The notion that

More free time inversely proportional to less exercise?

It's a feeling based on statistical data, the ‘calls for action’ for 10,000 steps daily, the hype and discounts at the start of the year for New Year’s resolutions, primarily to go to the gym. Year after year, the same pattern emerges, with more initiatives, such as now promoting more active and greener cities (which is certainly a good development), and giving more priority to cyclists and pedestrians in traffic. The statistics show only limited, sometimes temporarily flattened results, but not enough to meet the goal of having at least 70% of the population complying with the 2017 exercise guidelines.

As we have become increasingly performance-oriented over the centuries, striving for better financial, social, and cultural circumstances, it seems that the 6 to 7-day workweek left relaxation as an integral part of the workday. Now that we largely have 3 to 4-day workweeks, there is much emphasis on exercising to avoid various modern diseases such as obesity, diabetes mellitus, and burnout or bore-out. Is relaxation a matter of performance?

The better, more, higher, longer, stronger, in alternative ways seems to imply that our recreational exercise performances must compete with athletic and societal achievements. A lovely weekend walk on the dune path is a direct confrontation with the numerous men and women in lycra on racing bikes, racing against each other, racing against Strava with a competitor somewhere in Europe. A typical example is an older man participating in the recent Nijmegen Four Days March, endeavoring to complete the event over four days while walking backward (!?)

But honestly, it's good to see that people are active (even those racing cyclists ;-) ). The point is that there are no limits to this relaxation, creating a factor of stress. Knowing that it takes significant effort and energy to reach your maximum performance means that a setback can be demotivating, making it hard to push yourself back to those efforts. The saying “we get older but not faster” serves as an excuse to let it slide and resign ourselves to our chairs. A minimal impetus to move, since we’ve already experienced that. Then, we quickly lose courage and surrender ourselves to the pharmaceutical industry regarding issues like overweight (obesity) and diabetes (Type II).

Even if you are unfortunate enough to have landed in that “disease,” there are still natural and healthy ways to counter it, even to nullify it. Movement is the key to a healthy and relaxed manner.

Relaxation can and must improve, for a more sustainable future and the preservation of happiness and independence.

#WalkingBlog

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