As you move through your day, you perform these basic functional movements.

#1   Pull: opening doors, reaching for things, gardening, lifting
#2   Push: getting out of bed, pushing doors open, getting/standing up
#3   Hinge: picking things up from ground, putting shoes on
#4   Squat: sit/stand, lifting heavy objects from ground up
#5   Lunge: stair climbing, getting up from ground
#6   Twist/Rotation: reaching across your body, turning to see better, changing movement directions as you walk
#7   Walk: getting from one destination to another that combines most of the movements above

These 7 fundamental human movement patterns keep you fully participating in life. Whether you are active or sedentary, your body relies on these movements to get things done daily. Limitations in these movements prevent you from performing efficiently and can lead to chronic or acute pain and eventually injury.

Let’s take this way back and view from an evolutionary perspective. These movement patterns were essential to survival: squatting to create a fire, lunging to hunt, pulling to harvest for food, hinging to collect vegetables, and walking miles for food and water. If you physically were unable to complete these movements, your body will think it has a lower ability of survival. Thankfully…those days are long gone. We now have the convenience of Whole Foods, Prime and Instacart that we no longer need to hunt or gather. Yet these movements are still crucial in all aspects of life no matter what you do.

Some examples:
– performing household duties
– picking up your children and being active with them
– manual labor
– daily commuting (climbing subway stairs and walking blocks to a station)
– optimally performing workouts to achieve fitness goals
– being and staying active in your golden years

As much as we have technology to assist us, if you plan on leaving your home and joining the rest of the world, these 7 movement patterns are non-negotiable. So take a moment to assess yourself in each of them. How does your body feel as you perform them?  Did you feel any pain, tightness, or weakness? In the next few posts, I will target each movement, what muscles they require, and how to be more mobile and stronger so you can move through your day with confidence, strength, and pain/injury free. Stay tuned!