefoot to nature
If I go hiking, I am lunging, locomoting, sitting on the floor, getting up and down from the floor and in nature
All of these Archetypal Exercises aren’t a ‘workout’ , they aren’t a checklist, they are a way of life, they need to be implemented and integrated into your day
The gym is nothing more than a grown ups playground. It’s an opportunity to expose yourself to the manipulation of shape
My gym and Bears gym. Playing, exposing and the manipulation of shape
Paul “resting .. again” and Krystie “disapproving head nods” Miller
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